Wild Rice Grading Standards

Wild rice is a specialty crop. Although marketers have their own grading systems, wild rice does not have a standardized U.S.D.A. grading system. This works to the end-user's advantage. The end-user can work with the marketers to customize the wild rice to best fit their intended use. Often, the best wild rice for a specific use may be a blend of characteristics. You, as the end-user, may specify kernel characteristics: color, size, scarification, etc. Some characteristics are dependent on one another – your wild rice marketer is best suited to match your needs to a particular category or blend of categories.

To assist you in working with a wild rice marketer, here are a few terms that you should be familiar with:

Cook time

Rehydration time. Determined from the time the uncooked wild rice is placed in boiling water and continues to simmer, until the wild rice has just started to split open or butterfly, depending on preference.

The texture of cooked wild rice is a personal preference. For a firmer texture, simmer less time. For a softer texture, simmer longer.

Scarification

In the scarification process, microscopically thin strips of the bran layer are removed. The rate of rehydration (cook time) and the kernel color are affected by this process.

Note: "low scarification" and "high scarification" may vary considerably between suppliers.

Rehydration

The absorption of water to desired cooked level.

The Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council encourages you to ensure your wild rice marketer is licensed with the State of Minnesota. In addition, there are other factors you may want to inquire about, including insurance, metal detectors in the finishing process, and delivery terms.

There is also a category that is often referred to as "broken" or "short grain". The coloring is similar to the other categories; however, the kernels may be broken or too small to fit into the other categories. Average cook time is generally 20-30 minutes.