I did an unbiased review of Lundberg Family Farms’ Wild Blend Rice. It’s a combination of long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wild rice, Wehani red rice, and black rice. It’s 100 percent whole grain with nothing else added. I spotted this on one trip to the grocery store and decided to give it a try. The video below is my first encounter with this special blend of grains. My notes on the review follow the video link.
If you have not tried this blend of rice, let me encourage you to give it a try. It’s different than plain rice, with a bit of an “earthy” flavor from the wild rice in the mix.
I hope this helps!
Judi
Review of Lundberg Wild Blend Rice
Note: I have no official ties with Lundberg Family Farms. I purchased the rice package with my own funds and have not been prompted in any way by the company to do a review of this nor any of their products. This is an unbiased review.
A package of Lundberg Wild Blend Rice was purchased. One cup of the blend, plus one tablespoon of butter (a suggested optional ingredient in the instructions) was cooked according to package directions, with 1-3/4 cups of water. The following are the results.
Cooking Time: The package directions state to bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat, and cook the blend at a simmer for 45 minutes in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. The package directions state to use either water or broth. I opted for water so I would have no added flavoring which might skew my taste perception of the blend. I added the amount of water called for in the recipe, which was 1-3/4 cups. At 35 minutes into the cooking time, I noticed that the water was all absorbed. I tasted the rice for texture and it was a little chewy, but done enough for me (I don’t want my rice to be mushy). The package directions state that if the rice is not soft enough when the cooking time is up, to add one or two tablespoons more of the liquid and continue cooking. I opted to not do this. At the 35 minute mark, I removed the pot from the heat and allowed the rice to finish the “steaming” process for another 10 minutes, as per the instructions.
Cooked Lundberg Wild Blend Rice
Options and Comments: I could have added a little more liquid at the 35 minute point, or even added a couple tablespoons more liquid in the beginning. In all fairness to Lundberg, I have an electric stove and it took a little while for the temperature to lower from a hard boil to a slow simmer. This may have caused extra water to evaporate that may have been needed in the cooking process. Bear this in mind if you use an electric range. The heat on a gas range would have been lowered much faster, possibly resulting in needing the full cooking time without extra liquid, as per the instructions.
Flavor: The rice blend had a good flavor; but as rice can be, it was a little bland. The wild rice in the blend gave it a bit of an “earthy” flavor. I can see where the flavor would have been enhanced by some salt being added in the beginning, OR by using a vegetable broth instead of the water. Either option would have enhanced the flavor just enough to make it a very tasty side dish on its own.
Options and Comments: After tasting the rice blend without added flavorings, I could easily see how some added onions, garlic, bell pepper, and seasonings would make it an absolutely delicious side dish that would pair well with many foods. I will be doing some experimenting with this blend, keeping these things in mind!
When I cook the blend in the future, I will add a little salt into the cooking water, if not using vegetable stock with salt already in it. This should help to bring out the natural nutty flavor of the various grains in the blend.
Would I recommend this product? Yes. If you enjoy rice and are looking for something a little different than plain rice, this would be a fine option. I suggest you flavor it any way you would normally flavor rice that you enjoy. The addition of the wild rice in this blend gives it a little different flavor than that of plain rice.
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