Cindy Ross, age 13, of Twin Falls, Ida., for her question:

WHAT IS WILD RICE?

Wild rice is an aquatic grass that grows from 4 to 8 feet high. Although it looks like rice when cooked, it is not even related to rice.

Rice, which is one of the world's most important food crops, is a cereal grass related to such plants as oats, rye, wheat and barley.

Wild rice grows naturally in the shallow lakes of Minnesota, Wisconsin and central Canada. It is not cultivated.

The grain of wild rice has large amounts of Vitamin B. Indians harvested wild rice by bending the heads of the plant over the edge of a boat. They then beat the grains loose with sticks.

Wild rice is available in some markets only on a limited basis because not too much is grown. Many people like its taste and consider it to be a great delicacy.