WILD RICE

Native Harvest Wild Rice
White Earth Nation, Minnesota 
Produced by the Anishinaabe Tribe
1/2 pound bag

Our delicious Wild Rice is hand-harvested by the tribal members of White Earth Nation who ease canoes into 4-foot tall grasses of wild rice beds that grow naturally in the lakes of northwestern Minnesota. The plants are bent over the hull and the grains are gently tapped from the seed heads. The grains are then wood parched, an old-school method for removing the husks using a cedarwood fire. By supporting the Anishinaabe tribe, we help protect their land base and strengthen their traditional economy.

"It's the first food of a baby, the last food for an elder. We simply can't be a healthy people without our rice." - Winona LaDuke, Anishinaabe writer and economist and Heritage Foods Advisory Board member.

Manoomin is a "zizania aquatica," and the only grain indigenous to North America. A healthy natural food, uncooked Wild Rice contains more than 12% protein and is richer in protein than white rice and most other grains. Manoomin is gluten free and low in fat. The Wild Rice is also a great source of minerals, such as iron, potassium and phosphorus, as well as vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. 

Basic Cooking Instructions: please note cooked rice will triple in volume.
Wash the wild rice in warm water and smell the lake. In a saucepan, heat 2.5 cups of water and 1 cup wild rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until wild rice has absorbed the water, about 15-20 minutes. Wild rice should be tender. As you cook the rice you may notice faint aromas of black tea and even taste a little tea with each bite!