Bluebirds on Sumac, Photo by Roger Klinger
Staghorn Sumac is one of the more common and lovely shrubs seen along roadsides and open thickets in western North Carolina. It is easy to recognize with its clusters of brilliant red, cone- shaped berry clusters that are a gorgeous adjunct to the stark winter landscape and they also provide a wonderful addition to the wild edibles culinary taste bud menu.
Recently I went for a winter hike on a frigid, crystal clear day off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The air was cold and crisp and the morning light was luminous. I stopped to drink in the beauty of the mountain views and noticed a large stand of staghorn sumac covering a hillside. There were about fifty 6–10 foot shrubs clustered together. Sumacs usually spread and propagate from long underground runners along with the berries that are a favorite of many wild birds. The sunlight had set the red clusters of berries on fire but I soon saw a sight that took my breath away — over a dozen bluebirds darting in and out of the sumacs feasting on the tasty berries. The contrast of electric blue and crimson red berries was a glorious sight.
Bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds and other bird species depend on wild berries as part of their diet. Humans have also used sumac berries for centuries. Many people panic when they hear me talking about using sumac berries either as a decoration or a food source as all they can think about is poison sumac which does indeed cause a very nasty allergic reaction similar to poison ivy. The good news is, it is simple to distinguish between the edible and poisonous varieties of sumac. Poison sumac has drooping clusters of white berries and prefers moist habitats whereas ALL species of edible sumac have red berries.
In our herb pantry, we have two small containers of ground red sumac that we bought at a Lebanese market in California. Sumac is frequently used in Middle Eastern cooking on meats and we enjoy it sprinkled lightly on fish and rice as it adds a tangy, lemony twist.
The sour flavor reminds most people of lemon and one of the nicknames for red sumac is Indian Lemonade.
I had my first taste of this delicious beverage when I was nineteen on a backpacking trip in West Virginia. The trail we were on crossed a railroad track and there was a large stand of staghorn sumac growing on the embankment. It had been hot and dry for several days so it was the perfect time for harvesting the berries. We clipped seven big, cone- shaped clusters of red sticky seed heads and tied them onto our packs. Later that day when we were setting up camp, we squeezed each head to bruise the berries and dropped them into a pot of boiling water, adding some maple syrup as a sweetener. A few hours later we had a cup of delicious sumac tea that tasted just like lemonade! The key to harvesting sumac berries is to make sure it has not rained for a few days as water rinses off the acidic ingredients that are prized in sumac.
I found out the hard way, pun intended, that the ground sumac powder one finds in Middle Eastern markets comes from a different species of sumac than the ones we have here. The berries of red sumacs growing in North America have hard stony seeds inside the berries and it does not work to try and grind them into a powder, so if you want sumac as a spice, it is best to stick with the Middle Eastern spice packets!
The young shoots of sumac can be used as a potherb and make a tasty vegetable. Sumac is exceptionally high in vitamin C and has also has a long history as a valuable medicinal pant. Sumac is an astringent and has been used in herbal medicine as a tonic and as an antiseptic. Native Americans chewed the root to treat swollen and infected gums and applied sumac compresses to burns and cuts as it helped stop bleeding and reduced inflammation.
A word of caution — Sumac is related to cashews and mangoes so if one has an allergy to either of these plant species, it would be wise to avoid the use of sumac as a wild edible plant.
Roger Klinger is a sculptor, artist, counselor and gardener. You can reach him at rogerklinger@charter.net.
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