Recipe:
1 Quart Cold Water (preferably in clear glass jar).
4-5 Sumac Berry Clusters
1/2 Cup Sugar
Ice
Instructions: How to make Sumac Lemonade
Place berry clusters into jar (big pickle jars work great) filled with cold water.
Add 4-5 clusters of sumac berries that you have properly identified.
Allow the berries to soak for 4-8 hours, I like to go the full 8.
When making sumac lemonade, aka Indian lemonade, it is best to allow the berries to soak in the sunlight if possible. So place the jar in a sunny area, or windowsill.
Once your berries are done soaking, you will want to separate the plant from the lemonade. A rice strainer works fine. Next stir in the sugar, stir with wooden spoon until it's dissolved. It takes a little longer to dissolve in cold water, but it will. Pour into a glass of ice, and enjoy!
Notes: This is a milder version, you can use more berries for stronger lemonade. This is very remnant of lemon tea, light and refreshing. Not bitter at all, mild citrus taste, could be called Sumac Tea as well. Please research carefully and be 100% sure before consuming any wild edibles.
Glancing around our property a couple weeks back I kept noticing these strikingly beautiful red berry clusters reaching for the sky. Like I often do when I want to learn something, I looked up more information on this plant. I've seen it many times growing up, its quite abundant in Kentucky. I was always told it was poisonous, but I wanted to know more. I'm so glad I decided to research this plant. It is none other, than the Smooth Sumac, Rhus Glabra.
I love learning about new plants and edibles, and being able to share that knowledge with my family. My kiddos had a lot of fun learning about this with me as well. The berries are edible, and somewhat tart and citrus flavored when ripe. Right now in mid September, the ones here in Kentucky are perfectly ripe and ready to harvest! It makes me wonder what else is around us just waiting to be discovered.
That is why I enjoy nature so much. Where we came from, is just as important as where we are going. Sometimes where we have been influences where we will go. I am intrigued by this beautiful plant, its sticky tart berries, and the history behind it. I read that Native Americans used this plant regularly. Legend has it that they also smoked the leaves of the plant to induce vivid dreams. Isn't it so great that we can enjoy this bountiful berry, just like our ancestors once did. I hope you give the Sumac Lemonade a try, connect with nature, get back to your roots!
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