A Message from the President

“Proteins are sexier than cereals,” …a recent provocative statement by an artisan friend in the rare breeds pork charcuterie business. “Pork is just walking corn,” I quickly reply, “but you’re right, few people consider what their proteins eat even with the exploding interest in local foods.” The subtext of this exchange is we’re all grass farmers, and the quality of the grasses we farm is the basis of quality for all other husbandry. This fundamental concept brings cutting-edge new interest to sustainable Carolina Gold Rice horticulture in 2007 and promises to expand interest and acreage in the Carolinas and Georgia in the near future. Here is the new paradigm: if pork is walking corn, what is crawfish? For the Weathersby and Cooper families, crawfish is walking Carolina Gold Rice. The verdict of success or failure in the symbiotic aquaculture of crawfish using CGR is still out for the Weathersby family because their 14 acres of organic Carolina Gold Rice is still maturing in their crawfish ponds near Sumter. But in this issue of the Rice Paper, Edwin Cooper, of White House Plantation at Wacamaw Neck, gives a succinct account of events affecting his 30 acres of unintentional crawfish farming using Carolina Gold Rice.

On a similar track, Dr. Merle Shepard met with a large catfish producer in August to discuss the potential of organic CGR production in catfish ponds near Florence in 2008. Dr. Shepard reports the meeting ended with excitement at the prospect of a lucrative companion crop in organic aquaculture. Cooper’s experience proves there is no doubt that crawfish will thrive on CGR. Crawfish farmers and other aquaculturists in the Carolinas and Georgia have taken note of the potential of CGR to produce authentic local crawfish and other aquaculture products while improving their bottom line.
Other developments in regional CGR horticulture spring from fusing historic interpretation of antebellum plantation CGR husbandry with on-farm green market production. The Stoney family at Kensington Plantation on the Cooper River near Monks Corner planted a 2 acre trial plot of organic CGR this season to augment their boutique vegetable farming for Crew Carolina restaurants. This plot is the first in Kensington’s rice fields in nearly a century. Orton Plantation at Wilmington, NC, famous for the quality of their seed and production Carolina Rice during the 19th century, is planting CGR in 2008. Theodore Hopkins of Old Field Plantation in Hopkins will begin sustainable upland CGR trials next year.

The 2007 Carolina Gold Rice growing season is entwined with three fortunate coincidences: many of the plantations engaged in CGR production increased acreage this year; if Mother Nature cooperates, we will witness a record Carolina Gold Rice harvest this fall; and there is an emerging broad public interest in the long term success of rice horticulture in the Carolinas and Georgia…Emile de Felice, of Caw Caw Creek Pastured Pork in Columibia, SC, nominated Carolina and Georgia grown Carolina Gold Rice for induction into the Slow Food International Ark.

We wish Emile and his team success.

by David S. Shields

“If you grow it, they will come.” From the early 18th century to the early 20th century, they came in clouds, arriving lean and hungry from the breeding grounds of the north in August, just as the panicles of rice ripened in the fields of Carolina and Georgia. Planters dispatched squads of noisy children to scare off the hungry feeders, rigged networks of bells and mechanical clappers in their fields, or discharged guns when a flock was spotted descending on a paddy. It inspired a multitude of names: butter-bird (Jamaica), bobolink (in the north), reed-bird (Pennsylvania), ortolan de ris (Louisiana), rice bunting (American ornithologists). In Carolina it has ever been called rice bird, the name the English naturalist Mark Catesby found in use when he resided in Charleston from 1722 to 1726 researching his Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas. Even its scientific name—emberiza orizivora—linked the creature to its avidity for consuming rice. From August to April they haunted the skies of the Lowcountry filling the fields with their resonant songs. “Their notes are few, but the intonation is more distinct than that of any other bird; it resembles the tones produced by a musical box more than any other thing to which I can compare it.”

The males are changeable in appearance. In summer their feathers turn brownish yellow, like that of the female, with the back streak brown-black and the undersides dull yellow. This is how they appear when they arrive lean in late summer. In Carolina they gorge and fatten, and their plumage transforms. The upper part of the head, wings, tail and sides of the neck turn black. The back of the head becomes cream colored. The Scapulars, rump, and tail turn white, and the lower segment of the back bluish white. When fully mature the average rice bird is seven and one half inches long with a wing span of almost a foot. It rarely appears alone. When one descends upon a rice stalk, the tail tucks in for stability and operates as a stabilizer as it perches on the flexible panicles.

While the rice planters dreaded the depredations of the bird on their crops, the arrival of the rice bird was not treated as entirely negative thing. One salubrious effect of their whole grain diet was the mellowness of their flesh. Rice bird ranked with the canvasback duck as the premier avian delicacy on the southern table. In the foremost sporting magazine of the 19th-century, The Spirit of the Times, a reporter rhapsodized about the culinary virtues of rice birds: “They are served in several styles, a la cuisine, in the most notable restaurants; however different may be the methods of treating their rich, fat bodies, in the cooking and dressing, they always please the exquisite taste and palate of the gastronomist. Yet I know no better mode of cooking and dressing them than to place them in rows strung above a moderate fire, and under them a dripping pan well supplied with pieces of toasted bread, to received the rich and luscious drippings, that will exude from them. Allow them to cook thus gently, occasionally turning, so as not to have them over-roasted, as to one’s taste determine the portion of salt and black pepper should be put into each bird.

