Herbal Spotlight: Staghorn Sumac, with Za'atar Spice & Sparkling Sumac Lemonade Recipes

It grows just about anywhere & everywhere --but did you know that Staghorn Sumac is edible? Indeed, sumac is a crucial ingredient in Za'atar spice blends & was widely used by Native Americans, both as medicine & for refreshing drinks! In this post we will discuss ID-ing & foraging sumac & how to clean & prepare it, as well as how to make your own ‘spice’ & some tasty drinks too!​

Image: aprepperspantryjournal

Now, to be clear, I am talking about Staghorn Sumac [Rhus typhina] -- not to be confused with Poison Sumac [Toxicodendron vernix] which is a totally different genus. This is an easy one for even beginner foragers, no worries!
​There is no chance of accidentally mixing the two up;  they have completely different leaves, smooth VS serrated, & completely different looking fruit, clusters of white, hairless berries VS ‘torches’ of fuzzy red seeds. Additionally, Poison Sumac grows in bogs & marshes.  

 ​ Poor Staghorn Sumac gets the bad-rap for naught!  Many, many people believe all types of Sumac to be poisonous, but that's far from true! Rhus-Family Sumac has been used medicinally & culinarily for centuries. It is packed with Vitamin C, making it a strong antioxidant, but it is also anti-inflammatory,  a diuretic, antiseptic & astringent! Sumac is truly valuable as an easily foraged source of Vitamin C in the northeast USA. Not just medicine & food--Sumac is also excellent for dying yarns & fabrics, with no need of a mordant! Sumac has a unique, tart flavor similar to lemon. One of the simplest ways to use it is to make Sumac Lemonade [recipe to follow] with fresh bobs, but it can also be dried & used as a spice. Sumac has been used for centuries in the Middle East & Mediterranean as a flavoring & is what gives za’atar blends their zing! I'll walk you through preparing your sumac & using it both ways!

The trees grow in stands where they wish [another aspect of the bad-rap--although if more people knew how tasty they are, they maybe wouldn't mind so much!] Staghorn Sumac’s branches are covered in a velvet-like fuzz similar to horns of stags--hence their name! The seed pods form clusters of ‘berries’ called bobs, borne like torches above the leaves, which become a brilliant, deep-red as they ripen. ​

Late August through September is the best time for foraging them--on into October if it has been dry. The bobs may feel a bit sticky to the touch. People will often squeeze bobs, then lick their fingers to check for tartness & ripeness! [hint: if it's bitter, it's not ripe yet!]  The strange red fuzz on the outsides of each seed is what provides the flavor & nutrients--that is what you're after! Clip whole bobs off at the base & bring them home to prepare. Look for bright red bobs, avoiding rusty brown ones or bobs with mold. As always, be sure to harvest only from trees that have not been sprayed with insecticides & that are far from heavily traveled roads/highways. Sumac is best harvested after a couple of days without rain, as the water washes much of the flavor out.

Fresh Usage:  You’ve brought your bobs home-- now it’s time to use them! First, we need to break up the seed heads. Start by carefully pulling back individual bundles or ‘branches’ of seeds from the outside of the clusters-- remember, it is the red fluff you are after! Pop these tiny branches off, removing them from the thick center core & any debris. You can then work to break up the small clusters into individual seeds, removing as much stem as possible.

 A couple cleaned handfuls are all you need to brew up some Sumac lemonade. The ‘berries’ contain a lot of tannins, so they are best cold brewed as hot water will bring on the bitter notes. We are ready to make our ‘lemonade!’

SPARKLING SUMAC LEMONADE

1 cup sumac berries [cleaned from about 2 clusters]
4 cups cold water
Super-fine sugar, honey, or plain simple syrup to taste 
Sparkling water

Put your cleaned sumac berries in a large mason jar or pitcher. Cover with cool water, pressing the berries down & softly crushing them a bit with the back of a wooden spoon. Cover & set aside to steep. Some people like a softer flavor & only steep for 2 hours or so. I like to let mine go overnight. The longer it steeps, the more intense the flavor. Your water will take on a pink tone as well as the flavor!
​Strain your liquid off with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, composting the spent seeds. Your pretty-pink base is ready to go! 

Press the berries with a wooden spoon or muddler

Sumac provides tartness & vitamins, but not sweetness on its own, so the next step is to sweeten your batch to your taste. I find adding plain simple syrup the easiest way to achieve this. Your Sumac Lemonade base can be stored in the fridge like this for up to 3 days. The base is great on ice on its own or used in cocktails! [plays nicely with vodka & gin]  I like to ‘up’ the refreshing factor by topping my glass of lemonade off with a splash of sparkling water: Simply add ice to a pitcher or glass & fill ¾ with Sumac lemonade, then float some sparkling water on top--Voila! Sparkling Sumac Lemonade!

The fresh, cleaned seeds are also lovely in a bar syrup, giving your drinks a truly unique sweet-tart flavor. I couldn't resist making up a batch & playing around with it as well-- Made some really lovely Staghorn Margaritas with it! [perhaps another post later with those…]
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Dried Usage:  As I mentioned before, the seeds can also be dried & ground to use as a spice. You will often see dried sumac spice for sale in specialty grocery stores, but it is usually European Rhus coriraria, & honestly, our wild Staghorn is tastier! Sumac seeds are the main flavor components of za’atar spice blends & are delicious on their own. Remember, the fluff is what we want here too! The ‘berries’ will dry best broken up from their tight clusters. ​

I break up & clean my sumac as described above, then spread the seeds out to dry on screens. Many people use dehydrators on ‘fan’ setting with no heat or even heat lamps to dry their sumac. Any area with good circulation will do. After about a week, the seeds are usually dry enough to grind. The red fibers are our goal-- running the dried seeds through a blender or spice mill, then sifting them through a flour-sifter is the easiest way I have found to separate the red fruit fibers from the seeds & any small bits of stem left. Now you have your own Sumac Spice! Dried & ground, your sumac will keep for up to a year. It's wonderful on chicken, fish & eggs. Use it on its own or make your own blends, such as za’atar. ​

Simple Za’atar Blend

2 TBS Ground Sumac 
2 TBS Dried Thyme 
1 TBS Ground Sesame Seeds 
1 TBS Whole Sesame Seeds 
½ TBS Sea Salt

It is as simple as that! DELICIOUS! Try it mixed into labneh or brush some pita with olive oil, sprinkle some on top, & broil for a minute or 2 -- Heaven! I have heard some people like to add oregano or marjoram to their mix as well -- play around with it & find what works best for you.
Your taste buds will thank you for it!
That is all for this week-- I hope this post has helped to shake off some of Sumac’s bad reputation! Sumac is a perfect example of a truly misunderstood plant -- Delicious & nutritious foods & medicines are growing all around us!  Don’t forget to #StopAndEatTheFlowers