Versatile wild rice offers untapped potential
Next time you need a different twist on your favorite soup, salad or stuffing recipe, you might look to wild rice for a revamp. The nutty, chewy, nutrient-dense grain makes for wonderful side dishes that can be turned into hearty meals with little fuss, says Shasta County farmer Mary Rickert. She and her husband, Jim, have been growing wild rice for more than 40 years. “I think a lot of people are intimidated by wild rice, and they only think of it as something that they get in their pilaf,” Mary Rickert says. “They need to rethink the versatility of wild rice.” One of her favorite ways to prepare it is to toss cooked wild rice with tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese and Italian dressing. She calls this wild rice salad her “go-to dish” for potlucks “because, generally speaking, nobody else brings it.” “It’s not another potato salad or macaroni salad,” she says. That wild rice dishes are not as common as other standard potluck fare is something the Rickerts and others in the wild rice business would like to change. Changing its reputation Rendy Christie, who markets wild rice for Alturas Ranches in Modoc County, says one of the biggest challenges she faces is trying to raise the profile of wild rice so that people are aware of it—and busting misconceptions that it’s difficult
Most California wild rice is grown in the mountainous regions of the North State, including in Shasta County, where this field is located.
Powered by FlippingBook