They also afford an excellent pie, by the addition of a half-pint of rice, boiled, half pint of milk, add the yolks of two eggs, then place the birds, seasoned with all the usual spices, into the pie-pan; let it bake slowly until perfectly done. Oh! Ye Gods! What a pie! What a dish!” [29, 36 (October 15, 1859), 425]. The intensity of this gourmand’s enthusiasm suggests one reason why the rice bird suffered a precipitous fall in its population over the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Market gunners decimated the population at the same time that hurricanes and market forces caused the decline and commercial collapse of southeastern rice culture. Habitat destruction doomed the big flocks. By the mid-20th century the rice bird was a rare visitor to the skies of Carolina and by the end of the century, a protected species.

So when the rice birds appeared for the first time in any living person’s memory over beds of Carolina Gold this last growing season, there was cause for celebration.

In this photograph taken over the fields of the Clemson Agricultural Research Station, we see them as they appear in every literary memoir of plantation life—bunched, colorful, hungry, and excited, with their eyes on the prize—ripening rice.
Photos: Merle Shepard

Two Antebellum Recipes for the simplest of all rice dishes:

“JOHNNY CAKE” [1836]
To three spoonfuls of soft boiled rice, add a small tea-cup of water or milk, then add six spoonfuls of the flour, which will make a large journey cake, or six waffles. The Baltimore Monument 11, 3 (October 22, 1836), 24.

“SOUTH CAROLINA JOHNNY OR JOURNEY CAKE” [1860]
Half a pint of boiled rice or hominy, two eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, a little salt, flour enough to make a stiff batter; spread on an oaken board, and bake before a hot fire; when nicely baked on one side, turn and bake the other; cut through the centre, and butter well. It pays for the trouble. This is the way our servants made it at my home in Charleston, South Carolina. Godey’s Lady’s Book 60 (March 1860), 271.

By Edwin H. Cooper, Jr.

Anyone who reads the chronicles and memoirs of the great rice planters of yesteryear in Carolina realizes that bringing a crop of Carolina Gold to harvest is no easy matter. At any given moment a promising field might fall victim to hail, insect infestation, a plague of birds, hurricanes, drought, or floods. As a reminder that these problems still afflict planters in the 21st century we present a report by Edwin H. Cooper, Jr., of his crop at Whitehouse Plantation on the Black and Peedee Rivers in Georgetown County, South Carolina. In the history of rice cultivation, Whitehouse, is famous for being one of the two plantations cultivated by Elizabeth Allston Pringle, author of A Woman Rice Planter (1913), the most eloquent memoir of the closing years of the great age of rice cultivation in South Carolina. Edwin H. Cooper, Jr. and his son, Edwin Cooper III are intent upon restoring the heritage crop to its old home.

2007
1. Rice was planted in approx. 30a. of prepared fields at Whitehouse around the last week of April so as to avoid any chance of freezing weather, as plagued many farmers this year.
2. Rice came up very well and we were preparing to flood the rice to control weeds once the rice was approx. 6" -8" tall. At that time, a strong coastal system with NE. winds came up the coast and caused our dikes to overtop, thus flooding most of the rice totally underwater.
3. We commenced pumping and were able to bring the water down below the top of most of the rice, but some parts of the field were killed.
4. Apparently the water contained a high salt content, which eventually killed the rest of the rice, although the water levels were not excessive.
5. The rice was planted in an old crawfish field, and the crawfish that we thought were gone reemerged and ate what was left of the rice. Obviously, we need to find a way to eliminate the crawfish before we attempt to plant rice again in that field. Any information you may have on this would be appreciated.
6. Bottom line is growing rice is not a hobby type undertaking, but we plan to continue to experiment.

Mr. Cooper welcomes any expert advice that might assist the success of the 2008 crop.

By Merle Shepard



The Carolina Gold Rice Foundation has put into motion planning for a comprehensive video documentary intended for viewing on SCETV entitled “The Golden Age of Rice: The Story of Carolina Gold Rice.” Based on field research conducted by Richard D. Porcher, who has accumulated a vast amount of unreported data, as well as existing research data and historical accounts, the film will demonstrate the historical, social, cultural and technological significance of Carolina Gold Rice in South Carolina. The story will take viewers on a journey from the elite and wealthy social circles of Charleston to the rice field to experience the evolution of technology that elevated rice to the most important commodity of the 18th and early 19th centuries in South Carolina.

