Food show filmed at Lansing woman's home airs Nov. 19

LANSING - A Lansing woman's passion for the tradition and history behind Michigan's wild rice landed her a guest role on a new episode of the culinary travel cable television show State Plate, set to air next week.

The INSP network show, now in its third season, is hosted by Taylor Hicks, a musician and season five American Idol winner. It follows him as he travels the country hunting down the most iconic foods in different states.

The goal has always been to visit every state. 

"We go to farms, rivers, lakes and restaurants," Hicks said in July.

Monday, Nov. 19, it's Michigan's turn — and Lansing's included.

A history lesson and some cooking

Filming for the episode, entitled "Michigan," took place in July.

Segments were filmed in Shelby, Hudsonville and in Lansing at author Barb Barton's home, where Hicks learned about the preparation and use of wild rice. 

According to the episode description, "Entertainer Taylor Hicks tastes his way across Michigan, in search of the state’s most iconic foods. First, he harvests tart cherries to eat them with brie and then learns about the Native American traditions in preparing wild rice. Next, he plants celery before preparing it in a fresh salad and partakes in a lakeside fish boil to taste the local whitefish. Finally, Taylor gets a lesson in Polish culture as he discovers what goes into the dessert called paczki. It’s a heaping helping of imported and local cuisine from the Great Lakes region as we taste Michigan’s most celebrated foods."

Barton, an aquatic resource specialist who works for the State of Michigan, started researching wild rice in Michigan a decade ago.

Her book about its history and importance to the Anishinaabek people native to the state, entitled "Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan" was published in June by Michigan State University Press.

On bookstore shelves less than six months, it's already won a 2018 State History Award and is nominated for a Michigan Notable Book Award.

It also caught the attention of State Plate staff, who contacted Barton in the spring about filming a segment of their Michigan-centered show with her.

Barton's book traces the origins of true wild rice back to the native tribes who grew it, and efforts being made to restore it. It also includes a chapter with recipes she gathered from Michigan tribes.

"Really my goal was to compile every bit of information I could about wild rice in Michigan and put it in one place," Barton said.

Wild rice plants are relatively rare, she said, with just 140 known locations in Michigan, some with just 30 or 40 plants. They are found in streams, river, or lakes, usually growing best in shallow water, Barton said, and reachable by canoe.

She "fell in love" with the plant and its significance when she was studying it, and  harvests wild rice herself.

Barton said finding, harvesting and processing it is a “laborious process” that involves winnowing, a method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff.

The upcoming segment of State Plate will offer a look at that process — and the preparation of a recipe.

"It was a history lesson, as well as a cooking segment," Barton said.

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A 'fascinating' TV experience

Members of Native American tribes from different spots around the state joined Barton and Hicks for the filming, which took three hours.

They assisted Barton in demonstrating winnowing in her back yard, then joined her in the kitchen to make a recipe out of Barton's book for Autumn wild rice salad, contributed by Shiloh Maples.

The salad includes wild rice, sweet onion, pepper, green apple and walnuts with a dressing made of oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, raspberry jam, dry tarragon, salt and pepper.

"It’s a really simple but delicious cold dish that you make with wild rice," Barton said. "It’s so easy to make too."

Barton said her television experience was a good one. The show's crew was warm and friendly, she said. So was Hicks.

"It was fascinating to learn about the show, and how it came to be," Barton said. "We all ate together outside in the backyard."

The Nov. 19 episode, set to air at noon on INSP network, will also feature segments filmed at Kludy Farms , Cherry Point Farm & Market and Peterson Farms in Shelby, along with Sonder Restaurant and Michigan Celery Cooperative in Hudsonville.

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at (517) 528-2075 or rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.