Thanks Joni. The mixing of grains seems to have an art, if not a science to it. It's done a lot at the level of mixes like your company puts together (which I definitely don't see as stupid, by the way), It's probably less common at the level of a starch preparation as a staple or base for a meal, or a side. One of the issues I think would be if the grains in the same pot are of different sizes that cook in shorter & longer times. Some years ago we used to sometimes add some frozen edamame to short-grain brown rice in the cooker, but that was about it and the edamame wasn't over or under cooked. Oatmeal-based breakfast is another matter for another discussion, but that is where I commonly will mix other grains such as one or another millet to help vary the flavor & texture. Approaches to mixes for baking or in baked goods is something that needs more attention, IMO. Sometimes I look at a multigrain bread on a shelf and wonder if they just added small amounts of this and that in order to get a higher number for the label - what are the actual taste and texture changes achieved in this way? In any event packaged mixes, along with single grain + flavor packages, may be useful ways to introduce millets for cooking. Ready-to-eat snack foods made with some % of millets are of course another way. A third and more involved way (putting this together off the top of my head here) would be simple recipes for combining whole grains such as what you do at home. Sort of succotash for the grain world. Regarding photos, I have done some, but not with great effect. A few are on the Pinterst "Millets, plural" site (which always needs updating, btw). For millets of the month, I'm already working on some copy, and we'll need to focus on the final list and approaches. It will be great to have more help as this progresses! Don ------- Original Message ------- On Saturday, May 21st, 2022 at 10:26 PM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
Good to note. I just ate the last of my millets collection other than some proso. I need to reorder, I always mix 1/2 n1/2 with basmati because my kids love it like that. I often throw in quinoa too so it is more like a pilaf. I will cook up a bunch 'neat' and add to our tasting notes. I have been watching this company for a while. We have always wanted to launch these millets but they had such tricky supply chains. I wonder what their background is? https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Tree-Millets-Foxtail-Barnyard/dp/B086V6ZWP4/ref... Also, I just noticed a millet pasta company too. Oh man it makes be crazy, it is so amazing what you can do with money. You can launch cool products not just stupid baking mixes. Did you take any photos of your samples? My intern is going to join my team this summer to assist with social media support. Her name is Ehi and she grew up in Nigeria. She is so stoked about our use of African grains. I was thinking that she can help with writing up the millets of the month material. I want to do more educational posts anyhow and we will need it if we are going to sell the millet sampler boxes too.
On Sat, May 21, 2022 at 7:11 PM Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Last week I cooked and ate plain little millet for the first time, and today I did proso in the rice cooker for the first time in a while. Usually I put proso in a stew in the slow cooker, or maybe in a soup. On rare occasion in oatmeal.
In the rice cooker (these days I use a small one) it gave off a nice grain aroma with a bit of nuttness - the typical description you'll read about proso's taste. I got the water right so it was a good consistency to fluff with a fork.
As expected, the taste was "round" and somewhat nutty. There was a slight sweet aftertaste, which I wasn't expecting. Usually I think of proso as best with savory dishes - so this got me thinking.
I decided to run with the slightly nutty and sweet flavor and ... add nuts. In this case it was some crushed pecans, which have their own sweetness. It was a nice combination, actually. Next time I might put the crushed pecans in the cooker with the proso. That could actually make a quick breakfast with milk or yoghurt and some fruit. Or else maybe a sweeter side in a later meal.
So, considering the two "cousins" - proso (Panicum mileacium) & little millet (P. sumatrense) - proso is rounder, "nuttier," and slightly sweeter, while little is higher, flatter, and a bit earthy. Both good and both mild, but more different than I expected. Little may be the one to use for or with savory dishes, while proso may have a wider range (for those who can really cook or bake).
Anyway, I learned something.
DO, EL, MI, US
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