Staghorn Sumac

The Mi’kmaq have a name for each full moon of the celestial calendar, with August’s being the Berry Ripening Moon (Kisikewiku’s, pronounced gis-ig-ay-we-goos). This is indeed peak berry season on PEI, with SO many wild fruits on offer right now. But there’s one you may have overlooked: Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina).

Staghorn Sumac is native to the Island, and was also used as an ornamental, meaning it can be found around towns, cities, and rural homesteads. It’s a beautiful, almost tropical-looking small tree: lush, green, compound leaves; new growth covered in soft fuzz like the velvet on deer antlers; and greenish flowers that turn to eye-catching auburn-coloured groups of fruit in August (main photo).

The Sumac Family (Anacardiaceae) is an interesting one, with some members that are popular foods (Cashews, Mangoes, Pistachios), and others that are notorious irritants (Poison Ivy Poison Oak, Poison Sumac). While people sometimes dislike Staghorn Sumac because it spreads aggressively, I appreciate its appearance, ecological values, and culinary uses.

You may be familiar with Sumac as a lemony-flavoured spice used in Middle Eastern cuisine. That comes from a different, though closely related, tree, but our Staghorn Sumac has a similar taste and can be used the same way. Those colourful, cone-shaped clusters are made up of dozens of small, hard fruits called drupes. Each drupe is covered in a sticky, hairy coating that packs a flavour punch!

To make your own Sumac spice, lightly pulse ripe Staghorn Sumac drupes in a blender or spice grinder to remove the outer red coating from the inner seeds, sieve coating from seeds, and then dry and grind the coating.

I also like to soak the drupes in cold water for about 24 hours, and then strain and sweeten the resulting ‘Sumacade’ (inset photo). It tastes like a combination of iced tea, lemonade, and rose petals. Two pro tips: use only cold water; hot water will release tannins and create a bitter product. And, cut the drupes from the clusters, or you may find an exodus of hidden Earwigs and other insects when the clusters hit the water!

Staghorn Sumac is a beautiful and tasty part of PEI Untamed!