Harvest on Big Rice Lake

Story Notes We saw Winona LaDuke and Margaret Smith speak at the International Slow Food Congress, where their group, the White Earth Land Recovery Project, was recognized for its work to preserve wild rice and restore local food systems on the reservation. They were inspiring and intriguing. We told Winona about the Hidden Kitchens project, and she told us to come for the reservation's wild rice harvest in August. So we did. Through its Native Harvest label, WELRP produces and sells an array of traditional foods -- wild rice, chokecherry jelly, raspberry preserves, fry bread mix, buffalo sausage, hominy and a selection of beautiful handmade crafts. Healthy foods support a healthy community. Visit Native Harvest online to learn more and help support them by enjoying their traditional foods and crafts. Heritage Foods USA is working to expand the markets for and increase the revenues of native groups throughout the country, including Native Harvest in northern Minnesota. Through thoughtful globalization, these endangered foods and stories can be saved. -- The Kitchen Sisters Special thanks to: Winona LaDuke; Ron Chilton; Pat Wichern; Sarah Alexander; Ed Barnett; Florence Goodman; Paul Schultz of Native Radio; Aaron Price; Becky Niemi; Pat Wichern; the team at the ricing shed; Native Harvest and the White Earth Land Recovery Project. About the Music This story features the song "One Piece at a Time," from the album The Many Sides of Johnny Cash.