The roots of the early technology that allowed rice culture in South Carolina may trace their roots back to West African culture and the slaves, who worked and lived permanently on the plantation. The lives of the planters and slaves will be recreated to show the development of slave villages in the Santee Delta, Crow Island and the development of storm towers for their protection. The mechanical advancements in the control of water, field management, threshing and milling will be illustrated through field trips to remaining sites, as well as graphic illustration and animation of the mechanics that made these systems work. Viewers will have an opportunity to explore the most familiar remnants of rice mills, the rice chimneys, shedding new light on the workings of the mills, the chimneys and the unique “signatures” provided by the chimneys themselves. Finally, the lasting legacy of rice culture will be highlighted from the diverse and productive abandoned rice field marshes and swamps, the development of basket-making and the tourism industry.
The educational objectives of “The Golden Age of Rice: The Story of Carolina Gold Rice” are to:
• Illustrate the importance of rice in the development of the economic and ecological structure of South Carolina and the American colonies as a whole.
• Provide the most current information on the development of the technology and the tools used to grow and process rice.
• Explain the lasting impacts rice has had on southern culture.
• Preserve the cultural and historical significance of CGR as an agricultural commodity.

The documentary will be divided into the following major sections:

I. Rice Culture and the Economy
In 1794, Charleston was the wealthiest city among all of the former British Colonies, due to its rice production. Cotton, which is often regarded as the mainstay of southern agriculture, was not a major commodity prior to 1800. South Carolina’s wealth as a colony and state was dependent upon rice. At the height of its cultivation, CGR was widely regarded as the finest quality rice grown anywhere.

II. Origin of Carolina Gold Rice
There are many conflicting theories regarding who was responsible for introducing Carolina Gold Rice to the Carolinas and from where it originated. Historical figures connected with the early cultivation of rice in the Carolinas and current research that is investigating where the original Carolina Gold Rice came from (Guest expert Anna McClung Ph.D.) will be explored.

III. The Cultivation of Rice
A. Learning to Grow Rice in the Carolinas: Methodology and Technological Advances
The first cultivation of rice in the Carolinas began around 1685. Early experimentation with flooding rice fields included the use of narrow tidal channels to flood areas lacking in swamp forest cover and the development of the inland swamp method. The major innovation that allowed massive production of rice was the implementation of the tidal method. Massive amounts of bald cypress swamp forests were cleared and converted to rice fields using slave labor.

Each of the methods will be illustrated through visits to existing inland reservoirs and tidal fields. Animation will also be used to illustrate the differences between the methods. The documentary will explain why the fields were flooded and drained, and the technological advancements of locks and gates will also be examined during field visits and through animation.

The technological advancement that allowed rice to be cultivated in tidal fields has been the subject of much debate. It is known that by the time rice was introduced into South Carolina, a method of utilizing tidal creeks to flood rice fields was well established in West Africa. June Carney (guest expert) will assist in investigating the role of the West Africans in the production of rice in South Carolina. Richard Porcher’s recent travels to West Africa will provide additional, first-hand accounts of West African rice culture.

B. Slave Life and Culture
During the growing season, planter families were generally absent from the rice plantations to avoid “Malaise,” or the “bad-air,” which actually refers to the mosquitoes that plagued the white families with malaria. The day-to-day work of the African population, the villages built far out in the rice fields, and the development of storm towers will be discussed.

IV. The Harvest and Processing of Rice
The harvesting of rice was always done by hand, both during and after slave times. The processing of rice went through extensive technological advancement, which will be explained via diagrams, field visits and animation of the working mechanics.

Threshing the rice to remove the seed progressed from hand threshing and flailing to hand beaters and then animal and finally steam powered threshers. The milling of the rice to remove the hull and bran evolved from mortar and pestle to animal, water and steam driven devices which were ingenious and greatly improved the productivity of rice operations.

The mill operations are particularly interesting. They evolved from operating on gravity-fed water to generating power using tides. The remnants of steam-powered mills, the famous rice chimneys are one of the most beloved artifacts on former rice plantations. The workings of the boilers and chimneys themselves will be diagramed and explained, and all existing rice chimneys will be filmed.

The final stage in rice processing was the development of extensive mills in Charleston itself for processing “paddy rice.” Richard Porcher’s research in this field has gained a wealth of new insight into the workings and innovations in preparing rice for market.

V. The Demise of Rice Culture
This segment will highlight the cultural and climatic factors leading to the decline of rice as a commercial crop in South Carolina. Loss of slave labor, loss of skilled workers, repeated tropical storms and hurricanes (the paths of which will be animated using Google Earth) and competition with Midwestern rice planters combined to doom rice as a viable commercial crop in South Carolina.

VI. The Legacy of Rice
This segment will tell the tale of the lasting legacy of the rice fields and the culture that was created with rice. Included in this segment are: the ecologically productive tidal marshes that now occupy former rice fields; the tourism industry that is built largely upon the opulent homes and gardens that adorned the rice plantations; the famous sweetgrass baskets that are derived from those used in the preparation of rice for market.

Taken as a whole, the film should supply the most approachable and informative account of the establishment of Carolina’s staple ever attempted.