Wild Rice Harvest

Wild rice is a traditional food of the Wabanaki People and can be found in several areas in the Northeastern portion of this country. Abenaki Health and Heritage was fortunate enough to be able to go to a lake here in Vermont and gather some. Once the rice is gathered there several steps to process it but it isn’t a burden to take this time, it connects us to our food and gives us an appreciation for it and the land on which it is grown. To learn more about wild rice here in Vermont check out the book “Seven Sisters: Ancient Seeds and Food Systems of the Wabanaki People and the Chesapeake Bay Region” by Frederick M. Wiseman.

It is important to note that wild rice is a fragile plant, so if you do go out to gather, please be gentle with the plant, the water and the land and always thank the land and water for this gift.