Don't panic. I'm not talking about poison sumac. I'm talking about a group of trees and shrubs that are not even related, and certainly won't harm you. According to Wild Man Steve Brill, different varieties of sumac can be found in most of North America.
Most of what we have here is staghorn sumac, though this year I've noticed quite a bit of smooth sumac. The top picture shows smooth sumac with immature berries in the foreground, and mature staghorn berries in the background. The second picture is a close up of the staghorn sumac.
Always positively identify your plants before eating, but here are a couple of hints about sumac. The staghorn sumac will appear almost velvety when it is ready. If you run your finger over the berries and then taste it, your finger will taste tart, almost lemony. Most of the flavor is on the outside of the berries, so it is best to not gather these after a rain.
The berries are mostly seed, so don't try to eat them. I recently heard that in Turkey they are used as a lemony spice, but I have not cooked with them that way yet. I did try something new this week though. I added them to my sun tea. It was made with eight tea bags, a bunch of mint, and a sprig of sumac berries in a gallon of water. It added a nice little zing to our normal sun tea.
All the other ways I've used sumac involve first making a concentrate from the berries, then using that to cook.
The two sources I use the most when cooking with wild foods, the Steve Brill book and Bootstraps and Biscuits, have different ways of producing the concentrate. This is how I do it.
Sumac Concentrate Pick two berry heads. You will need pruning shears to get them. Turn them upside down and give a good shake to get rid of any loose debris and insects. I do not wash mine, as it does decrease the flavor. Instead I just pick or brush off anything that is left after the shaking.
Use kitchen shears to trim the berries off the stem. Try to get as little of the stem as possible. There are literally 1000s of berries on the berry head. You will make yourself crazy if you try to keep out all the green, but try to leave as little as possible. It does change the flavor.
Put all the berries in a blender. Fill the blender with water. Blend and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Strain through cheesecloth and you have sumac concentrate to use or cook with. It can be used instead of lemon juice. The weather, the size of the heads and other things can cause the strength of your concentrate to vary. You may need to adjust to taste when using this.
It may seem like a lot of steps, but it is really pretty easy. An easier way is to just let the berry heads soak in water, but the flavor is not nearly as strong using this method.
Sumac Ade The easiest thing to do with your sumac concentrate is to make a lemonade like drink. To the above concentrate add 1 to 1 1/2 C sugar and water to make a gallon.
We've made syrup and jelly from the concentrate too, but our favorite recipe is sumac pie.
Sumac Pie (adapted from Bootstraps and Biscuits ) 1 graham cracker crust 2 C + a dollop of whipped cream 2 C sumac concentrate 1 C sugar 4 TB corn starch
Mix sumac, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook on medium to medium high heat stirring frequently until it begins to thicken. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns from opaque to translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fold in the whipped cream and pour into the crust. Garnish with another dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of berries.
If you garnish with the berries, like I did below, you'll have people talking and guessing at what it could be. Often I've called it pink lemonade pie. Some who have tried it said it reminds them of sweet tarts. It is light and refreshing.
Most of what we have here is staghorn sumac, though this year I've noticed quite a bit of smooth sumac. The top picture shows smooth sumac with immature berries in the foreground, and mature staghorn berries in the background. The second picture is a close up of the staghorn sumac.
All the other ways I've used sumac involve first making a concentrate from the berries, then using that to cook.
The two sources I use the most when cooking with wild foods, the Steve Brill book and Bootstraps and Biscuits, have different ways of producing the concentrate. This is how I do it.
Pick two berry heads. You will need pruning shears to get them. Turn them upside down and give a good shake to get rid of any loose debris and insects. I do not wash mine, as it does decrease the flavor. Instead I just pick or brush off anything that is left after the shaking.
Use kitchen shears to trim the berries off the stem. Try to get as little of the stem as possible. There are literally 1000s of berries on the berry head. You will make yourself crazy if you try to keep out all the green, but try to leave as little as possible. It does change the flavor.
Put all the berries in a blender. Fill the blender with water. Blend and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Strain through cheesecloth and you have sumac concentrate to use or cook with. It can be used instead of lemon juice. The weather, the size of the heads and other things can cause the strength of your concentrate to vary. You may need to adjust to taste when using this.
It may seem like a lot of steps, but it is really pretty easy. An easier way is to just let the berry heads soak in water, but the flavor is not nearly as strong using this method.
Sumac Ade
The easiest thing to do with your sumac concentrate is to make a lemonade like drink. To the above concentrate add 1 to 1 1/2 C sugar and water to make a gallon.
We've made syrup and jelly from the concentrate too, but our favorite recipe is sumac pie.
1 graham cracker crust
2 C + a dollop of whipped cream
2 C sumac concentrate
1 C sugar
4 TB corn starch
Mix sumac, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook on medium to medium high heat stirring frequently until it begins to thicken. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns from opaque to translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fold in the whipped cream and pour into the crust. Garnish with another dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of berries.
If you garnish with the berries, like I did below, you'll have people talking and guessing at what it could be. Often I've called it pink lemonade pie. Some who have tried it said it reminds them of sweet tarts. It is light and refreshing.