We have wild rice growing on our farm. A duck hunter once asked if he could plant a handful of wild rice along the edge of our lake. Now many years later, it has spread to a very large area that covers about 8 acres of marsh and water between our two lakes and we just need to figure out how to harvest it!
I was surprised to learn that wild rice is really not rice at all but a grass – the seed of a marsh-growing plant found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada. Wild rice is rich in protein, high in B vitamins and loaded with minerals including magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. If you do not live in the above mentioned states where most natural food coops sell wild rice, Wilderness Family Naturals is a good place to purchase it.
On a side note, this recipe calls for dried cranberries and it’s hard to find organic dried cranberries that are prepared with non-GMO ingredients. Eating non-GMO foods is very important to our family and I order dried cranberries from Azure Standard that are sweetened with organic apple juice with no preservatives, flavor or color added to them.
Try substituting wild rice in some of our recipes in our cookbook, Eating Pure in a Processed Foods World® for a different variation. Eating wild rice once a week provides excellent nutritional benefits as well as being cost effective on your budget.