Snowshoes and Manoomin Cereal

If I had to describe the last 3 weeks of my life in just one word, that word would be SNOWSHOES. Snowshoes! I made my own (which took quite a long time) and I got to take them on their initial voyage last week in the UP (where there was A LOT of snow). It was beautiful there, and I spent much of the time that I was not outside within 3 feet of the wood stove. I also ate several bowls of manoomin (wild rice) to celebrate the vacation. This post then is a picture-walk through the snowshoe making, the eating of the manoomin, and the honoring of the wood stove - which really is my favorite thing on these cold winter days.

My Charming Companion and I ordered these awesome snowshoe kits from a company in south Minneapolis called Country Ways. The kits include completed snowshoe frames, lacing materials, and bindings. We picked them up from the tiny shop about 10 days before the trip to the UP, and because many of those days were holiday or vacation days from work, completing the snowshoes in time seemed like no problem. But whew! It was challenging, and also really engaging because it required a lot of focus.

Snowshoe kit, perched in front of the wood stove work space!

We got the "Ojibwa" style snowshoes because they seem best suited for walking long distances (compared to some shorter, more rounded ones that are better for climbing or for turning around). There are really complex lacing patterns that required fully re-lacing if you miss one step or wrong underpass, and all of it was detailed on some big diagrams that came with the kit. The center section was the most challenging (after practicing on the easier "toe" and "tail"); the lacing all in all took several days.

You want to pull the lacing quite tight, and there are a few basic knots/hitches you use throughout.

My Charming Companion taking a nap after completing a tail.

After the lacing is done, several layers of polyurethane need to be painted on. There are specific drying times (including 3-4 days at the end to fully cure), so there was a big push to make sure they would be useable for the trip. (We painted at my house but stayed at the northside homestead so as to avoid the fumes, which meant lots of daily commuting back and forth for all the coats of varnish!) Plus there was a lot of admiring time - they look so cool!

Here they are drying and hanging on a 2x4 erected across my kitchen.

The snowshoes had just enough time to cure, so they came in the car for the drive to Michigan and more time by a wood stove! The final step was to add the bindings, which included yet another diagram (again, notice the prominence of the wood stove in snowshoe making).

We went out on the snowshoes the first morning we were there, right after a breakfast of eggs, pork belly, and manoomin cereal. Mmmm!

My Charming Companion introduced me to manoomin cereal (and the ground up version that I call porridge) several years ago. I've started calling the wild rice manoomin (the Ojibwe word meaning "the good berry") after reading essays by Jim Northrup and Heid Erdrich who no longer refer to manoomin as "wild rice" to further distinguish it from the cultivated/farmed stuff that is not actually wild at all, but that gets sold under that name all over the state. Heid Erdrich includes her version of manoomin porridge in her new cookbook Original Local, and she was recently interviewed by the Heavy Table (the interview includes her recipe too!)

Manoomin with some cherries and red walnuts sent from friends in CA!

The Manoomin Cereal we ate on the trip was from manoomin that My Charming Companion not only harvested, but also processed himself. It was delicious.

Manoomin Cereal (serves 2)
1 cup manoomin
1+ cup water
pinch of salt
Toppings: walnuts or pecans, dried cherries, coconut milk, ghee, and a little maple syrup or honey.

I like the manoomin best when it cooks with the exact right amount of water so that the rice grains stay intact rather than puffing open. They taste chewier that way I think, and I enjoy that texture. Different varieties of manoomin will require different water ratios, but in general it is less water than you think. Start with one cup of water and bring it to a boil. Add wild rice and a pinch of salt, and cover the pot and set on med-low heat. Turn the heat off after about 15-20 minutes and let the rice rest for another few minutes. Then taste a few grains of rice to see where they are at. The "al-dente" version of manoomin is still a little crunchy, so if you want it more cooked, sprinkle in just a tablespoon or two of more water, cover, and cook another 5 minutes or until the right texture is reached. Serve topped with your fave toppings. Fill your belly and perhaps venture out into the cold!