"O Beautiful for Spacious Skies, for Amber Waves of Grain..." America the Beautiful

Welcome to Amberwaves, the network of concerned friends, families, farms, and communities devoted to preserving natural and organic rice, wheat, and other essential foods from the hazards of genetic engineering (GE).

Whole Grains and Grain Products

By Gale and Alex Jack

Today rye is best known as the basis of dark ethnic breads, the main ingredient in a type of whiskey, and the title of J. D. Salinger's book, The Catcher in the Rye. For many centuries, rye played a prominent role in European and early American cooking. New England's famous brown bread, a staple for generations, was originally made of rye and cornmeal. Later, the Dutch cultivated rye extensively and used it liberally in their cereals, breads, and baked goods. We enjoy rye for its chewiness. Because it is harder than most grains, we use it sparingly and usually in combination with other foods.

Rice with Rye

By itself, rye is hard and usually is combined with other grains. We like rice cooked with about 20 percent rye.

2 cups brown rice 1/2 cup rye 4 cups spring water pinch of sea salt

Grains should be pre-soaked or the rye should be roasted, as it is difficult to chew. Place grains in a pressure cooker, add water and sea salt. Bring to pressure, lower the flame, and cook for 50 minutes.