Hey! I'm back! Sorry for the delay - but summertime can get pretty hectic for me; working, gardening, foraging, preserving and whether we want to think about it or not - getting ready for winter. But, that is still a few months off, so let's talk about one of my favorite foods to forage - SUMAC!
I'm sure many of you have heard of the dreaded poison sumac, but fear not! - while they share the same name as many medicinal and edible sumac species, they are easy to tell apart from the edible species and not common in city settings. The most common difference (and easiest to remember) is that they have white berry clusters that hang DOWN - the sumac that we are concerned about today has reddish-brown colored berries that point UP.
Edible sumacs (Rhus species) are a group of shrubs or low growing trees that grow in clusters. Most commonly you'll find them growing along roads and freeways. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), the most common around Lakewood, is a small tree that can sometimes grow as high as 30 ft. You will find these all along the road as you drive with their signature rust color berry clusters pointing straight up. Once you notice a stand of these shrubs you'll see them everywhere. The leaves of this sumac can be up to 24 inches long and have as many as 31 sharply toothed, leaflets. The name "staghorn" comes from the hairiness of this species, which appears to be so hairy it's like it's covered in velvet; like a stag's antlers.
You can find both male and female flowers on both the same or different plants which eventually forms into the tightly clustered berry head that we are after. This berry cluster is also densely covered in hairs, which is actually a good thing. Unlike it's relative the smooth sumac, which doesn't have tiny hairs, the hairs of the staghorn help keep the rain from washing off the flavor so it has a longer season.
So, you've gone for a walk, you've spotted the berry clusters, now what? Well, the first thing I like to do is pick a tiny berry - they are small, hard and hairy so don't be alarmed - and touch it with my tongue. If it's nice and tart then we are in business! By this time of year they will be, by the way. Grab your scissors and a few paper bags and collect several full clusters of berries. If you are a big fan of lemonade and you use a lot of lemon juice during the year, then I would grab as many heads as you can fit in your bags and carry!
Making Sumac-ade is something I look forward to every year; especially because I try to eat as locally as possible and citrus (lemons in particular) is not something that really grows in Northeast Ohio. All you do is take a few clusters of berries, crush them a little between your hands and swish them around in a pitcher of cool water. Don't use hot water as it will destroy all the vitamin C and wash the tannins into your beverage. As you swish the berries around the water, it will begin to turn pink - pink lemonade! Strain the beverage through some cheesecloth to remove the berries and tiny hairs, sweeten to taste and enjoy! You can add more berries to make it stronger or more water to cut the flavor. I like mine extra tart. To make a sumac concentrate, just continue the process until it's super tart and then freeze in ice cube trays for use later in the year. You can use the concentrate the same way you would use lemon juice.
Once the berries are strained from the "ade" and it's flavored to you're liking it will keep in the fridge for a few days. I always make my beverage and concentrate the day I pick the berries, so I'm not sure how long they would last if not used immediately, but I imagine a few days on the counter wouldn't do them any harm.
Happy foraging!
