Greg Massa, rice farmer and co-owner of Massa Organics, was happy to talk to us that day at the market and since. We learned that one day, he and his wife Raquel Krach, both tropical biologists by training and working in Costa Rica, decided that the academic research world was too far removed from important real-life work and social interconnection. Farming, they decided – all about hands-on conservation and putting ideals into practice – was the perfect solution.
Small organic farming has given Greg and Raquel the opportunity to remove themselves from “the unsustainable and unprofitable world of conventional agriculture,” as they phrase it. Their organic brown rice is grown using many sustainable practices of irrigation and cultivation, including bringing a good deal of wildlife to their farm. For example, flooded fields – the wet environment suited for rice-growing – also attracts a lot of ducks and other bird and insect life. In turn, ducks eat weeds and provide organic fertilizer – the perfect system.
One of the biggest differences between Massa and a conventional commodities farmer is direct contact with the consumer.
“When you’re a conventional commodity farmer, there’s really no connection to your community,” said Greg. “You have no idea where your rice goes, who eats it, if it gets made into beer – anything.” “The way most farmers sell rice is like 25 truckloads at once,” he added.
Selling at farmers’ markets is altogether different. Massa sells at six markets a week, including the enormous (and enormously popular) market in San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza. At each one, he explains, each bag of rice is sold directly to a customer – handed right to people who offer comments, shake hands, pass along recipes, and tell him what they think of the rice.
“That’s a really powerful experience,” he says.
Half of all of Massa’s organic brown rice is sold at farmers’ market, face-to-face with customers! The remaining half goes to restaurants and a few retail outlets, including us here at ChefShop.com.
SO, WHAT IS BROWN RICE, ANYWAY?
The term “brown rice” generally refers to rice that is wholegrain, meaning that all three parts of the grain – bran, germ and endosperm – remain on each grain of rice. White rice, by contrast, has had the nutrient-rich bran and germ removed in the milling process, leaving only the starchy endosperm.
Not all wholegrain rice is brown. Our Tamaki Haiga rice, a Japanese specialty, is partially milled, leaving the germ intact and giving the rice a very light brown tinge. Other rice varieties cover the color spectrum from reds to browns to blacks.
ORGANIC FARMING
Greg’s family has owned the same farm in the Sacramento River valley near Chico, California (north of Sacramento) for four generations, when his great-grandfather emigrated from Portugal and came to California, first planting rice on the land in 1916.
When Greg was growing up, however, the farm grew crops with large-scale, conventional methods, not organic, and the rice was sold commercially and processed industrially, certainly not to individuals at farmers’ markets.
But when Greg and Raquel returned from Costa Rica for the farming life rather than the academic one, they started converting some of the farm’s acreage to organic, and it’s been growing every since. Today, they run the farm together with his parents, who continue to manage the sizable portion of the farm that still grows conventionally, but they’re working on adding to their organic acreage all the time.
It’s a long process. To certify crops as organic, they must have been grown organically for three years already – but during those three years, they can’t legally be called organic, so they’re not reaping the benefits of the organic label, but they are taking all of the resources needed to produce an organic crop.
“One of those things I like to tell people is that when you buy our rice, you’re directly supporting the conversion of land to organic,” said Greg.
STRAW BALES AND COMMUNITY
In addition to conservation and ecology, Massa Organics believes in social solutions. Carrying on Greg’s family’s fourth-generation rice farm is one way to do this, and another is to be involved in community organizations and make sure that they and their farm are visible in the community. The rice farm is open for visits from school groups, a terrific opportunity to show young people where their food really comes from.
The rice farm permeates every aspect of life for Greg and Raquel and their family . . . literally. After a few years living in an old farmhouse, they built a new home – a strawbale house, made of bales of their own rice straw! Strawbale homes are very sound ecologically and their thick, insulating walls make them energy-efficient, staying cooler in warm weather and warmer in cold.
On a recent weekend, the family held a “bale raising,” building an addition to house their growing family (five children now!). A true community event, Greg and Raquel were joined by 86 people, friends and family from throughout the community, to help put the heavy bales in place. The house has about 10 acres of rice straw – but there’s always more where that came from!
And making the change from tropical biologists in Costa Rica to organic farmers in California?
“Well, farming was a big change,” said Greg. “But small town life is small town life, wherever you are. There’s not so much difference between a small town in Costa Rica and a small town in California . . . there’s really not!”
* * * * * 
Cooking Technique (adapted from Lynne Rossetto Kasper)
There’s not one “right” way to cook brown rice, but we were intrigued by the following technique and we’ve had super results. Put the rice in a pot, add water to cover by a few inches, and bring to a boil (covered, for heat retention). Lower the heat to a calmer boil, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Then, drain the rice in a fine sieve – but leave just a little bit of water in the pot for moisture. Return rice to pot, and allow to sit for 10 minutes (not on the burner). Makes beautifully light-textured rice.
Health Benefits
* Whole grains are good for you! They have been shown to decrease risk of various diseases, and they contain anti-oxidants, vitamins and nutrients as well.
* Whole grains includes all three parts of the kernel: the bran, the germ and the starchy endosperm - this is the one that’s left when grains are refined, but it’s the bran and the germ that contain lots of protein and nutrients.
* Rice is particularly digestible among grains. Also, it works for those who eat gluten-free.
Click for Storage Recommendations for brown rice!
(c) ChefShop.com, 2008
Posted on May 21st, 2008 by chefshop1
Filed under: Gourmet Food
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