Making Sumac Tea!
Learn how to make sumac tea to enjoy the benefits and delicious flavor.
I made some this week!
Make sure when you are collecting it, do not grab the buds that are right next to a roadway, because they may have been sprayed with salt!
Identification:
Sumac is a shrub or small tree that is common to much of New England. Wild Staghorn Sumac is easily identified in autumn by its bright red compound leaves and cluster of red berries that form in a cone shape. These berries have a fuzzy look and feel. Don’t confuse this sumac with poisonous sumac, which has white berries and grows in wetlands.
Sumac is a shrub or small tree that is common to much of New England. Wild Staghorn Sumac is easily identified in autumn by its bright red compound leaves and cluster of red berries that form in a cone shape. These berries have a fuzzy look and feel. Don’t confuse this sumac with poisonous sumac, which has white berries and grows in wetlands.
TASTY!
The red berries on wild sumac can be put in your mouth to enjoy a tart burst of flavor. The berries have small hairs that give them a fuzzy appearance and make them unpleasant to ingest. If you choose to taste the berries, just spit them out after sucking on them. However, they make an excellent nutritious drink.
Sumac tea is easy to make, high in vitamin C and is delicious!
Here is how to make this wonderfully nutritious drink that has a lemonade-type flavor:
1)Pick several clusters of berries for use. You can slightly crush the berries to help aid in releasing their flavor.
2)Soak the berry clusters in a pitcher of cold water over night or longer to enhance the flavor. Be sure to use cold water, as hot water can destroy the vitamin C content.
3) Next, strain the tea through a strainer, coffee filter, or cheese cloth to remove the berries and particles from the fruit so all you are left with is the tea.
4)Enjoy! You can add sugar, honey or other additives of your choice to suit your palate.
HEALTH BENEFITS!
Sumac is reported to have several medicinal benefits.
American Indians used it to treat colds, fever and scurvy while also grinding the berries mixed with clay and using as a salve on open wounds. Sumac has also shown to have benefits for treating diarrhea, dysentery, sore throats, infections, asthma and cold sores. Sumac berries are also used in beekeeping smokers.
The tea can be stored in the refrigerator to be enjoyed later and shared with friends.
CHEERS!
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