A generous serving of Wild Rice contains less than 50 calories. 100 grams (3¼ oz.) of uncooked Wild Rice has the following nutritional information:

About Wild Rice

Wild rice is an aquatic grass, high in Vitamin B. It is found along the shores of rivers and streams in shallow water, where stands often form dense and continuous beds. In lakes, stands are generally concentrated at sites neat the inlet and outlet, where the current is more or less constant.

Harvesting the grain, except in commercial paddies, has changed little since the days when Native Americans battled for control for prized lakes. The method makes real work of harvesting but insures that there will always be wild rice, barring possible future pollution. Ricing is done by teams in boats of prescribed by law length. Usually these boats are canoes. To prevent damage and loss of the crop, the boat is poled from the rear. The front man, using what looks like oversized drum sticks, knocks the ripe rice from its stalk into the boat. With this method of harvesting, conservation experts estimate that less than one-fifth of the rice is harvested. The remainder galls into the water to become seed for future crops and food for wildlife.

Is there arsenic in wild rice?

In short, no. Despite the name, wild rice is actually an aquatic grass. This difference is important when considering that traditional rice is exceptional at absorbing heavy metals in its environment.

Wild rice is grown in free flowing lakes and rivers. Traditional rice paddies are subject to contaminants in their environment: heavy metals in ground water, fertilizers, and industrial run off.

Real wild rice grows wild in the clear lakes where we live. It is not genetically modified and has not been altered like most of the other grains available in the US. This wild rice requires just the right conditions to grow and only grows naturally in northern Minnesota and in Canada just north of us. The water has to be at a certain level, and it needs to flow slightly, but not too much, so that it would uproot the plants. The bottom of the lake needs to have rich humus, and the temperatures need to be like those you see in this area of the country. When given those conditions you are able to grow delightfully nutritious, healthy and natural rice that is actually a grass with large seed heads. 

The wild rice we sell is 100% naturally grown unless it is labeled 'Cultivated'. Neither is certified organic wild rice in accordance with the USDA regulations since it is grown in the wild lakes and rivers of Northern Minnesota and Canada not on a certified organic farm.