Why is wild rice so expensive? Amazingly, about twenty per cent of the world's crop is still hand-picked by Native Americans in canoes, who retain exclusive harvesting rights on the reservations along the shores of the Great Lakes. The crop is an important part of the tribes' economy.

Wild rice has been a staple for the Ojibwa, Chippewa, and Algonquin people for thousands of years, and the Native Americans in the Great Lakes region still use it in just about everything: Cakes, breads, omelets, muffins, casseroles, pancakes, etc. The dark, robust grain (technically an aquatic grass) is complex, nutty, and pleasantly bitter–and richer in protein, minerals, and B vitamins than wheat, barley, oats, or rye.

After it is cut, the precious grain is sun-dried, then hulled through an agitation process in a steel drum. This labor of love has been virtually unchanged throughout the centuries, and to this day, true heirloom wild rice grows solely in the northern Great Lakes region. When buying wild rice, look for a "hand harvested" or "lake harvested" insignia on the package, which verifies the original, organic, foraged variety. By purchasing authentic wild rice, you will be supporting both the economic system of the Native American harvesters (enabling them to produce more) and the crop itself, which is ecologically fragile.

While shopping for wild rice, you might notice a light-brown "wild rice mix" as well as the more familiar dark variety. This paddy-grown grain is not the same thing as authentic Native American wild rice. It is lighter in color and milder in flavor–and cooks in less time and with less water. If you buy the Lundberg product called "wild rice mix," cook it as you would any long-grain brown rice. "All that is around us is animate. As such it has spirit. I'm very careful when I harvest wild rice because I must reckon with that spirit. I must reckon with an aspiration to harvest. Because you are respectful when you harvest, this ensures that you are able to continue harvesting. It is not because you're smart or clever; it's because you're respectful. The value of eating and harvesting the same way that our ancestors have done cannot be quantified. Both spiritually and culturally, it reaffirms those things which are ours and those things which make us strong as a community. We're not a wealthy people in terms of monetary income. We are wealthy in terms of our culture."
– Winona La Duke