As Americans become more interested in traditional foods and heirloom crops, we're seeing the exciting return of some nearly extinct cultivars of rice return to the gourmet market. Carolina Plantation is proud to announce the debut of ''Charleston Gold,'' an authentic and deliciously aromatic offspring of the legendary heirloom grain, ''Carolina Gold.'' Over the past decade, the collaborative efforts to restore and preserve Gold Seed Rice by the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation combined with the knowledge and research of scientists Dr. Merle Shepard, Dr. Gurdev Khush, and Dr. Anna McClong who had a desire to improve its grain quality, yield, and taste. Their work has culminated in the birth of a new variety of Carolina-grown rice, ''Charleston Gold,'' named for the city where rice cultivation was born in America, circa 1685. This rice has a clean, sweet flavor and superior mouthfeel.