Wild Rice, Lake, Canadian Jumbo, Conventional Parching, 1 lb.

This wild rice is made with a parching method that is non-abrasive, yielding a nice dark grained rice. It is the largest, plumpest, and the ripest of all the wild rice harvested in Canada. Cook time approximately 70-80 minutes. Most wild rice available in grocery stores across the country is what is referred to as paddy rice. This rice is grown similar to brown rice in rice paddies. It cooks uniformly, and is consistently the same year after year because it is a cultivated rice. This type of rice is actually a hybrid developed by the University of Minnesota. There is a great deal of difference between "real" wild rice and paddy rice. "Real" wild rice grows wild in the clear lakes near where we live. It is not genetically modified and has not been altered like most of the other grains available in the US. This wild rice requires just the right conditions to grow and only grows naturally in northern Minnesota and in Canada just north of us. The water has to be at a certain level, and it needs to flow slightly, but not too much so that it would uproot the plants. The bottom of the lake needs to have rich humus, and the temperatures need to be like those you see in this area of the country. Given those conditions, you can grow a wonderfully delicious, natural wild rice (which is actually a grass with large seed heads).