They are sweet and delicious, much like raspberry stalks. Sumac Lemonade refreshingly, lightly floral and tart this beverage brewed from foraged sumac berries and cool water tastes like lemonade without any lemons! The leaves are large — sometimes more than two feet long — and compound, with each leaflet lanceolate and serrated. O try my favorite sumac cocktail, the Sumac Spritzer. Its fruits contain high doses of vitamin C and tannin compounds. Sumac “berries” are really just seeds covered with a thin coating of flavoring substance and hairs. This drink is delicious, easy to prepare, fun to gather, nutritious, unique and free. The sumac that is used in the spice blend is one member of the sumac family (genus, rhus), rhus coriraria or more commonly called European Sumac. Some people add sugar, but I prefer it without. The petite, merci: MN Staghorn Sumac Lemonade and Kombucha! Well past fall but there’s still sumac on the tree? Taste each cluster as you harvest to assure yourself that you are collecting something with flavor since occasionally they are bland. And sumac’s tart, citrusy berries have many 1 cup unsalt, Just when I thought my holiday baking was over I f, Croissant French Toast Bake // perfect for slow Su, Homemade Irish Cream has been my go-to handmade ho, early pioneers treated coughs, sore throats and fevers with sumac, while American Indians used these berries to treat anything from reproductive problems to stomachaches and wound, Blackberry Infused Earl Grey Iced Tea Latte, full of antioxidants like pyranoanthocyanins with the anti-inflammatory power to  neutralize cancer, prevent heart disease + the early signs of aging + help skin conditions & reduce body pain, helpful in increasing milk production (hello, citrusy mother’s milk cookies!) What most commonly grows across North America is a close cousin in the sumac family, rhus typhina or more commonly called Staghorn Sumac. I have only had it in fall when I was a child and thought this old recipe should be resurrected. It is made from a plant that is widely distributed throughout most of North America and easily identified. This beverage has been called sumac-ade, rhus-ade, sumac lemonade, Indian lemonade, sumac tea and probably some other names that I have yet to hear. I’ve tried steeping the sumac both in the refrigerator and in the sun, but I’ve read that the refrigerator version retains more vitamin C. You can expect to find good ones if you taste around, until early October and sometimes later and there are always those with just a hint of flavor. If you desire a stronger tasting beverage, strain and then add … It is primarily found in southeastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States, and the Appalachian Mountains, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world. Unfortunately, the fact that it shares names with a tree of ill-repute has caused many to shun it. Lemonade. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. The longer the berries infuse, the stronger the drink will be. (On some of the western species, the clusters are pretty small and may not be as tight as on the eastern species, but they are still distinctly red.) There are other things that can be done with sumac-ade. Simply check to make sure mold or mildew hasn’t started to grow on the flower then taste to check for flavor. Staghorn sumac or Rhus typhina grows throughout the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Staghorn Sumac Lemonade! Also, people who are sensitive or allergic to mangoes, pistachios, and cashews are best advised to avoid sumac due to the fact that they are all related. Also, the young, thick, tender tips of sumac shoots (especially staghorn) in early summer can be peeled and eaten raw or cooked. These berries have a fuzzy look and feel. How much is too much sumac lemonade? Foragers call … It can be differentiated from true sumacs most readily by the fact that the berries are whitish, waxy, hairless, and hang in loose, grape-like clusters. Your email address will not be published. When ready to serve top with sparking water for a sparkly pink foraged cocktail! Pour into an 8×8 or 8×10 inch baking pan and refrigerate for an hour or more. Sometimes a white, sticky substance coats the berry heads; this is pure essence of sumac flavor-don’t let it scare you off. The Ojibwa took a decoction of Fragrant Sumac root to stop diarrhea. easy to forage for in the wild. Originally published in Countryside July / August 2003 and regularly vetted for accuracy. The tartness of sumac is partly due to ascorbic acid (vitamin C) so one also has a health incentive to drink this beverage. It’s Also, I’ve seen many medical personnel recommend that people who easily form kidney stones should consume as little oxalate as possible, so sumac “lemonade” would be a “no-no” for those people. Sumac is a shrub or small tree that is common to much of the Great Lakes region and Michigan. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, clean kitchen towel or coffee filter than sweeten to taste with sweetener of your choice. Wild sumac is easily identified in autumn by its bright red compound leaves and cluster of red berries that form in a cone shape. The large clusters are so easy to collect that in just a few moments you can have enough for a pitcher of wild Kool-Aid that kids will love. Just make sure to include steeping time in the total three day shelf life. Staghorn Sumac is such a great tree that I think everyone should take a closer look at it. Filed Under: beverages, eating, recipes Tagged With: eating seasonally, fall, foraging, sumac. Cover loosely with a coffee filter or tea towel. Staghorn Sumac Germination. You can also post a photo of your dish to the Fresh Flavorful facebook page. Pick away any sticks or other leaves that might be clinging to your sumac clusters then break apart and remove berries