Wild Rice.....

WILD RICE grows naturally in the Lakes and Rivers of Northern Minnesota.
“The Land of 10,000 Lakes”

It has a wonderful Nutty Flavor unlike any other rice found.
Actually it is not really a rice but a grass that grows in water and this time of year starting around in September is when harvesting begins with canoes.

The Native Americans harvest on the big lakes like Nett Lake and Red Lake.  To harvest off the Reservations on other lakes and streams individuals must obtain a season or day license.

Back in the 1950′s Researchers through cross breeding developed a wild rice that could be grown in paddies. Thus began the cultivated / paddy industry of WILD RICE which is grown through out Minnesota and California. It is not the true WILD RICE at all. It tastes different and cooks up at a much longer period of time. Cultivated / Paddy Rice also is full of pesticides and herbicides spread on the fields. True natural Wild Rice grows in it’s own natural unpolluted environment free of herbicides and pesticides.  Today the Native Americans are fighting to protect the natural WILD RICE resources of Minnesota from GMO’s.

Here are two websites to go and read about the process of Wild Rice.
First site has two videos to watch on the harvesting / and hand parching.
The area of Nett Lake isn’t far from where I grew up in Northern Minnesota.

Nett Lake Wild Rice

This next site has much info on how they are working to keep Genetic Engineering from happening to the Eco system of the WILD RICE lakes of Northern Minnesota.

Save Wild Rice

I thought I would share a little here about WILD RICE since for the most part most of you who ever come across WILD RICE on your grocery store shelves whether they be Natural Food or Standard stores…you will pretty much only find the cultivated / paddy wild rice.  There are a few sites you can find online, just google MINNESOTA WILD RICE and it will pull up some where you can purchase this REAL (food) RICE from. Be forwarned it’s not cheap.

My sister’s neighbor is out this week WILD RICE harvesting in Northern Minnesota. It will be hand parched (the very best by the way). She’s called him up to reserve the amount we want to purchase from him.

Looking forward to having the real thing back in my cupboard. I’ve been out of it for some time.