Reflections from Curve Lake | From Seed to Table: Adventures in Eco-Farming

In July, our From Seed to Table: Adventures in Eco-Farming class took a field trip to Curve Lake to learn about harvesting wild rice with James Whetung and his daughter Daemin.

At LCS, we aim to craft transformative experiences that will help students discover their best true selves. Following their trip to Curve Lake, our Seed to Table students reflected on their experiences and shared some of their learnings from the excursion.

“They [the Whetung family] are all very passionate about the topic [wild rice harvesting]...I learned a lot about their culture and struggles. It is fascinating to hear about James’ childhood experience with wild rice after so many years have passed.”

“My most memorable part of the trip was canoeing, and seeing other canoes get turned around by the wind. Also, I liked sitting by the fire, listening to the Anishinaabe people talk about wild rice while trying to separate the rice from the husks.”

“Wild rice can be a significant source of food and livelihood for Anishinaabe peoples, as James explained it was for his family. It is also important to their heritage, as their ancestors have grown and used wild rice for many generations, some of the original growths still being around and carefully maintained.”

“My highlight of the day at Curve Lake was getting to canoe out to the lake and actually see how the wild rice grows in action, which piqued my interest because I had no idea they started out as green ribbons floating on top of the water before standing up like tall grass.”