# Anyone make Sumac Jelly?



## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

I'm always looking for unusual jelly/jam recipes and have almost decided to make Sumac Jelly this year. Anyone ever made any? If so, what does it taste like and did you like it?

I'm thinking about trying these recipes:

http://www.maggieturner.net/journal/Recipes/sumacjelly.html

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sanders70a.html


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I never have, but I just might have to... it's so pretty. I've got a big patch of sumac in the backyard.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

We've got a big patch on one side of our driveway up close to the house.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I never made the jelly, but we drink the iced tea all summer, and we use the ground berries in our lebanese cooking (Zata'ar is the best  )
Im guessing the jam will be tart and lemony, as thats how the herb tastes. 
Sumac is LOADED with vitamin C
and for the record (I know most folks know this, but thought Id mention it anyway)Poison Sumac has white berries, and grows in swamps. I have seen it only once in my life. The sumac we use that grows locally is Staghorn Sumac, and has majestic red cones that should be perfect for harvesting right about now


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

And RL, thanks for posting the recipes!! Im going to try it!!


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

I'm very excited about trying it. I believe the Sumac we have is Smooth Sumac. Hubby and I were looking at it this evening and he has agreed not to mow any of it down any more.


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## Dutchie (Mar 14, 2003)

beaglebiz said:


> I never made the jelly, but we drink the iced tea all summer,


How do you make the iced tea?


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## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi,

The only Sumac I use is for the middle eastern grocer which, 

The fruits (drupes) of the genus Rhus are ground into a deep-red or purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads or meat. In Arab cuisine, it is used as a garnish on meze dishes such as hummus and is added to salads in the Levant. In Iranian (Persian and Kurdish) cuisine, sumac is added to rice or kebab. In Turkish cuisine, it is added to salad-servings of kebabs and lahmacun. Rhus coriaria is used in the spice mixture za'atar.

I make a Sumac and sultana jam. which is very nice.
1kg = 2.2Lbs sultanas
1 cup Sumac
1kg = 2.2Lbs white cane sugar
1 liter water
2 packet jamset pectin.

Bring all except the pectin to the boil on pot 
, simmer until sultanas are soft and sugar is disloved which takes about 30mintues, now add pectin which is mix in warm water and stir for 5 mintue now I bottle it and cap lids once cool. 

P.S you can add more water if you like your jam rummy, same if you like it smooth I just use a stab blender and buzz for a couple mintues. smooth and runny makes nice ice-cream topping .

hope you enjoy. MM


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I've never made it, but I could make GALLONS of jelly! lol I didn't know what it was when I moved here, but there was some sumac, and it's rapidly taking over my entire property! No matter how much I chop down, dig up and haul off, it multiplies twice as fast. So I'm interested in these recipes too! If I have to have it, might as well do something useful with it, lol. 

My only question...I have a very strong reaction to poison ivy and poison oak...will I have the same reaction to the sumac? I always bundle up well, use double gloves and don't touch myself anywhere until I've gotten the clothes into a hot water wash and get in the shower because I've been so afraid I'd react, but so far so good. I'd sure hate to have that kind of reaction starting on the inside! 

P.S. I'm pretty sure mine is the staghorn sumac, if that makes any difference.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

calliemoonbeam, poison sumac is not the same as staghorn or smooth sumac. I don't know for sure, but would think you wouldn't have a reaction since staghorn sumac isn't poisonous.

Dutchie, from what I read the best way to make the tea is to steep the berries in cold water, then strain well. Add sugar to taste. Also read that it's best to sample a berry before picking to make sure they are at optimum flavor. Rain will wash away the flavor, leaving the drupes bland.

Thanks for the recipe MM!


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Ravenlost said:


> I'm very excited about trying it. I believe the Sumac we have is Smooth Sumac. Hubby and I were looking at it this evening and he has agreed not to mow any of it down any more.


I don't know about the kind you have, but mine here would take over the whole property if I didn't mow _some_ of it down. LOL!


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

This sounds interesting!! Can you pick the berries when ripe and then dehydrate them so you can use them all year in the tea? Or is this just a seasonal thing? Very interesting to know I have another food source, though not very filling, in my back yard!


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Not very filling, but high in vitamins, especially vitamin C! I don't know about dehydrating them for use in tea, but it sounds plausible to me.

olivehill, I'm sure the same thing would happen here. Hubby just plans to leave me a larger patch. Usually he bush hogs right up to the ones growing against a stand of trees. Now he plans to leave more of them.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Thanks RL! I'll definitely have to try some of these, now that I know the blasted things are good for something, lol! 

OH, THAT is the kind of sumac I have, lol! I've lived here three years and work hard on getting rid of some every year, but it's still outpacing me!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

for sumac tea, we just steep the sumac berries (I plop a whole cone in) in boiling water, or make sun tea in a jar. You can dry the berries for winter, and grind some up to use as seasoning. 
I mentioned the Zata'ar bread, which means "dirty bread" in lebanese. 
we make out own flatbread, but you can easily take a pita, brush with olive oil, and top with a mixture of sumac, thyme, sesame and a touch of sea salt, and grill or put under broiler to crisp it up.


