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

by Tashia Hart

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.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

Published September 21, 2021

About the author

Boozhoo, hello!

I’m an author, illustrator, and artist from the Red Lake Nation. My literary works include the contemporary romance Native Love Jams (2023), The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods (2021), the middle-grade illustrated book Gidjie and the Wolves (2020) and Girl Unreserved (2015), a fictionalized retelling of my own coming of age tale. My illustration work includes 3 books in the Minnesota Native American Lives series (2021); as an assistant illustrator of Gaa-pi-izhiwebak (2021); and Gidjie and the Wolves (2020). My short works include recipes, essays, poetry, and short stories. I have worked in Indigenous kitchen, and gardens, and have led foraging walks and have a biology degree from Bemidji State University. I'm a jewelry maker working in beads and birch bark and some metal work in the past. I live in Duluth, MN with my husband, son, and a turtle.

Author website: www.tashiahart.com
Instagram: @tashiamariehart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tashia.hart.5
Twitter: @tashiahartbooks

Reviews

[Marie Zhuikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning more about wild rice and it was very interesting hearing about the author's relationship to plants and water. We tried the blueberry bison stew and it was very good. Can't wait to try the manoomin flour chocolate donuts!!

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third indiginous culture cookbook I have read and in many ways it is the best. The book goes into great depth about native rice, which I did not even know existed until a couple of months ago. The well chosen stories are great examples of how food ties us to place and the land. There is a lot of learn from this book . A proud culture with a lot to offer.

[Rachel Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I found this book. Both an amazing cookbook and a collection of interesting stories and memories of cooking and family