As autumn continues and seasonal colors
begin to abound, sumac is among the brightest of the plants. Bright
red sumac, with its leaves turning pink to orange to yellow, and its
furry clusters of berries, gather in abundance around roadways and
forests. Sumac is a shrub that grows in subtropical to temperate
climates throughout the world, including North America, East Asia,
and Africa. There are many different varieties of sumac, the red kind
many see growing is often staghorn sumac or smooth sumac. The bad
hype sumac gets is pretty unfortunate. Most people have heard the
term “poison sumac” but the kind that is poison has green or
white berries, not red. It's harder to find the white variety as it
grows in swamps or marshy areas and most have not seen it at all. The
red sumac is a great medicinal and culinary herb that many cultures
like the Middle East have utilized for thousands of years. Sumac
contains very high levels of vitamin C and the berries, bark, leaves,
sap and root of the harmless sumac variety are used for many
different conditions including skin conditions, inflammation,
digestive issues, cold and flu, urinary tract problems, diarrhea, and
fever.
Late summer, autumn, and even very
early winter sumac berries can be harvested. It is best to harvest
sumac in late summer or autumn (now!). When you are harvesting, try
to make sure the sumac berries are dry- it is best not to harvest
them right after a rain shower.
Enjoy the last glimpses of warmth with
soothing sumac lemonade.
Sumac Pink Lemonade
Add 1/8 to ¼ cup of berries to a quart
size jar of water and place in the refrigerator overnight. Otherwise,
you can heat this up in a saucepan over medium heat with equal parts
sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, for about five minutes
before straining. Depending on your preference, you can add honey,
maple syrup or stevia.
by Theresa Musatto
