The Wild Supermarket: Red Sumac

Isn't a supermarket a wonderful thing? Don't we all love going shopping and getting whatever we are hungry for?  Maybe some people don't LOVE going grocery shopping but we can all agree that we LOVE having the luxury of shopping for everything we need in one location.  I am 99.999% sure that no one reading this can remember when there were no supermarkets.  The very first grocery store opened in Manhattan in 1916 and was a failure, closing a year later.  However, in 1916 Clarence Saunders opened the first of a chain of self-service grocery stores in Memphis he named Piggly Wiggly. Up until then, your only option was your home garden or the General Store and both were indeed limited in variety.


If the recent crises in Greece and China are any indication of the direction the world is headed then I'm thinking we need to get a better food plan together - and I don't mean on a national or global level, I mean on a personal and community level.  Depending on farmers in California, Texas and even farmers in other countries is not a responsible way to go about your life.  We could wake up one morning and the convenience of the supermarket would be a thing of the past.  If you couldn't run to the store how would you feed your family? If we plan for this possibility by raising most of own organic food and by working within our community for other items then a crisis like that won't be as difficult to survive.  If that idea is a little farfetched to some, look at it like this: the food you raise will be free of pesticides and artificial ingredients and it's 100 times better for you. Not to mention the exercise you'll get from working in your own garden!

Not everything need be raised in your garden.  Some things grow wild and can be foraged close by where we live.  That is FREE FOOD!! and who doesn't love free food?? It's your own private Wild Supermarket!  I want to give you a quick tutorial on foraging today and how simple it is and the plant we're going to start with is:

Red Sumac (rhus glabra) is a great intro plant. It has an unmistakable appearance so you won't get a wrong version of it.  There is a Poison Sumac (toxicodendron vernix) but it doesn't look like Red Sumac, below is Red Sumac:


And this is Poison Sumac:


The easiest way to positively identify Poison Sumac is the berries, they are white and don't form the torch shaped panicles that the Red Sumac has. I will add that Sumac is related to Pistachios and Mangoes, so if you have allergies to those foods, be careful when trying Sumac products.

Right now through September is peak Sumac season and they are super high in Vitamin C! They are a vivid crimson and the leaves are just starting to get a hint of red as well and you'll be able to spot groves of the plants from some distance away.  There are couple of great uses for Red Sumac.  The tastiest is Sumac Lemonade and it's easy to make too.

You'll know they are ripe by the color but also by the tart red powder covering each little berry.  Want to know why the drink is called Sumac Lemonade?  Rub a berry between your fingers and touch your finger to your tongue.  It's quite tart, kind of like a lemon but to me it's more like the tartness of leaving a Vitamin C tablet on your tongue too long.  Gather at least 12 heads (the red seed clusters), just snap the entire head off and give them a gentle shake to make sure you don't have bugs in them.  Get a large pitcher or jar (I use an old glass gallon jar) and place them in the jar.  Cover them with warm water, and close the jar.  You can let the jar sit at room temp for several hours or you can put it in the sun for a few hours.  You will see that the red powder has infused into the water and now it's a gorgeous red color.  Get a big pot and pour all of the contents (berries and water) into the pot, bring it to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Remove the berry heads and discard or compost. Rinse that same jar and using a triple layer of cheesecloth, strain the remaining liquid into the jar.

You'll want to rinse the pot out well now because you'll need to strain the liquid another couple of times between the jar and pot with fresh cheesecloth each time.  There are little hairs on the Sumac and they aren't pleasant to drink so strain it 3 times!  Once you've finished straining it, add sugar to taste - start with a half cup and add more as you need it (you will).  It's ready to enjoy now!


Go out and start foraging in your own Wild Supermarket!