bowfin
07-29-2012, 06:13 PM
My youngest son starts reminding me after the Fourth of July that we need to start thinking about picking sumac for lemonade.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g184/artsmom/staghorn-sumac-ls-1.jpg
About the only good thing to come from the drought we have been having in our part of Nebraska is that dry weather makes for great sumac lemonade (or rhus-ade, or Indian lemonade or sumac tea, whatever they call it in your neck of thewoods).
I use the Staghorn Sumac, because that is what we have here. I hear other types work, but I can't say from experience.
I picked a few test heads to see where the crop stands this year, and all indications are that it will be a historic year. Most of the tartness/flavor of the sumac comes from the outside of the fruit, those heads you see on the picture above. Rain tends to wash it away, and since we have had no measurable rain since the middle of June, the heads should be fantastic.
I pick the heads when the color reaches a deep dark red, but not dried out. A little experience and a quick feel will let you avoid last year's heads that have lost all of their zing. When in doubt, rub your fingers on a head and put them to your tongue. If it tastes like a package of unsweetend Kool-Aid, the sumac heads are in season.
I take the berries off of the stalks, but most people don't. That's a lot more work, but I think the stalks add bitterness rather than the tart sourness. Two cups of "berries "soaked overnight in a quart of cold water, then strain through a coffee filter is a good standard starting place. I tend to adjust according to potency of the berries which as I have said depends on the weather and time of the year. You will end up with a pretty pink starter that has more vitamin C than a comparable glass of orange juice.
I have tried pressing the fruit, but I must say I think most of what we want is just a coating on the outside of the berries/seeds/fruit that dissolves in the water, so it doesn't help much and adds a lot more work to a lazy man's lemonade.
Here comes the personal taste part: My youngest son drinks it straight up, which would curl the toenails of a normal person. However, this was the four year old who used to climb up to the cupboard, ignore the chocolate chips and grab a couple of coffee beans to chew. Most people add sugar to taste which could be anywhere from a quarter cup to more than a cup.
If your concoction tastes bitter rather than tart, best to throw it out that batch and start anew. You probably have too much tannic acid from the stems. There isn't enough sugar cane in Cuba to cover up the bitterness. Bitter isn't sour. I have tried several different sweetners, including corn syrup, brown sugar, and artificial sweetner, but I think plain old cane sugar works the best. I haven't tried powdered sugar, come to think of it.
I haven't tried it yet as an ingredient for an adult beverage cocktail, but the possibilities for those who don't abstain are intriguing.
Anyhow, if you are adventurous and know where to find a stand of sumac, give it a try in the next month or so.:drinks: The Good Lord put the makings for sumac-ade out there for the dog days of summer.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g184/artsmom/staghorn-sumac-ls-1.jpg
About the only good thing to come from the drought we have been having in our part of Nebraska is that dry weather makes for great sumac lemonade (or rhus-ade, or Indian lemonade or sumac tea, whatever they call it in your neck of thewoods).
I use the Staghorn Sumac, because that is what we have here. I hear other types work, but I can't say from experience.
I picked a few test heads to see where the crop stands this year, and all indications are that it will be a historic year. Most of the tartness/flavor of the sumac comes from the outside of the fruit, those heads you see on the picture above. Rain tends to wash it away, and since we have had no measurable rain since the middle of June, the heads should be fantastic.
I pick the heads when the color reaches a deep dark red, but not dried out. A little experience and a quick feel will let you avoid last year's heads that have lost all of their zing. When in doubt, rub your fingers on a head and put them to your tongue. If it tastes like a package of unsweetend Kool-Aid, the sumac heads are in season.
I take the berries off of the stalks, but most people don't. That's a lot more work, but I think the stalks add bitterness rather than the tart sourness. Two cups of "berries "soaked overnight in a quart of cold water, then strain through a coffee filter is a good standard starting place. I tend to adjust according to potency of the berries which as I have said depends on the weather and time of the year. You will end up with a pretty pink starter that has more vitamin C than a comparable glass of orange juice.
I have tried pressing the fruit, but I must say I think most of what we want is just a coating on the outside of the berries/seeds/fruit that dissolves in the water, so it doesn't help much and adds a lot more work to a lazy man's lemonade.
Here comes the personal taste part: My youngest son drinks it straight up, which would curl the toenails of a normal person. However, this was the four year old who used to climb up to the cupboard, ignore the chocolate chips and grab a couple of coffee beans to chew. Most people add sugar to taste which could be anywhere from a quarter cup to more than a cup.
If your concoction tastes bitter rather than tart, best to throw it out that batch and start anew. You probably have too much tannic acid from the stems. There isn't enough sugar cane in Cuba to cover up the bitterness. Bitter isn't sour. I have tried several different sweetners, including corn syrup, brown sugar, and artificial sweetner, but I think plain old cane sugar works the best. I haven't tried powdered sugar, come to think of it.
I haven't tried it yet as an ingredient for an adult beverage cocktail, but the possibilities for those who don't abstain are intriguing.
Anyhow, if you are adventurous and know where to find a stand of sumac, give it a try in the next month or so.:drinks: The Good Lord put the makings for sumac-ade out there for the dog days of summer.