Sumac Tea

Staghorn Sumac steeping in 1/2 gallon jar.

For two years now I have been familiar with the fact that Staghorn Sumac berries could be used to make a tart tasting drink.  For two years, I have pondered when the best time to harvest would be and how to go about making the tea.  I watched the seasons come and go, and new sets of berries replace the ones from last summer.  I read literature and web information, and viewed countless videos of others making this tea.  This week I finally decided I was going to ponder no longer.  So I went out and harvested about five sets of berries, brought them home, stuffed them (only about 4) into a half gallon jar, filled it with spring water, and set it out in the sun.  I was so proud of myself.  I'm not sure why it took me so long to actually try it.  Perhaps because in this day and age, we tend to view wild food as...well wild and inedible.  We seem to have lost the teachings and skills of our ancestors long ago.  Foods they would have foraged for we deem inedible.  As a matter of fact, I think we tend to view anything not found in a grocery store as "poisonous".

I've spent the last year studying my local plants; working to identify as many as I can, and then determine if they have medicinal or edible qualities.  I've learned so much, but the one thing I find is that the more I learn, the more there is to learn.  I'm amazed by how many edible plants there are, and even more amazed by the medicinal qualities many possess.

After being steeped for four hours and then strained.

So here it is.  My Sumac Tea after steeping in the sun for about four hours.  I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.  To me it resembles the flavor of a sweet tart.  I added a little bit of sugar this time as I wanted to know what it would taste with regular sugar before I experimented with other sweeteners, like stevia, honey, and maple syrup.  I couldn't believe how good it was!  I believe this is one of nature's best kept secrets!  So how did I make it?  Well there's loads of resources and videos out there on making Sumac Tea, and I highly recommend checking them out before you make your own, but here's how I made mine:

1) place 4 or 5 groups of berries into a half gallon jar
2) fill the jar with spring water
3) set out in the sun (again, I left mine for 4 hours - experiment with what tastes best to you)
4) strain through a clean towel (I used paper towels); this removes all the fuzzies from the berries and other debris.
5) add sweetener if desired, perhaps some ice if still warm, and enjoy!

Now a word of caution!  There are different "types" of Sumac.  Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhinia, is what you want to use.  You can't miss it, really.  It grows everywhere around here, and can commonly be found in disturbed areas and roadsides.  However, there is also a Poison Sumac, Toxicodendron vernix.  So you need to make sure you get a positive ID on any plant before you use it as an edible.  There are many references out there like the USDA plant fact sheets, Wikipedia, Wildflowers of Western PA (search under families - C for Cashew family), and the Ohio Public Library Information Network.  These are just a few of the first websites that came up when I searched for Staghorn Sumac.  There are many more.  I can honestly say that I have never (to my knowledge) seen poison sumac.  But have read and been told that it has white berries.  These are (obviously) NOT edible; hence the name.  Staghorn Sumac and Poison Sumac are in the same family, and  actually in the same family as Poison Ivy, Anacardiaceae, though they look nothing alike.

Have any of you ever made Staghorn Sumac Tea or used it medicinally?  I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to comment.