Okay, I know I have a passion for all things wild rice – mostly non-cooking related, but hey, I like to eat it to. I just had to share a photo that was shared with me of a single stalk of wild rice…and a sunset. Thanks Asher for being in the right location, at the right time, and seeing the potential! Love it! Look closely and you can see the tiny white tufts at the edge of each seed hull – that’s the female flower. It looks like many of these hulls are empty yet near the bottom. Cool!
As the days begin to shorten, the rice stalks drop and are carried into muskrat houses, its not a bad time to reflect on this awesome plant. Wild rice is a monecious plant, a plant that has both male and female flowers on the same stalk. The male flowers, pictured to the right, come in last – pink and showy, in shades of purple.
The female flowers arrive first, as the stalks begin to stand upright in the water. You have to look closely, they appear as small white tufts on the stem. Each of these, if fertilized, becomes a seed. Wild rice is an annual plant, growing from seed each year. For those who harvest wild rice, its well known that less than half the seed dislodged while harvesting makes it into the boat. The rest reseeds the lake for the next years harvest. 
So where are the male flowers while the females are showing? They are tucked into the stalk below, only emerging when the female flowers have most likely been fertilized from other plants – thus expanding the gene pool! Take a look next time you’re out on a lake with wild rice. You’ll want to be out there in July sometime, before the male flowers emerge, to find the females!
Hi wild rice enthusiasts!
Well, the work is over and now its time to enjoy the fruits of our labor, finished wild rice. The whole processing experience can be nerve wracking. Here you’ve spent hours and hours cramped in a canoe, built up blisters on your hands and suffered sore muscles and aching joints for days on end and now you’ve dropped your rice off to be processed. Will I get my rice back? Will it be over processed? Will it be broken? How much will I get back? Hmmm…I suppose we could avoid all of these questions if we just processed our own. I tried that last year….small quantity. Now I’m back with a new processor.
Relationships are what I think it takes to get rid of those questions. Find someone you trust, someone that gives you a good product every year, and someone who runs a clean operation. I’ve had rice over parched, and this year I think my rice was a little over processed (threshed). Of course, that is a matter of opinion as there seems to be a range for color preference. I prefer mine a bit darker, this rice is almost white. So…maybe another processor next year?
Better yet – time to consider developing a wild rice processing co-op. A small quantity processing co-op where people can come and learn how to process their own rice, or have it processed while they watch for a small fee. I know, I know, this is not something easily built or organized. But I like the idea. Let me know if it sounds good to you!
Bottom line, whether the rice is brown or shades of grey…mmmm, it tastes delicious when cooked and served in a bowl! 
Feeling stiff and a bit sore this morning, but wearing a smile on my face. Around the Bemidji area we seem to be getting rice. Yesterday the man and I harvested about 70 pounds off a ‘local lake’ 
and it was falling nice – very ripe. Streams are pretty much done, lakes are slowing down. News from NW Wisconsin is that they have had another poor season. I seem to recall many storms going through that area this summer, similar to what we had last year. Anyway, two poor years over there, harvesters are bummed.
Equipment that all should have: turkey hunting stool! I LOVE it!! It’s a small webbed stool (4 legs) that has shorter legs in front, longer in back…just guessing cause I don’t want to go out and measure it I’d say 4 inches/6 inches. Keeps you at a nice angle, yet off the bottom of the canoe – and comfy! I highly recommend one if you’re the knocker. Awesome! – later
Yes, it’s that time of year….itching to get out on the wild rice lakes, itching when I’m out there! Big accomplishment this year – got the husband in the canoe, not a place he normally likes to be. Give him a fishing boat and motor and he’s thrilled – a pole and a canoe…he actually wasn’t that bad! 70 lbs on the first day. I think I’ll keep him!
Hi all of you looking for the ‘saveourrice.org’ website. I am in the process of moving the site to a new server and it takes a day or two to make all the transitions (I guess, at least that is what they told me!). So hang in there, and hey, you should be out harvesting wild rice anyway!
Let me know how you did!
