Sumac

After enjoying the treat of wild sumac a few days ago my mind began to turn. Since it is edible, surely there is more you can do with it besides lick the outside. I have had sumac lemonade, but other than that I had only ever held the berries in my mouth to savor the sour taste and then spit the berries out. I was interested to find out more about this wild edible. Here are just a few random facts that I've found so far:

1. There are around 250 sumac species in the genus. 
2. The fruit of the sumac tree are pea-sized berries with hairs and are covered with malic acid, which is what makes them so sour! Believe it or not, it is the same thing that causes grapes and apples to be tart.
3. All of the red berries of sumac are edible.
4. I quickly realized that it is a spice known around the world, particularly in Middle Eastern cuisine.
5. Surprisingly, sumac, poison ivy, Brazilian pepper, cashews, mangoes and pistachios are all related!
6. The leaves of many sumacs yield tannin. Leather tanned with sumac is flexible, lightweight, and light in color.
7. Sumac makes a purple-colored spice, which is very handy where there are no lemons
8. The edible variety of sumac has red berries in cone-shaped clusters at the end of main branches. They have skinny leaves and like dry ground. The poisonous sumac is actually very rare. It resembles an alder, has white berries that grow out of leaf axils and prefers to live deep in swamps. 

I'm anxious to find out more about this wild edible! Do you have a favorite use for Sumac?

~Clair