How to harvest rice
Hi, my name is Paddy.
I hope you have lots of fun growing your rice for the past few months. Now, it is time to harvest them. Let me teach you how to harvest your rice!
How do you know they are ready for harvest?
When they turned brown (or purple) and droopy, they are ready for harvest. Take a look at this photo
What are the tools needed to harvest rice?
Rubber bands
S hooks
Raffia string
Scissors
Step 1: Cut rice stalks using scissors
•Cut rice stem, using scissors
•Make sure the stems are long enough (about 20cm)
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So that you can tie the rice bunch for hanging and threshing
Step 2: Tie the stalks together for sunning
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Use a rubber band to tie the stems together.
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Around 20-30 stalks per bunch
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Bunch the same variety of rice together (brown rice in 1 bunch and purple rice in another bunch)
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Make sure they are tied tightly
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The stems will shrink when they dry, thus loosening the bunch
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Tie a string around the rubber band and make it into a loop
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You will use this loop to hook it to an S-hook
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Step 3: Dry (Sun) your harvest
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You will need to sun your harvest for 7 days to reduce the moisture content of your rice
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This is very important. To ensure your rice is not broken when mill, the moisture content of your rice needs to be between 12-14%
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Important things to note:
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Ensure your rice is not wet by rain (bring them back to shelter if it is going to rain)
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Before going home each day, place them in proper storage place (so that they won’t be eaten by birds or rats)
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Bring them out to sun each morning