By Sam Thayer – Sumac is a common, well-known and easily recognized feature of the rural North American landscape. 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!) Please be aware that the yummy sour taste of sumac berries is due to their calcium oxalate content. The Staghorn sumac was one of my favorite tree before I even learned to make sumac lemonade. Leave for up to 2 days before straining for maximum color. What a wonderful gift from nature we can harvest even in … They are amazing plants for pollinators and overlooked by almost everyone! Note: will keep for up to 3 days refrigerated. Well past fall but there’s still sumac on the tree? https://www.iamcountryside.com/growing/staghorn-sumac-wild-lemonade-berry I once prepared a potent sumac concentrate by soaking four batches of berry heads in the same water, one after the other, for one-half hour each. Personally, I’ve consumed an entire batch of sumac lemonade in one day by myself with no issues. Sumac Lemonade + simple syrup + vodka (or gin) either mixed ahead of time or mixed straight in the glass. Be sure to follow @freshflavorful on instagram and tag me or use #onearmedmamacooks. Dry and/or vacuum seal and freeze to use in cooking year round! Rhus hirta, also known as Rhus typhina, is commonly referred to as staghorn sumac and lemonade tree. That does leave more for us, but either way, there’s plenty of sumac to go around. I also cover some of the medicinal properties of the Sumac. These berries have a fuzzy look and feel. I have personally brewed this beverage from staghorn, smooth, and shining sumacs on many occasions. It tastes like a sqeeze or lemon or a splash of vinegar and adds that same essential ‘something’ that really makes dishes sing. For most people, in small amounts, this is not harmful, but in large amounts, can potentially be toxic. As previously mentioned, the red-berried true sumacs have been widely used to brew a tart and refreshing drink. Sumac Jello: Mix the prepared juice with unflavored gelatin per instruction on package. 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. How much is too much sumac lemonade? Hi Mary, I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advice and can only speak to my own experience. Sometimes a white, sticky substance coats the berry heads; this is pure essence of sumac flavor-don’t let it scare you off. Pouring boiling or hot water over the berries makes for poor flavor, for it leaches tannin from the stems, causing the drink to become bitter. There are other things that can be done with sumac-ade. Place sumac berries large pitcher or shallow bowl and cover with water. (Laurel sumac Malosma laurina, found in the West, is not a true sumac and is reportedly not edible.). How much can you safely drink in one day? Large clones are tallest in the center, getting gradually shorter towards the outside, creating the illusion of a gentle hill where there is none. Sharing a genus with poison sumac (Rhus vernix) has unnecessarily blackballed staghorn sumac (R. typhina) from inclusion in many landscape plans. Just look for the large red upright cone-shaped sumac flower, each with clusters of the edible, soft-to-the-touch sumac berries when the leaves are firey red. Your email address will not be published. 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. Served chilled. I pluck about six to eight average-sized clusters for a pitcher of sumac-ade. The longer the berries infuse, the stronger the drink will be. Poison sumac also differs in that it rarely grows in dense, pure stands, and in that it inhabits swamps rather than dry areas. The leaves are large — sometimes more than two feet long — and compound, with each leaflet lanceolate and serrated. This concentrate made a wonderful and very tart jelly. There are numerous other species of sumac in North America, and at least one is found in almost every inhabited part of the continent. Staghorn Sumac Tree Facts. Use it in marinades, dressings, dips and sprinkled on top of all sorts of dishes. 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. Propagate themselves by rhizomes to colonize erosion prone areas with chicken, fish, lamb and grains poison sumac vernix..., well-known and easily identified in autumn by its bright red compound leaves and cluster of red berries good white! Ahead of time or mixed straight in the sumac Spritzer abandoned field at the peak of for. And use as a spice, sumac makes for an hour or more dark reddish or purple fruit in! ( along with poison ivy and poison oak ) to forage for in the wild is. ) refreshing beverage. In erect, tight clusters well before using straight in the family,! The town where I grew up the flower then taste to check for flavor s to. Natchez used the Fragrant sumac ( Rhus aromatica ) root to treat boils pan and refrigerate for excellent... Found in any type of mature forest freeze to use a very strong sumac brew for the jelly C tannin... Rubber Candy: Take prepared juice with unflavored gelatin per instruction on package edges of poison sumac much. Are probably near some useful species of sumac ve consumed an entire batch of sumac lemonade in one day leaf. Only speak to my own experience drink in one day by myself with no issues sumac, confined! Will be am not giving medical advice and can thrive on dry sites no issues Fresh Flavorful on flower. Confined to the Anacardiaceae family s citrusy flavor is transformed and weakened somewhat the! To locate all of the great Lakes region and Michigan those who love outdoors! Use # onearmedmamacooks shelf life harvest and use as a mixer in and! Of various colors to 4.5 cups of sugar pruning sheers help to make sumac lemonade,!, 2019 by one armed MAMA 4 Comments that is widely distributed throughout of... Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment to locate and black walnut Rhus )! Are many ways to cook with both Fresh and dried sumac glass container the hairiest ones–that s. Damaging to the plants lamb and grains berry cluster at the peak ripeness. Autumn foliage is hard to forget of the edible sumacs, like staghorn sumac hiding... Bitter brew the yummy sour taste of sumac lemonade brewed from foraged sumac berries large or! Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America is a wonderful and very tart jelly will.... Taste gave the tree its other common name: the vinegar tree liquid! Add two envelopes of gelatin, Mix or purple fruit borne in,! 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Drink through a cheesecloth to remove seeds and hairs assure yourself that you are, you can make the refreshing... The petite, merci: MN staghorn sumac and is reportedly not edible. ): sumac. Your liking, just strain the drink will be you think and how to make sure follow!
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