from the woody sticks. For most people, in small amounts, this is not harmful, but in large amounts, can potentially be toxic. Quite a few people assume that all sumacs are “poison sumac.” Poison sumac, however, is distinctly different from the true sumacs and is, fortunately, less common. Please be aware that the yummy sour taste of sumac berries is due to their calcium oxalate content. Preparation of the beverage is simple. Anybody who tries to differentiate the two will have an easy time of it. It’s easy to remember. My children snack on the sumac drupes and we eat a lot of meals flavored with za’atar as well as use sumac in other ways without issue. How much can you safely drink in one day? That does leave more for us, but either way, there’s plenty of sumac to go around. Staghorn Sumac and smooth sumac are hiding in plain sight! Lemonade Sumac ; Sourberry ; Rhus typhina: Staghorn Sumac; Rhus typhina 'Laciniata' Laceleaf Staghorn Sumac; Contact Info. This is only a partial list, so wherever you are, you are probably near some useful species of sumac. Crush the berry clusters in the water using a sturdy spoon then allow sumac to soak for at least a few hours or overnight, the longer it soaks the more flavorful it will be. Made like a cold brew tea Sumac Lemonade is just sumac and water. The flavor is transformed and weakened somewhat by the boiling, so be sure to use a very strong sumac brew for the jelly. https://www.tngun.com/recipe-sumac-lemonaide-a-free-source-of-asorbic-acid Best known for being an essential ingredient in Za’atar spice sumac adds zing to anything you mix it in or sprinkle it on! Sumac Jelly: Take prepared juice and use the Sure-Jell recipe for elderberry jelly, 3 cups juice to 4.5 cups of sugar. Sumac Rubber Candy: Take on cup of sweetened juice, add two envelopes of gelatin, mix. Your email address will not be published. Sumac is a wild plant that provides a nutritional drink and is easy to locate. * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Stir 3–4 times per day. Poison sumac also differs in that it rarely grows in dense, pure stands, and in that it inhabits swamps rather than dry areas. Yes, there is some debate among foragers and health professionals regarding the safety of consuming foods high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, chives, and cilantro, due to over consumption possibly forming calcium oxalate crystals and leading to kidney stones. Hi Mary, I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advice and can only speak to my own experience. The tangy, acidic taste gave the tree its other common name: the vinegar tree. Leave out the lemon juice. They are amazing plants for pollinators and overlooked by almost everyone! One of my all-time favorite drinks for the late summer and early fall is Sumac Lemonade. The Staghorn sumac was one of my favorite tree before I even learned to make sumac lemonade. Sumac forms large patches called clones; what looks like many trees or shrubs is actually a single plant, like a patch of growing rhubarb or growing asparagus. Yet few people know that these little trees have provided a delicious and refreshing summer drink throughout much of the world for thousands of years. Leave for up to 2 days before straining for maximum color. Staghorn sumac trees with thick twigs and an almost tropical appearance are familiar to most country dwellers. In such a sumac clone the trees often have the habit of bearing leaves only at the canopy, so that when one ventures underneath he is struck with the impression of being under a gentle dome painstakingly coaxed into existence by some master gardener. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *, Welcome to Fresh Flavorful where you'll find easy recipes and simple ideas for eating, entertaining and adventuring your way to a fresh, flavorful life. Prairie sumac Rhus lanceolata occurs in Texas and parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico; Mearn’s sumac R. choriophylla grows in southern Arizona and New Mexico; lemonade berry R. integrifolia grows in southern California; shining sumac R. copallina is found over the southern half of eastern North America, smooth sumac R. glabra is found throughout the eastern U. S. and scattered in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains; fragrant sumac R. aromatica and the very similar basket bush R. trilobata are found in mountainous or rocky situations from coast to coast, south into Mexico and north into Canada. How to make sumac lemonade: The foliage of the Staghorn sumac closely resembles that of ailanthus (tree of heaven or stinktree) and black walnut. The staghorn sumac plants produce a milky latex that will stain your clothes dark brown. When made properly it is as universally liked as lemonade. All of the true (edible) sumacs have dark reddish or purple fruit borne in erect, tight clusters. https://www.iamcountryside.com/growing/staghorn-sumac-wild-lemonade-berry A potential mistake is to harvest the berry heads before they are ripe, in which case they will produce an unpleasantly bitter brew. https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/sumac-lemonade-zmaz09jjzraw Particularly good harvest? I spent many hours as a child in the calming shade of sumac domes, following rabbit runs in the short grass below or just listening to the birds, daydreaming and staring skyward. The Natchez used the Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) root to treat boils. Sharing a genus with poison sumac (Rhus vernix) has unnecessarily blackballed staghorn sumac (R. typhina) from inclusion in many landscape plans. In most of North America, the first clusters are ready to be plucked sometime in July, with the prime time being in early August. They are common on rural roadsides, along railroad tracks and fence rows, and in old fields and other open habitats. They are quite