The Spirit of Rice: One Grain, Ten Thousand Grains Paperback – May 10, 2025

Several years ago, a small group of teachers, cooks, and farmers came together to make a film documentary on the rice cycle. Most of the footage was taken at South River Farm in Conway, Massachusetts, where Christian Elwell and his wife Gaella have a miso company and have been growing awned rice for over forty years.During this time, Christian has mastered the seven stages of rice growth, from seed to harvest. The first stage is the seed. Seed is selected during the harvest of the previous fall, from plants grown in the previous season. "The green mother plant of the previous season has died, leaving her seed," Christian notes. 'The seed no carries the future life of the planet in a state of dormancy. But this state of dormancy is also a time of cosmic spiritual activity and presence."This book is a companion to the film and includes many close-up photographs and vital information about the rice cycle not in the documentary. Sachi Kato, co-author of The One Peaceful World Cookbook, wrote the beautiful preface and contributed several recipes.The book contains simple, practical information on how to get started growing rice in your own backyard or window box. Rice is a key to health and happiness and embodies the nurturing, overflowing, compassionate spiritof life itself.Alex Jack is president of Planetary Health, an educational organization devoted to natural farming, macrobiotic cooking, and ecological diversity. Mark Leonas is a retired pre school teacher, administrator, and writer. Read more