I am excited to share this happy and healthy news with all of you! Did you know you can still enjoy a healthy bowl of delicious home grown rice ... grown right here in Valley Home? It is harvested and packaged for peak freshness and is absolutely divine. I actually had no idea that we could still enjoy such a wonderful part of our early Valley Home history. Many of you probably remember those days when beautiful rice fields covered much of Valley Home! Shimmering crystal clear water as far as one could see ... the rice fields were such a beautiful sight! Many of the folks who still live in Valley Home today, farmed this amazing crop. Back then, the perfect Sunday drive would be to drive throughout Valley Home and enjoy seeing the clear sparkling waters of all the rice fields.

Today most of those rice fields are gone and in their place is yet another beautiful crop; almond trees, which by the way, will give us a most beautiful show of their gorgeous blooms in February.

Although we love the trees, many of us really miss those rice fields. In today’s column we say “Thank you” to those who worked so hard back in the day to raise the most delicious rice grown in this entire area. The rice fields of Valley Home will always be an important part of our Valley Home history!

I was thrilled when I found out we still have a few rice fields left right here in Valley Home and even more excited when I learned we could still purchase fresh delicious rice grown right here in Valley Home. I have always appreciated farmers and ranchers; all those who work so hard to feed our families. For most of us we love to buy local when we can to support our local businesses ... it’s exciting that we can support our Valley Home Rice Company! Many of you have probably noticed the shiny rice silos on Valley Home Road near our Valley Home School, one of the most beautiful sights in our Valley Home farming community. Mike Hoffman is owner of The Valley Home Rice Company.

While cooking up a dinner of this delicious brown rice, we read a portion of the label on the package. Some quick facts: probiotic, completely gluten free and non GMO. The label also says “This is not your Mother’s rice! We treat our rice like premium coffee, freshly hulled is better! We offer clean, nutritious brown rice grown in pristine fields, with pure soil and irrigated with fresh water straight off the Sierra Nevada’s!”

We had the most delicious and healthy dinner. I am looking forward to our next Valley Home grown rice dinner! This amazing brown rice is distributed by The Valley Home Rice Company, Valley Home, California 95361; www.thevalleyhomericecompany.com

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As always, you can reach me by email at winniemullins51@gmail.com or by telephone at 209-985-5233. Until next time, “Happy Trails to All!”