Here is a drink idea you can make RIGHT NOW since its so dry. Jon Barnett, this might be a tasty soda replacement. The dwarf sumac berries are ready in some patches. Look for the brightest of the reds. Lick your finger, stick it in the berry bunch and then lick your finger again. If it tastes like lemonade, its ready. Harvest about a dozen bunches per gallon of water (we have 3 gallons going now). This is going to be reduced, so make a lot. NO its not poisonous. If there are little wings on the branches, its dwarf sumac (other names as well). Fragrant sumac berry bunches are much smaller and all of those for us have already dried up, but if you have those you can do the same (just with more bunches of berries). You want to harvest the berry bunches when its been dry. What you are going for are the little crystals that are on the hairs on the OUTSIDE of the berry. You dont want to cook this because itll release the bitter tannins from the inside of the berry.. Keep in mind if it gets too much drier, the bunches are going to be burnt toast on a stem and unusable. SO, put the berries in the water. Leave them on the stem, but roll your fingers around on the berries and agitate them with your hands in the water to release the little crystals into the water. This is Vitamin C! Your hands will be sticky. Then just let it soak in the cool water for several hours or over night. You can stop there, strain WITH A CLOTH, sweeten and drink.. OR add about a cup or more of natural sweetener like maple syrup and/or honey and reduce by 1/3 and have a drink concentrate!! Notice the dwarf sumac has wings on the stems: https://farm4.staticflickr/3872/14479879689_2b76aa3459.jpg This is what the berries look like: eattheweeds/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/winged-sumac_jpg1.jpg In case you are worried, THE FOLLOWING LINK is the poison stuff. Its very easy to tell the difference between the poison plants and the non poisonous ones. Notice how the end tip leaf has a little stemlet keeping the last end/ tip leaf away from the main branch for all of them. Also note that the poison ivy, sumac and oak produce white to off white or green berries, not red. img.webmd/dtmcms/live/webmd/consumer_assets/site_images/media/medical/hw/hwkb17_017_18_19.jpg
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:24:56 +0000
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