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"Wild Rice (Zizania Aquatica) has been a staple food of the Chippewa Indians for centuries, but more than a food; wild rice has been an important part of their heritage.

In the early Fall, Chippewa families would move to the wild rice fields to up camp and work. For the next several weeks, the men would pole the canoes through the fields, while the women brushed the grains into the canoe with two sticks called "knockers." After the rice was brought to shore, it was laid out to dry, then, parched over an open fire. The outer husk was removed by walking on it in a skin-lined pit, then, in the final stage of preparation, the rice was winnowed to remove the chaff.

A celebration took place after the first harvest to give thanks to the Manitok. During this ceremony, some of the first harvest of rice was cooked an eaten. Then, returning to the village, the prepared rice was stored in mancocks (birch bark containers) until ready to be eaten.

In keeping with the rich heritage of the Chippewa, White Earth harvests, prepares and packages its wild rice much the same way their ancestors did hundreds of year ago. This painstaking process ensures your of the highest quality organic wild rice available.

About Wild Rice:

In the traditional Indian diet, wild rice was more nutritious on the whole than any other naturally available vegetable, grain or fruit source. Even the cultivated cereals introduced to North America (oats, barley, what or rye) rank below wild rice in overall nutritional food value. The grain is rich in carbohydrates, converts easily to energy in the body, is low in fat and contains proteins essential to growth. It's easily digested, rich in thiamin, riboflavin and Vitamin B.

In the traditional Indian diet, wild rice was more nutritious on the whole than any other naturally available vegetable, grain or fruit source. Even the cultivated cereals introduced to North America (oats, barley, wheat or rye) rank below wild rice in overall nutritional food value.

Indigenous to Minnesota and Canada, wild rice is grown in the same lakes and rivers where it has been grown for hundreds of years. From these natural habitats comes a rice with a flavor and texture as rich as the Chippewa heritage.