Wild rice is really not a rice at all, but a wild grass that grows naturally in the waters of the western Great Lakes area. It first came to the attention of western civilization when French explorers discovered the rare grain in the 1600s in the Northern lakes region. It had been revered for centuries by the people of the area and supplied about 25% of their food.
Natural lake wild rice is harvested today much the same as it had been then. Two people in a long boat navigate through the rice-rich waters propelled by the person in the rear by the use of a long pole, to prevent damage to the rice. The person in the front collects the rice by using two paddles ... one to bend the rice over the boat and the other to knock the ripened rice into the boat bottom.
Wild rice is only harvested for a few short weeks in the fall, most of the ripened rice falls back into the water to become seed for the next year's crop and food for wildlife.
Natural wild lake rice today is recognized as one of this nation's delicacies. A truly rare and versitile grain that works as well as a breakfast food, main dish, side dish, snack or desert ...depending on how it is prepared.
