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Oryza Sativa Forbidden Black Rice Seeds
Packet of 20+ very rarely available home grown organic seeds!
I happy to send these seeds to anywhere internationally, or the Australian states of Queensland, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Northern Territory and most of New South Wales.
I can’t sell to folks in the NSW Rice Biosecurity Zone as they worry that pollen from my black rice could cross pollinate with their fancy white rice and stuff up our huge multimillion dollar export industry.
That’s the towns of Balranald, Berrigan, Carrathool, Edward River, Federation, City of Griffith, Hay, Leeton, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera, or anywhere within ~150km of Hay in NSW.
This narrow band of production areas produces more rice per hectare than anywhere else in the world, and for that reason you can’t take non-licensed varieties into the exclusion zone.
So yeah, provided you don’t live in WA, TAS or within ~150km of Hay in NSW, then there are no dramas sending to you.
Everyone read that?
Awesome, no need to email me and double check then, lets move on.
I have been growing this on a small scale for years now, just as a novelty and for protection of the species really.
It’s a bit scary the lack of diversity of genetics in our mainstream staple crops, and I strongly believe that backyard growers may one day be key to survival of both these awesome plant species, and our own.
Diversity of characteristics and genetics means a broader range of disease resistance and although there isn’t a “rice flu” or whatever now, if there ever is, having every farmer in the country growing exactly the same dozen or so hybrid cultivars that are all super similar is a real worry to me.
It is super rare, and when I was researching the legalities of sending it and growing in different areas I was surprised to hear that there are no large scale crops of this newly emerging and rediscovered “super food”.
Despite being one of the main rice producers in the world, ALL of Australia’s black or purple rice is imported, mostly from Thailand.
There are no commercial suppliers of this seed except for me, but I am really hoping that changes as the years go on.
After all, it is just better!
Back in the day this stuff was so prized that it was only permitted to be eaten by royalty.
If you were a commoner caught eating it the punishment was death!
Plump fat long grains, deep dark purple colour, and a fragrant nutty taste, this type is also super high in antioxidants and anthocyanin.
It has the highest anthocyanin content of any grain, and it has the same amount of fibre as normal brown rice, but without the course texture.
It’s popularity is growing every day with Chefs all over the country, not just because of the superior flavour, but the splash of bold colours really livens up the plate.
This is not the sticky glutenous Thai purple used for deserts and puddings, this is the real deal forbidden black originally from China, smuggled in by Chinese gold miners back in the day, and quietly handed around from generation to generation of Aussie gardeners ever since.
It can just be used the same as standard medium-long grain white rice you get in the supermarket.
It can be grown like any grass and the flooded paddies you see on TV is not needed at all.
That’s normally done as a water management thing, and to kill pest insects and weeds.
Rice can handle flooding where as most weeds can’t, but being a grass it really doesn’t need it, and will often perform better using standard irrigation methods.
I grow it in pots, and in polystyrene boxes full of potting mix floating on the dam.
I can’t just plant it out here in the rows or in unprotected areas as the roos smash it within a day.
If you live in a place with less critters and/or a decent fence, then just planted in rows it does great.
It does awesome in my aquaponics setup and a couple plants gets me a constant supply of grain.
Any missed or dropped seed reshoots around the base of the mother plants and as the last few finish up the next lot are getting ready to bear.
I love it because it’s rarely seen, it’s super easy to grow, and as a bit of a self-sufficiency nutter at heart in an apocalypse or SHTF situation I like the fact I could easily step up production if I ever had the need.
Grow some, it’s super cool, and super easy too!
