My Mother, my sister and I hiked through the woods to a dirt road where we had seen Sumac growing before. Sure enough it was there and ripe. (late Summer early Fall is the best time for harvesting Sumac. They grow in clumps, and the berries should be bright red when you pick them, if you rub the berries then lick your fingers you can taste the acidity ) I left it outside for a couple days so that the bugs could crawl out (that was a good idea on my mothers part). Then I took the Sumac clumps and squeezed them in my hands. I put them in a bowl of cold water, sloshed them around a bit, then took all the big pieces out. I then (with a little help) strained it through a towel and a strainer to get all the little hairs and things out.
You could add Stevia to this stuff if you wanted to sweeten it, but I liked it just the way it was!
Sharing this post with Wildcrafting Wednesday #54
Sharing this post with Wildcrafting Wednesday #54
