Traditional Hand Harvesting in Northern Minnesota       Harvesting of Minnesota WILD rice, in accordance with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Indian Reservation regulations, is still done in the traditional Indian manner using canoes and a team of two persons. One person "poles" the canoe through the shallow water rice beds in the lakes and the other person "knocks" the rice stalks using beating sticks of regulated length and weight. The raw "green" WILD rice is aged, then parched to lower the moisture content and enhance the flavor, de-hulled, then cleaned and graded, after which it can be stored almost indefinitely in a tight-fitting container.       Manomin, the Indian word for Hand-Harvested Wild Rice, is really an aquatic cereal grain. The French explorers in the 1600's called it "folles avoines" ("wild oats"). Whatever you call it, Wild Rice is a delicious, healthful food that has unlimited cooking possibilities.      Minnesota's lake region Indians, mainly Chippewa and Ojibwe, have harvested Manomin in late summer for centuries, as it provided a basic staple in their diet. In the Ojibwe tongue, August is "Manominikegississ", the rice-making moon.      We at NORTHERN LAKES WILD RICE COMPANY deal exclusively with the 100% organic Hand-Harvested Wild Rice which grows naturally in the many lakes, rivers and streams of Northern Minnesota. We urge you to be discriminating when purchasing this unique gourmet's delight -- WILD RICE-- which is North America's only indigenous grain. So, for the Real Wild Thing order from Northern Lakes Wild Rice Company today!