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Thread: sumac berries

  1. #1
    Member feral chef's Avatar
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    Default sumac berries

    they are red nutritious and delicious, and theyll be ripe soon. anybody else forage these interesting berries? i make a drink with them and a spice. how bout you?sumac0901.jpgsumac staghorn.jpg


  2. #2
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    Can you give me more info about the drink you make (i.e. do they have to be boiled)? I have noticed that some of the trees by me do not have the berries. Are there different varieties?

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    Member feral chef's Avatar
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    hyq42 there are several varieties if it has the red berries there edible if it has white berries its poison. just soak the whole pod in luke warm water overnight. then strain add sugar to taste and chill in frig or drink right away.

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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Here's a link that has a couple of more links in it.

    http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ighlight=sumac
    Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.

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    I just ID some Smooth Sumac and was not sure if I had Staghorn Sumac or not. After doing some more research I learned that the Staghorn's stem where the berry cluster forms has a hairiness to it, whereas the Smooth Sumac does not. Staghorn produces a larger, more tightly clustered berry formation as well.

    Made some tea with it. Very tasty. Will be going back to monitor them and harvest enough to make a gallon. I ddid a little YouTube vid showing the plant, the berries and added some commentary form Peterson's field guide if anyone wants to see it.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Backwater Bill View Post
    I just ID some Smooth Sumac and was not sure if I had Staghorn Sumac or not. After doing some more research I learned that the Staghorn's stem where the berry cluster forms has a hairiness to it, whereas the Smooth Sumac does not. Staghorn produces a larger, more tightly clustered berry formation as well.

    Made some tea with it. Very tasty. Will be going back to monitor them and harvest enough to make a gallon. I ddid a little YouTube vid showing the plant, the berries and added some commentary form Peterson's field guide if anyone wants to see it.
    I'd LOVE to see the video! Hoping I can still find some around me. I'm in central Indiana. East Indianapolis. I'm wanting it to dehydrate and use as a spice since we can't have citrus! )
    Thanks!!
    Kristy

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    Senior Member erunkiswldrnssurvival's Avatar
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    i make tea with the berries then i roast them over a fire and grind them up into a powder. the seeds have a great toasty flavor. they make a good survival food because the seeds cling onto the bush until late winter. easy to find in deep snow........
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    Quote Originally Posted by erunkiswldrnssurvival View Post
    i make tea with the berries then i roast them over a fire and grind them up into a powder. the seeds have a great toasty flavor. they make a good survival food because the seeds cling onto the bush until late winter. easy to find in deep snow........
    Good to know, and remember.
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    Senior Member NightShade's Avatar
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    I like soaking them in cold water and making a lemonade like drink...if yo make a tea, be sure not to boil too long or with stems. The tannins will give it a very bitter astringent quality.
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    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    Introduced some Beekeeper friends to this sour treat on Friday. Good Stuff!

  11. #11
    Senior Member erunkiswldrnssurvival's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NightShade View Post
    I like soaking them in cold water and making a lemonade like drink...if yo make a tea, be sure not to boil too long or with stems. The tannins will give it a very bitter astringent quality.
    thats right they will(the stems) turn acrid. the juice and the seed are good food though. the smooth sumac has larger seeds than the staghorn sumac. but the smooth sumac has more fuzz covering the seed. so i tend to prefer the staghorn seed for consumption.
    God lives in the Mountain, Serve the Master, The Mountain also serves the Master. Serve the Mountain,
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  12. #12

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    What's the easiest way to get them off the stem if I'm wanting to dehydrate and grind into powder to use as spice? I've read you can hang them to dry as well. (I have an excalibur dehydrator)

  13. #13

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    Isn't the sumac tree, the stinky tree?

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