🌾 Many of us notice that naturally grown grains, pulses and other food items may sometimes get infested with insects sooner than conventionally treated food.

🌱 Sometimes, when we try to sprout grains or pulses, they may not sprout properly or uniformly.

🍚 Native varieties may also take longer to cook

Different native rice and grain varieties can naturally require more soaking or cooking time. Taking longer to cook does not mean the grain is inferior.

So, does all this mean the food is not good?

Not necessarily!

🐛 Insect infestation:

How quickly grains get insects depends on several factors — whether any storage treatment was used, moisture level, temperature, storage conditions and how long the grain has been stored.

🌱 Sprouting:

Whether a grain sprouts depends on its viability, age, variety, processing and storage conditions. Poor or uneven sprouting by itself cannot be taken as a sign that the food is chemically treated or of poor quality.

🍚 Cooking time:

Native varieties can have different grain structures and may require more soaking or cooking time. This is a characteristic of the variety, not necessarily a sign of inferior quality.

So perhaps we should ask a different question:

👉 Are we judging food only by how long it stays insect-free, how quickly it cooks or whether it sprouts perfectly?

Or should we also ask:

🌾 How was it grown?

🌱 What inputs were used?

🍚 What variety is it?

🚜 How was it processed?

📦 How was it stored?

🤝 Can we trust the farmer and source?

Natural food may not always look, cook or behave "perfectly" according to modern expectations.

The absence of insects, quick cooking or perfect sprouting alone cannot tell us whether food is good or chemical-free.

Let us learn to look beyond appearance, convenience and shelf life and understand the journey of our food from soil to plate. 🙏🌾