The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods

Explore the natural history, ecological contributions, and cultural significance of manoomin (wild rice), and savor complementary wild foods and local flavors with more than seventy-five inspired recipes, including favorites from over a dozen Indigenous cooks from various nations. Manoomin, wild rice, also known as the good berry, first drew the Anishinaabeg people to the Great Lakes region in search of the prophesied food that grows on water. Honoring the sustenance they found in the place known as Mni Sota Makoce, The Good Berry Cookbook follows the Anishinaabeg through seasons and spaces to gather wild foods and contemplate connections among the people and their plant and animal relatives.

Ethnobotonist Tashia Hart takes us afield to marvel at the wonder of the northland’s flora and to gather the bounty that translates in her kitchen–and yours–to inspired combinations like Bison and Sunchoke Quick Stew, Nutty Manoomin Patties with Ogaa (Walleye) Cheeks and Fiddlehead-Nettle Puree, and Sweet Potato Corn Pudding with Rose Sauce. Sweets are on the menu as well: Manoomin Chocolate Pie, Manoomin Smoothies, and Toasted Manoomin and Bagaan (Hazelnut) Butter Chocolate Cups.

These dishes are only the beginning: Hart shares foraging tips and basic preparations that equip home cooks to expand their repertoire. She invites other talented Native cooks and chefs to share favorite recipes. Through storytelling and science, she emphasizes food as medicine: good choices for our environment and good choices for our plate unite as we enjoy the benefits the good berry and its botanical neighbors have to offer.