unlike the berries of the edible sumacs, like staghorn sumac. Is staghorn sumac poisonous? Since sumac is related to cashews and mangoes, anyone allergic to those foods should avoid it, or proceed with extreme caution. Aside from its use as a spice, Sumac makes for an excellent and quite refreshing drink that rivals lemonade. Personally, I’ve consumed an entire batch of sumac lemonade in one day by myself with no issues. Add the 1/2 cup of raw honey and fill the container with chlorine-free water. Read More →, Inspired by the magic that happens when people gather around the table, connect with one another, and pursue their passions through all the stages of life, Fresh Flavorful was created in the Spring of 2013 (formerly ONE armed MAMA.com) helping others eat, entertain and adventure their way to a Fresh Flavorful Life. So good on popcorn at family movie nights! My sister made one of the best wines that I have ever tasted from it. Delicious as-is straight from the glass you could also use Sumac Lemonade as a base for other creations like sumac beer, wine, and kombucha.Or mix up sumac mocktails and cocktails. I also cover some of the medicinal properties of the Sumac. A dark purple coloration usually indicates that the flavor of the fruit has developed fully, yet some of the best clusters I’ve tasted were light pink. This concentrate made a wonderful and very tart jelly. As far as I can see sumac gets a bad wrap because of the poisonous WHITE-berried sumac and it’s relation to poison oak (also related to mangoes and cashews) and the issue with oxalic acid content is akin to worrying about consuming too much spinach, the health benefits generally outweigh any perceived risk. Sumac-ade is pleasantly tart with a light pink color. The two can be easily distinguished: Poison sumac has large white berries, and Staghorn Sumac has much smaller red hairy berries. Required fields are marked *. Pruning sheers help to make collection easier and less damaging to the plants. The staghorn sumac, named for the velvety covering on its new branches, similar to the velvet on a stags new antlers, is a common and widespread species of edible sumac. sign up to get all recipes delivered straight to your inbox, November 9, 2019 by ONE armed MAMA 4 Comments. They are pioneer plants and quickly spread by rhizomes to colonize erosion prone areas. By Sam Thayer – Sumac is a common, well-known and easily recognized feature of the rural North American landscape. Sumac Lemonade brewed from foraged sumac berries and cool water tastes like lemonade without any lemons! Large clones are tallest in the center, getting gradually shorter towards the outside, creating the illusion of a gentle hill where there is none. Note: will keep for up to 3 days refrigerated. Dry and/or vacuum seal and freeze to use in cooking year round! In this video I go over how to identify the Staghorn Sumac and how to make Sumac Lemonade. Recently, From backyard gardening to at home restaurant expe, Chai Buttered Rum // RECIPE below // Their shape and large cone-like, dark red berry clusters are distinctive and their bright red autumn foliage is hard to forget. Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is a deciduous shrub or small tree that belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. The poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix is classified in a different genus (along with poison ivy and poison oak). It grows throughout eastern North America as a shrub with bright red terminal conic fruit clusters covered in red tart hairs (Figure 22.1).Rhus hirta fruit had the highest activity in all the assays tested for different types of antioxidant activity (McCune and Johns, 2002). Sumac berries (or “drupes” which is their proper label) are a wild treat that can be found in wooded areas all over... Rinse your sumac in cool water to remove any of the “outdoor elements” that might be clinging to them. All in all, however, the sumac is a wonderful tree, deserving of much more attention from those who love the outdoors. Staghorn Sumac Those striking red berry clusters are edible!! Consult a field guide for your region. Easy to find in the wild with a flavor that can’t be matched staghorn sumac is a fabulous flavor and health-packed plant that can be used fresh or dry to add a bright note and beautiful pink hue to all sorts of dishes like this blush pink cold brewed tea ‘lemonade’. Taste to check for flavor flavor since occasionally they are pioneer plants and quickly by... Sister made one of the edible sumacs, like staghorn sumac lemonade + simple syrup + vodka or. Deciduous shrub or small tree that belongs to the Anacardiaceae family sumacs, like sumac., citrusy berries have many culinary uses and a TON of health.... 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Lemonade and Kombucha only a partial list, so be sure to follow @ freshflavorful on instagram and tag or... That will stain your clothes dark staghorn sumac lemonade avoid it, they pronounce it delicious collection...: MN staghorn sumac were used to brew a tart and refreshing it ’ s best to early... Most of North America staghorn sumac lemonade easily recognized feature of the rural North American landscape nutritional drink and reportedly! To the plants red compound leaves and cluster of red berries that in. Lemonade or dry them for later beverage brewed from foraged sumac berries cool! Berries good, white berries, roots, inner bark, and in old fields other... And an almost tropical appearance are familiar to most country dwellers family, Rhus,... Still Flavorful, harvest and use the clumps right away for lemonade or dry for! There are other things that can be done is to harvest the berry heads before they are.... Tastes like lemonade without any lemons form in a quart of cold water and let steep for 12 24.

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