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## mtnviewfarms (Apr 18, 2011)

but if you do, a fantastic jelly can be made by making a denoction of
their volatile oils. I made up this recipe several summers ago at the
end of the summer when I ended up having such an abundance of herbs.
You can use any herbs you like but for mine I use Rosemary, Flat Leaf
Parsley, Thyme, Pineapple Sage, Peppermint, Sage, Basil and Lemon Balm.
I pick large amounts of each of the above herbs early in the a.m. as you 
want to pick while they have the highest level of volatile oils and the sun
depletes that. In a large pan I put about 10 cups of White Grape Juice
over the herb stems and leaves and heat to very warm ( DO NOT BOIL )
Then turn off the heat, cover and let sit overnight. Drain through a cheesecloth the next day and use the No Sugar Sure Gel - two packs -
and follow the directions on the sure gel package. I don't like my Jelly
very sweet - want the nuances of each of the fresh herb flavors to shine
through ( which they do - you will be totally and pleasantly amazed at
how great and unusual this jelly is ) so I add three cups of sugar when I
make the double batch with two boxes of Sure Gel. Make sure you get
the No Sugar kind because it allows you to add some sugar but does not
require the large amount called for with regular sure gel. I call my creation
'Herbs of Summer' Jelly - make gorgeous labels and sell it for $4.50 per 8 oz.
jar at my local farmers mkt - flys off my table and customers love it as it
is unique and tastes great as well as makes a great gift.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Yumm...thanks for sharing that mtnviewfarms! I usually have lots of herbs growing, but this year only have mint (always and spreading fast), lavender and basil.

beaglebiz, I read somewhere that boiling water would dilute the flavor and you should use cold water. Have you had a problem with this?


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## TraderBob (Oct 21, 2010)

SUMAC LEMONADE 
The fruit of the staghorn sumac (Rhushirta) was frequently used by Indians and pioneers to make a cool, sour drink. The name staghorn comes from the likeness of the down-covered branches to deer's antlers. The fruit clusters are plucked and boiled in water, strained and sugar is added to give the juice an agreeable lemonade-like flavor.
~~~~~~~~

SUMAC MERINGUE PIE 
Take 4 or 5 red sumac seed heads. (Do not wash for the flavor is concentrated on outside of berries.) Cover with water; bring to a boil, strain through a cloth. Add water if necessary to make 2 cupsful.

Combine: 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt

Add 2 cups hot sumac extract prepared as above. Cook in double boiler until thick. Beat 3 egg yolks; add a little of the hot mixture. Stir and pour back into double boiler. Cook 2 minutes longer.

Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter; cool. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with meringue prepared by beating 3 egg whites with 6 tablespoons sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until browned.
~~~~~~~~

ELDERBERRY AND SUMAC JELLY 
Cover sumac with water. Pound and stir for 10 minutes; strain to make an extraction.
2 c. sumac extract
1 pkg. Sure Jell
5 c. sugar
Bring juice, extract, and Sure Jell to a boil. Add sugar and hard boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim. Pour into jars and seal immediately.

From a great blog: http://plasticrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/07/eat-yer-weeds.html

Also some good recipes for cattail casserole, juniper marinade, along with others


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Ravenlost said:


> beaglebiz, I read somewhere that boiling water would dilute the flavor and you should use cold water. Have you had a problem with this?


no. I have done both sun tea and the boiling water. I do like to sweeten with honey. It tastes like a crisp, pink lemonade.


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## KansasBead (Feb 18, 2006)

Just as a note. . . some sumac is poisonous. If the berrys dangle down through the top, it is poisonous.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

from www.poison-sumac.org
Poison sumac is not very common. Thankfully. 
Poison sumac is not very common, although the safe sumacs (see below) are very common. Poison sumac only grows in very wet areas. It took me 10 years to find a sumac tree, and even then I only found it because a friendly biologist showed it to me. I stand in mud and water up past my ankles to when I go visit this tree (in a reserve in Concord, Massachusetts.) 

the leaves are not jagged or hairy, unlike the common staghorn sumac show below.

&#8226;Grows only in wetlands 
&#8226;Not common 
&#8226;Leaves are smooth
&#8226;No hair on stems
&#8226;7-9 leaves per stem


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Thanks Mountain View, I love growing Pineapple Sage, but I've been stymied for ways to use it. Couldn't keep the bunnies out of the yard so I let the lemon balm run riot - it has that same "fuzziness" that keeps me from eating it too. 



mtnviewfarms said:


> but if you do, a fantastic jelly can be made by making a denoction of
> their volatile oils. I made up this recipe several summers ago at the
> end of the summer when I ended up having such an abundance of herbs.
> You can use any herbs you like but for mine I use Rosemary, Flat Leaf
> ...


