We are very proud to introduce The Wild Harvest Box—a quarterly, seasonal subscription of the very best untamed foods delivered to your door.
Your box will definitely include meat & fish, but also grains, vegetables, mushrooms, and berries.
100% Grass-Fed Bison
The Great Plains
If you haven't jumped on the bison bandwagon in a significant way, this is your invitation to do so. Bison meat is lean and rich with flavor—much more so than cheaply raised beef. Bison are increasingly being recognized for their significant role in the building the quality topsoil of this continent. The WaPo went so far as to call bison Climate Heroes.
We desire to see more grass-fed, pasture-raised bison on the landscape, so supporting ranchers and ranching practices that we're excited about ensures more economic support for putting even more bison on the landscape.
We have chosen to partner with ranchers who raise the bison in nature's image: on pasture, without hormones, antibiotics, or supplemental grain feed. They live and move around the landscape the same way they have for tens of thousands of years.
100% Wild-Harvested Axis Deer
Maui, Hawaii
In 1959, nine Axis Deer were introduced to Hawaii. The introduced deer species has thrived, without any natural predators, and as a result the population continues to explode. Despite ongoing efforts to control the growing population, experts estimate that there are approximately 60,000 Axis Deer roaming the island of Maui.
Because of its geographic isolation, Hawaii feels the impacts of ecological imbalances more dramatically than other places.
Harvesting wild, invasive deer in a way that is suitable for USDA approval (and commercial sale) is no small feat, but that is exactly what the team at Maui Nui has done. With great care—and under USDA supervision—they harvest individual animals, and break them down for packing and shipping across Hawaii and to the mainland.
The meat is nutrient dense, rich in color, and has an incredible flavor to it. Save any preconceived notions you have about Uncle Jim's venison chili from the family reunion, this meat will surprise and delight you.
Wild Caught Fish
The species will change seasonally, but your Wild Harvest Box will include wild caught fish that is sourced (as often as possible) directly from passionate, dedicated fishermen.
Manoomin "Wild Rice"
Minnesota
Manoomin is not technically a wild rice.
It's a grain native to northern Minnesota and it has great cultural significance to the indigenous tribes of the Great Lakes region, specifically the Ojibwe. The name Manoomin means "food that grows on water".
The seeds, or grains, from atop the aquatic plant are harvested by canoe—as not to disturb the ecosystem and damage future harvests.
Despite not being a true rice, this wild-harvested grain functions like a wild rice would when you are planning a menu for a special feast. You will find, as I did recently, that this grain makes an exciting and delicious addition in place of rice. It has more flavor and more protein than rice does.
Once cooked, it becomes soft and fluffy, a texture that is hard to predict when you hold the raw grain in your palm.
Wild Foraged Mushrooms
Just recently, we used wild mushrooms on homemade pizza, mixed some in with a bowl of Manoomin, and sprinkled some on a hot bowl of cream of mushroom soup.
Among the most popular wild mushroom varieties are: Chanterelles, Pine Mushrooms, and Morels.
Don't be intimidated by wild foraged mushrooms, they enrich all sorts of dishes. These are species of mushrooms that grow and thrive in forests across the US—and are then collected by knowledgeable foragers with trained eyes and full baskets.
Wild Berries
Generally smaller, and more flavorful than farmed berries, you can find berries like Huckleberries, Serviceberries, and Thimbleberries in many regions of the US & Canada.
Want to add more foods like these to your table?
We want to see more folks enjoying the bounty of wild food.
Subscribe to the Wild Harvest Box and get a quarterly, seasonal box of foods like those listed above, delivered to your door.
