Madonna - I should've added that I don't think I have used either brand you mention. However, paddy grown rice is very good. Some brands take a bit longer to cook.

Thank you Teresa for all the wild rice you have gifted me so many times. You are beyond generous.

For those of you who have not cooked wild rice before, the price may be higher than regular rice, but wild rice puffs up a lot after cooking, so you use much less wild rice in quantity.

Of course, you can't compare wild rice with regular rice.

dcarch

I was very happy ordering from these folks. I agree that "wild" wild rice is far different from what you'll typically find in the supermarket.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moose Lake

I have used the Gourmet House wild rice, and I thought it was very good.

Haven't heard of the Reese brand, tho.

I am in MN and I almost always use cultivated. Wild harvested is not always easy to find even here.

I would love to try that soup recipe if you'd care to share it!

Linda

Wild rice can be very versatile, more than just making soup.

I have made wild rice risotto, wild rice krispies, fried wild rice, wild rice bread, true, even wild rice ice cream.

dcarch

Linda,
Here is a link to the soup that bcskye mentioned. I don't know if it will open for you if you are not a member. Let me know if it doesn't.
I am going to try this one also.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cook's Illustrated Wild rice and Mushroom Soup

Bscskye, thnaks for reminding me. I really enjoyed this recipe and a great wild rice would be great for the next time I make it.
Here you go Linda:

AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN
Serves 6 to 8

White mushrooms can be substituted for the cremini mushrooms. We use a spice grinder to process the dried shiitake mushrooms, but a blender also works.
Ingredients

1/4 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
4 1/4 cups water
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup wild rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2/3 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder until finely ground (you should have about 3 tablespoons).

2. Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; discard thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.

3. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Yes, mustangs, that is the soup. I used plain old white button mushrooms and the shitake mushrooms made into powder. I hate to sound like a pig, but I ate three bowls of it at that one meal. It is so satisfying. A true comfort food. I put the remainder in the freezer so we'll see how that goes.

Madonna

So, this just got me to remembering that I have a couple pounds left that I never used. Looks like I bought it in Jan '12. Sealed plastic packages. Still good?

In a word - yes.

Thank you, I will be trying that recipe for sure!

Linda

Teresa, did you get my email? There's been all kinds of weird things happening on here since the change and I haven't seen anything.

Dcarch7, how about sharing some of those recipes?

Madonnal I did not get an email. I will say the link FOAS provided is a really good source. Charlie and Teri Worath are the owners. I passed their info on to a friend a while back. I think pricing for 2015 is $8.00 a pound including shipping - if you order 10 pounds. The rice will keep several years if kept dry. Basic storage in your pantry will due. I store mine in glass.
I do not work for Moose Lake Wild Rice. Just know of them. I will go check again for your email.

I sent it while the profiles were still in the old Gardenweb style so it may have gotten lost in the transition. Thanks for the good info on Moose Lake and on storage. I figured it needed to be kept dry but wasn't sure if it would go rancid. I think I'm set and now I'm just starting to collect more recipes for it. Thank you so much.

iMadonna - I found your email and replied with a few suggestions. Including my favorite way of cooking it. I bake it rather than cooking it on the stovetop. I can certainly post that method here if anyone is interested.
I wish I had an abundance of rice so I could send you some. Maybe next year!

Jasdip had a good cold wild rice salad too!

bcskye, "Dcarch7, how about sharing some of those recipes?"

Actually, all those are pretty much standard recipes, I just incorporated wild rice into them as one of the major ingredients.

The wild rice risotto was a little tricky because wild rice is not a very starchy rice. I used the bread machine to make it. The bread machine didn't mind doing all the stirring.

Rice krispies were very good. Wild rice puffs up very well.

dcarch