WILD RICE

Manoomin Moon

October blessings to you dear friend. Thank you for being here.

In Canada, October is the month of giving thanks. For the harvest and abundance, for family and friends, for the blessings that uplift our lives. I will start this by expressing my gratitude for YOU! And this beautiful community that we are co-creating. It is an honour to be in circle with you, through this newsletter, and my recipes that grace your table.

This month's feature ingredient is wild rice, or manoomin (meaning "good seed" or "good berry") in Anishnaabemowin / Ojibwe. I am incredibly grateful for this food; it is one that I've had a very special relationship to for many years, even before I understood how my life would come full circle to its roots right in my backyard.

I wrote an article about this precious ingredient and the indigenous people who lovingly plant, cultivate, and defend this essential staple for their communities. It is a heartfelt piece, and even years later I still feel my vulnerability in sharing it. If you haven't read the article yet, please visit the blog to do so.

Wild rice growing on Curve Lake First Nations Reserve

Wild rice is not related to true rice nor is a grain at all in fact, but the seed of aquatic grass that grows along the shores of freshwater lakes in Canada and the Northern US.

Wild rice is wildly nutritious so it is no surprise that Indigenous peoples have been cherishing this true super food for hundreds of years. Containing high levels of protein, fiber, iron, and calcium, wild rice is also gluten-free. It is extremely high in folic acid, an essential B-complex vitamin lacking in many people's diets. Just half a cup of cooked wild rice yields 21.3 mcg of folic acid – necessary for cardiovascular support, red blood cell production, brain and nervous system health, and of particular importance during pregnancy – where brown rice by comparison offers only 3.9 mcg. The niacin content of wild rice is also notably high with l.06 mg for every 1/2 cup cooked rice. Potassium packs an 83 mg punch, and zinc, which is usually available in trace amounts, registers 1.1 mg.

Wild rice is a wonderful alternative to any grain that you would use in either hot or cold dishes. My favourite is to enjoy it in veggie bowls, soups and stews, as well as hearty salads. Its rich, nutty flavour pairs well with other earthy-sweet foods like beets, sweet potato, pumpkins and squash, making it the perfect ingredient to add to your fall recipes. It lasts for about a week after cooking, so making a large batch at the beginning of the week will give you the honour to grace your meals with a serious boost of nutrition and spirit with every grain!

I hope you enjoy my newest wild rice recipe below for Wild Rice and Maple tea. It is a surprising and unique way to enjoy the rich and smoky flavour of wild rice, which is toasted during its processing. I love how the taste of the fire really comes out in this application! And as a bonus, I've included a way to use up the pulp after straining, because not a single part of this precious food should be wasted! You'll get three of four wraps from it, which work perfectly as crepes at breakfast, or filled with savoury goodies at lunch or dinner.

Wild Rice and Maple Tea

Here are two (!!!) unique ways to enjoy wild rice; a warming fall drink with maple and cinnamon, and crepes that can be used in either sweet or savoury meals. I hope you love them both :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup / 80g wild rice
Filtered water
1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
A few pinches ground cinnamon

Directions:
Rinse the rice well, then cover in fresh filtered water for 24 hours. Drain and rinse again.

Place rice a blender with 1/3 cup / 80ml of water, the maple syrup, and cinnamon. Blend on high until smooth, adding more water if needed.

Strain in a nut milk bag or fine sieve. Squeeze the pulp as much as possible, set aside.

Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and warm until just simmering. Let simmer on low for 1-2 minutes, as the mixture will thicken just slightly. Remove from heat, serve in your favourite mug, give thanks, and enjoy.

Serves 1 - 2

Bonus recipe for the pulp:
Combine the wild rice pulp with 2 eggs and a pinch of salt. Whisk or blend until smooth.

Melt butter or ghee in a skillet over medium high heat. Pour in about 1/4 of the batter, and swirl to evenly coat the pan. Let cook unit the edges are golden and the top is opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook on the opposite side for another minute or two. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and enjoy immediately.

Makes 3 - 4 wraps

More Wild Rice Recipes

From My New Roots:

Wild Rice and Butternut Blessings

Sprouted Wild Rice and Beet Salad
Wild Rice, Butter Bean and Garlic-Roasted Carrot Salad

From my friends:

Wild Rice Pancakes with Cherry Compote from Molly Yeh

Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf from Kripalu Kitchen

Lemony Wild Rice Zucchini Boats from Catherine McCord

Recent Life Pleasures

Things I'm loving lately!

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

If you're looking to sloooow down and curl up with a good book, this is cozy autumn reading at its finest! Truthfully, I never thought a book about snails would be so captivating and moving, but it absolutely was. This true story, as told by the author who was bedridden with illness, was gifted a plant that happened to have a woodland snail in its pot. Over the next days and weeks, her observations of this often under-appreciated creature stirs up wonder, delight, and companionship in the isolated life of someone who cannot leave their room. It is a fascinating and triumphant tale of presence and awe.

Higher Dose PEMF Infrared Mat

With the cooler temps setting in, I know where I'm going to be this fall…on my infrared mat! I've talked about it before, but I'll shout it again: this device has been life-changing for me, supporting me through a major injury recovery, helping me regulate my nervous system, reduce stress, and offering a place to get warm during the subzero temperatures of my environment. I lay on it every night before bed to achieve the kind of sleep that babies envy. PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) technology recharges your cells while leaving you relaxed, grounded, and rebalanced, while the infrared heat (yes the same kind as a sauna!) melts your body into a total bliss state. This product is an investment, but worth every cent! And through this link with my discount MYNEWROOTS15 you can save a few ;)

Deep Nourishment: Personal Growth in the Kitchen

I'm so excited to announce that I'll be speaking at the Wellbeing 2024 virtual wellness summit hosted by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I'll be alongside experts like Deepak Chopra, MD, Bobbi Brown, and Daniel Amen, MD—and I'd love for you to be part of it! From October 18 - October 20, we'll explore meaningful, science-based wellness strategies designed to help you take control of your health in a way that's right for you. I'll be discussing the topic "Deep Nourishment: Personal Growth in the Kitchen" tomorrow, Saturday October 19 at 2:15pm EST. There's no charge to attend, and the event is an opportunity to gain insights from some of the most trusted voices in wellness. I hope you'll join me for this incredible opportunity to learn and grow together!

BUT WILD

I seek a canoe
birch bark
still on the silk shore
of some broad Minnesota lake
in autumn
spice on the air
red-gold bittersweet twining
high among lakeside pines
water more green than blue
stiff/supple grasses parting
as we nose our silent way
to that center to which ancestors were led
by Grandfather Sky/Grandmother Moon
we make no sound
in whisper water
every clump of grass
bending in seasonal submission
my paddle enters the lake
noiseless as the sharpest knife
as my partner thrashes grasses
they bend to right/to left
filling his sweet lap
then our entire canoe
with brown black heads of rices
that have never been anything
but wild

CAROLYN FOOTE EDELMANN
August 24, 2001