Wild Rice - Final Quilt Square + Wild Rice Soup Recipe - Art Every Day Month - Day 27

The 27th day of Art Every Day Month marks the final square for the Minnesota state quilt I'm making. Today's image is of a wild rice plant. 

According to State Symbols USA, "Minnesota designated wlld rice as the official state grain symbol in 1977. Wild rice (Zizania aquatica or Zizania palustris) is an aquatic grass not related to common rice. Wild rice is native to North America and grows predominantly in the Great Lakes region. For many years, nearly all the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota, and most still does."

I used the backstitch and straight stitch

to create this square.

Three different colors of cotton floss are used.

State Symbols USA continues, "Wild rice was a staple food for native American Indians for centuries (particularly the Ojibway, Menomini, and Cree tribes in the North Central region of the continent). Minnesota Indians called wild rice "manomio," which means "good berry" (wild rice has also been called Indian rice, marsh oats, Canadian rice, squaw rice, water oats, and blackbird oats)."

"The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The grain is eaten by dabbling ducks and other aquatic wildlife, as well as humans," notes Wikipedia.

This display was part of Homeschool Days

at the Minnesota History Center in 2007. 

The items on the table show the process

that wild rice goes through -

from lake to table.

One of my favorite foods is wild rice soup. This is a recipe that I obtained when I was still in high school, and have been using it ever since.

It is a flexible recipe, so if you don't want ham in your soup, don't put it. You can add something else (e.g., cooked chicken pieces) or don't put any meat in it so it becomes a vegetarian soup. Be creative!

Wild Rice Soup

(from Byerly's)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons margarine or butter (I use dairy-free butter)
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup minced ham
3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half (I use dairy-free milk)
2 tablespoons dry sherry, (optional)
snipped fresh parsley or chives

Directions

In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.

Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and sherry; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives. Amount: 6 cups.

Tip: One-half cup uncooked wild rice=1 1/2 to 2 cups, cooked.