Hill Rice (South Trinidad)

Also known as red bearded upland rice, this special dry-farmed rice has a deep and important history in all parts of the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago. We grow this rice at Truelove Seeds with limited irrigation with individual plants or several per clump spaced 8-12” apart. This particular selection comes from communities on the south coast of Trinidad, including Moruga. Our original seed came from our dear friend and seed keeper now based in Trinidad who shared this history with us: Similarities in rice strains and cultivation practices can be used to trace the movement of peoples and plants from specific regions from Africa to the Americas. This very special rice may have been brought to Trinidad via Black soldiers in the war of 1812 who were sent to Trinidad as payment for services by the British army. They were given virgin land in southern Trinidad and after fighting in a war and being uprooted from the American south, they had to learn to cultivate this new land using the