Curing happens because the sun and wind dry the wild rice, but water is added regularly (naturally by rain or artificially by a hose) so the wild rice doesn't get too warm or too dry. (Wild rice with a 37% water content in the kernel is good.) At the same time, a natural biological process begins to break down the plant material (like rotting wet hay). This biological process is called fermentation.

Besides breaking down the plant material, fermentation heats up the wild rice. When the wild rice dries out, fermentation slows down. The trick to good curing is to balance the effects of warming, drying, cooling, and wetting. Too much fermentation will spoil the wild rice and make it look decayed. Too little fermentation will slow down the curing process so it takes too long. Curing takes about 4 to 14 days to complete.