So, SORA is still operating, however we are in a bit of a lull as I look for balance between a new job and prior committments. We will not be holding an annual meeting this year (2011), in hopes that we can come out with a fresh and invigorated program next year. I am however, developing a google site that will hold links, resources, information and photos on all things wild rice, and water education. “Nibi and manoomin” [water and wild rice, in Ojibwe]. That’s all for now. Wild rice season will be upon us soon – and I should start thinking about getting in shape!
The past few days of windy, rainy weather in northern Minnesota may be the end of this year’s wild rice. Batch sizes coming off the lakes were not nearly as large as last year, and intermittent rain and wind throughout the season kept most of us guessing!
The great thing about wild rice is, there’s always next year! Memories of last year’s bountiful harvest make this years slim pickings a bit easier to swallow. I know that I will be out there again next year, hoping to double or triple what I brought in this year (60 pounds green/ before splitting!). It took 3 years but my husband (who has yet to set foot in a canoe to harvest) finally recognizes the ups and downs of the rice, and the economics of gathering with a spouse (don’t need to share the bounty!). Maybe next year, he says.
What’s ahead for SORA? We continue to look for opportunities to educate others about natural lake and river wild rice. Currently we have both t-shirts and one pound bags of wild rice for sale, $15 and $10, respectively – plus shipping. Contact Annette at info@saveourrice.org if interested.
SORA asked for updates on harvesting from those in the wild rice community. Below are the comments that I have received to date. Note – your area may be different, so use these resources as starting points but nothing beats going out and checking an area yourself.
Ricing is just getting started in the Tower Area (N St Louis County, 8/30/10 ). Heavy wind and rain have negatively impacted our rice crop. The rice crop looked pretty good on a number of lakes but weather has changed that. Ricers will need to get out and field check stands. Best place to start is the 1854 web site. – Tom
Aug 21 at Big Sandy Flowage north of McGregor. Poling was easy due to high water, but our take was small. Heavy rain and wind had stripped off most of the ripe grains, leaving slim pickings. The thicker patches had some green rice still left, but we haven’t had a chance to get back. The beds there have much less rice than they did last year.- Jeff
We flew some MN waters last wednesday (8/25/10) – and now have about 5-6 pictures on our website. GLIFWC
I don’t know what they were getting, but lots of boats – maybe 15+, on Mallard that day, and quite a few on the Big Sandy Complex of waters – which look pretty good in areas from the air. Lower Dean had one canoe out, but it looks like a crop failure due to brown spot – lake is full of rice, but it is not healthy at all, and seed production probably very poor.
Also looked at Kettle Lake near Cloquet, and though it looked good from the landing a few weeks ago, it looked quite poor from the air.
Although access is not available to the general public, Rice Lake NWR looked perhaps the best I have seen it, though some brown spot present. Wisconsin poor over all; lots of disease, and some sites never had much of a stand to begin with.- Peter, GLIFWC
Things in the northeast part of the state are looking O.K. for the most part. I think most places are getting pretty close to ripe. I was on the water early last week in a few places, and was guessing this past weekend or this week for harvesting. I flew some areas last Wednesday and saw some harvesters out.- Darren, 1854 Treaty Authority
Mallard Lake has only about a third othe rice of last year. Probably done for the year by Thurs. or Fri.(9/2/10) if the weather is good. Other local lakes are even worse. Very disapointing year! Too much rain!!! Every secret spot counts this year and so far they aren’t very good either. I only have two left to try!- Lane
If you have the traveling bug, and some time on your hands – head over to Michigan for a 4 day camp on learning to harvest wild rice! Information on camps is available through the Native Wild Rice Coalition. Check them out at
Native Wild Rice Coalition
They are hosting a Rice camp Sept.3-6 at Tubbs Lake in Mecosta County Michigan. Instruction on making your own equipment provided!
Reports are coming in that the rice in Minnesota is not as early as originally thought -still have yet to see my first canoe…but I know they are out there somewhere harvesting ripe rice already. Good luck, may your canoes fill up with ripe wild rice. – Annette
