Wild Rice - $5.00 per 15oz. Wild Rice is four species of grasses, and the grain which can be harvested from them.
The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water.
Typically sold as a dried whole grain, wild rice is high in protein, the amino acid lysine and dietary fiber, and low in fat. Like true rice, it does not contain gluten. It is also a good source of certain minerals and B vitamins.
Polenta - $5.00 per 15oz.Polenta is coarsely or finely ground yellow or white maize. Polenta has a smooth, creamy texture due to the gelatinization of starch in the grain, though it may not be completely homogeneous if a coarse grind or a particularly hard grain such as flint corn is used.
Polenta was originally and still is classified as a peasant food. In the 1940s and 1950s, polenta was often eaten with just a little salted anchovy or herring, sometimes topped with sauces. The reliance on maize as a staple food caused outbreaks of pellagra throughout much of Europe until the 20th century and in the American South during the early 1900s. Maize lacks readily accessible niacin unless cooked with alkali, which releases it.
Polenta is cooked by simmering in a water-based liquid; it may be cooked with other ingredients, or eaten with them once cooked. Polenta takes a long time to cook, typically simmering in four to five times its volume of watery liquid for about 45 minutes with almost constant stirring, necessary for even gelatinization of the starch.
Quinoa - $5.00 per 15oz.
Quinoa is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudo cereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.
The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.
Quinoa grains are in general cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes.
