What is Wild Rice?
Despite its name, wild rice isn't exactly rice.
Wild Rice is a tall aquatic grass (Zizania palustris) and the grain that can be harvested from them. The plant grows best in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing stream, ideally between 75-90 cm in depth. The seeds ripen in late summer, between mid-August and early September.
Northern Saskatchewan is a land of forests and lakes, developed on the glacially-scoured ancient rocks of the Precambrian Shield. The pristine environment of shallow lakes and slow moving rivers in northern Saskatchewan provides an ideal habitat for wild rice.
Saskatchewan wild rice is grown and processed without the use of chemical additives, colourants, or artificial flavourings. The large kernels mature in their natural setting helped only by the sun.
Saskatchewan is now the leading producer of lake grown wild rice in Canada.
Check out this article about wild rice from The Beaver Magazine way back in 1936.