Harvesting wild rice is the process of gathering wild rice kernels from their stalks. This is a process that has been used by the Ojibway Indians for centuries. Other than a canoe, the only tools required for the harvest are those to propel and to knock the ripe kernels into it. Harvesters use a long pole, forked at the end, to push the boat. The pole is forked because it grips the soft, mucky bottom without harming the root bed.

A pair of wooden sticks or "knockers" are used to thresh the stalks to dislodge the kernels. While gliding toward the rice, the poler must keep the boat in a steady pattern. To do this, he or she places the pole directly in back of the boat. While the poler maneuvers the boat, the partner collects the rice. The partner holds one knocker in each hand, and as the poler moves the boat forward, the partner reaches to the right with the knocker and pulls as many stalks as he or she can cradle over the side of the boat. The other knocker is then stroked over the stalks in a movement aimed towards the bottom of the boat. When the rice is ripe, it virtually explodes its kernels into the boat at one stroke. Reversing the procedure, he or she reaches out the left side of the boat with the hand that just threshed, pulls over the stalks, knocks with the stick in the right hand, and continues to alternate in this fashion. Two hours of harvesting may fill the craft a foot deep with wild rice.

Today, most wild rice is cultivated, yet it remains a natural product. Christmas Point Wild Rice Co. offers both the cultivated wild rice and the hand picked wild rice. anyone who has cooked the two varieties side by side will notice distinct differences in the texture, taste, smell, and cooking time. Normally, because of the way cultivated wild rice is processed, it takes twice as long to cook as hand picked wild rice.