Sumac Tea

My recent days have been busy! And they have been hot, which means less cooking and more salads. I am preparing to go wild ricing for the first time soon, and have been busy making a push pole and knockers and assembling the appropriate materials. On my way home from Fleet Farm, I remembered a big sumac stand by the river, so I stopped to gather some. It is definitely later than optimal - you can see that some of the red has washed away in the rains of proceeding weeks. The sumac spice is actually the hair/fibers on the berries, which are what make the clumps so fire red. From what I have read, you want to look for the time when the sumac is bright red, before any big rains. It is usually later July to September during a time of high heat. (Note that there is a poison sumac variety but it has white berries, so you will not be confused.) To harvest, cut the berry cluster at the base - collect several clusters.

I am drying some of the berry clusters (above) in an attempt at making the spice, and I also made Sumac tea. It is delicious! Sumac is very high in vitamin C and used for all kinds of medicinal purposes by indigenous people for a long time. The tea is a nice lime flavor, earning it a nickname of "Indian lemonade" - especially if you add a bit of honey or maple syrup.

Place 3-4 clumps of sumac in a large jar (I used a 2 quart jar) and cover with cold water. Leave to sit for several hours to a couple of days. Some people suggest putting it out in the sun like sun tea, others say the counter is fine - I just left mine on the counter because it was later in the day when I began the process. Strain out the berries/clumps with a strainer or cheesecloth and drink. Yum!

I forgot to take a photo until after I already drank some. So the jar is partially empty - ha!