Foraging For Wild Sumac

With Russ Cohen

Russ Cohen once again shows how to find one of the more interesting wild plant opportunities that sits all around us, Staghorn Sumac. The name “sumac” is derived from the Arabic word for “red.” By harvesting the berry clusters from the sumac trees, you can make a pinkish colored drink called Sumacade, also known as “Indian Lemonade.” You can sweeten Sumacade to taste and serve either hot or cold. The tradition for making Sumacade goes back to Colonial times and the Indians consumed it for many years before that.

It is rumored that when lemons became available that people made “pink lemonade” to mimic the color of Sumacade. It is also used as an ingredient in low-acid jellies or jams. You simply use the juice instead of water in the recipe.

It is easy to make your own Sumacade by simply putting about 12 berry clusters in a one-gallon container filled with room temperature water. Immediately break apart the clusters with your hands, and strain the berries out of the water. Do not use hot water as it will extract some of the acid from the berries and make the drink too bitter.

Parts of this are from “Wild Plants I Have Known … and Eaten” by Russ Cohen.

Russ Cohen
Professional Wild Food Expert and Environmentalist

Russ is into his fourth decade of leading foraging walks in the Boston area and elsewhere in New England. He received his bachelor's degree in land use planning from Vassar in 1978 and J.D. and M.S. in natural resources degrees from Ohio State University in 1982. He is currently employed as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. He lives in Arlington, MA with his wife Ellen.

A question he is often asked is "How did you get interested in this subject?" Russ' first formal exposure to edible wild plants occurred while a sophomore at Weston High School, where he enrolled in an "Edible Botany" minicourse offered by the high school biology department. He learned about two dozen edible species that grew around the high school grounds, and the class had a big "feed" at the end of the course. Russ got turned on to the subject, went to the local library and took out every book he could find on the topic, taught himself over fifty more species, and, in his senior year of high school (1974), he taught the Edible Botany class he had taken as a sophomore.

Russ received a "Heritage Hero" award from the Essex National Heritage Commission in 2006 for his foraging writing and programs.
Russ is in his 37th year of teaching courses about wild edibles. Last year, he led three dozen classes/walks from May to October for about two dozen different organizations, including the Massachusetts Audubon Society, The Trustees of Reservations and the Appalachian Mountain Club. These foraging programs were held at various outdoor locations throughout New England, ranging from two-hour evening walks in the city and suburbs to lengthier explorations in the mountains and along the seacoast. During the "off-season", Russ writes articles on foraging and gives slide presentations featuring many of his favorite edible wild plants and mushrooms found in New England. Russ' foraging book, Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten (see link below), came out in June of 2004 and is now in its third printing.

Over the years, Russ and his wife Ellen have hosted eight "Harvest Parties" for their friends, for which they prepared several dozen dishes (appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, desserts, condiments, and hot and cold beverages), all utilizing wild ingredients.

Consult his web site for up to date lectures and tours. You can see his tour at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA on Saturday, October 9th. Google or go to http://www.pem.org/calendar/event/348-edible_art for more details.