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

More great ideas and recipes, thanks everyone! 

I'm still kind of leery though. That picture on beagle's poison sumac link is mild compared to the reaction I get to poison ivy or oak!  But I think if mine was poison I would have had a reaction by now even with all the precautions I've taken, and mine looks just like these pictures of staghorn: http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Staghorn-Sumac.htm

The first year I didn't really know what they were, and then I could see from a distance these big blobs of red showing up and went out to see what they were. They looked just like those "cones" of flowers in the pictures.

So I think I'll try some tea first and just take a tiny sip and wait to see if I have any reaction to that first just to be safe, lol, and then progress from there. Thanks all!


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## albinorat (Aug 21, 2020)

Ravenlost said:


> Yumm...thanks for sharing that mtnviewfarms! I usually have lots of herbs growing, but this year only have mint (always and spreading fast), lavender and basil.
> 
> beaglebiz, I read somewhere that boiling water would dilute the flavor and you should use cold water. Have you had a problem with this?


I know this is an old thread but I ran across it and thought I'd add my experience. We've been doing this for years and made a lot of the common mistakes, as well as learned some things.
These are not really berries (not as most people would refer to as a berry) but rather seeds covered with a thin layer of fruit flesh and tiny hairs covered in malic acid. Making the sumac spice does not require grinding them, but rather pulsing the (dried) seeds in a blender to knock off the dried flesh. You won't grind the seeds anyway because they are hard as a rock! The resulting powder must then be sifted. It takes a lot of seeds to produce a small amount of the spice.
Boiling water doesn't dilute the flavor, however it does cause the seeds to release tannin, which is bitter. Hot tap water is hot enough, the malic acid (the same acid that makes unripe apples tart) is water-soluble and doesn't need any more heat to be dissolved. We have found that an overnight soak (especially with the daylight hours being in the sun in a clear glass jar) causes the best release of the flavors and color. We also do larger batches in a stock pot with a water-filled pot used as a weight to keep the heads underwater. After the soak, we strain through cotton cloth and then run through coffee filters. It will not run through a filter prior to being strained though, the fine hairs will almost immediately clog the filter. Since you cannot wash the heads prior to the soak, I always bring the strained liquid to a quick boil and then let it cool in order to rid it of any unwanted bacteria ( left behind by birds and bugs). We then keep that liquid in the refrigerator, diluting to taste and sweetening with sugar water as we want a glass.

We dry the heads for later use, however they must be in a hot area with good air movement because the drupes (seed clusters) mold very easy. We hang them on wires pulled from wall to wall in our sunroom and run a fan. Here in the jungles of western Kentucky the humidity will cause them to mold and rot in any other method we've tried (other than the dehydrator).

One of the big mistakes a lot of folks make is using too much water and ending up with a very weak tea (most of us sumackers call it sumac-ade or Indian lemonade). Once all the heads collected are packed snug into a container, use only enough water to cover them. After the soak, swish them around good as you take them out and then rinse them in a small container with a small amount of water. Once you're done, pour all the liquid together and (usually) it will be about right (or too strong for some folks). Better to make it strong than too weak because it is easy to dilute it. To make it stronger, either use the same water to soak more heads OR put the liquid in a pan and simmer it to reduce it. We normally do both in order to can it as a concentrate and not use as many jars. Can it just like you would grape juice concentrate.

Although, since big pharma won't put a lot of money into researching something that would ultimately cost them profits, large-scale studies into the health beneifits of sumac are few. Small-scale research has suggested that sumac (smooth, staghorn, winged, etc) provided positive results for diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels. It is a super-source of Vitamin C. They contain 66x more antioxidants than blueberries (by volume) and top the list of antioxidant-containing foods. Studies suggest that sumac lowers LDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, can help with weight loss by blocking fats, it is a strong antibacterial, the list goes on and on! Several sources claim it is not recommended by those who have trouble with low body weight because of the way it partially blocks the absorption of fat in the small intestines, which that alone is very interesting.

Finally, the claims of poison ivy-type skin reactions from sumac are untrue. While there is a plant called "poison sumac", it is a completely different species of plant (_Toxicodendron _genus). It was named "sumac" long before it was understood and unfortunately the name stuck and still propagates many an "old wives tale".. The reaction people suffer from contact with the poison sumac is not an allergic reaction but rather a reaction to the oil (urushiol) released from the plant an anyone can be affected by it, not just someone with an allergy. Poison sumac is closely related to poison ivy and is NOT part of the family that contains sumacs. Sumac (_Rhus_ genus) is related to cashews and mangoes, so there is a possible risk for people truly allergic to those plants. If you break out in a rash after brushing against sumac bushes, the rash is from something else you came into contact with, not the sumac. Interestingly, many doctors still don't know that sumac isn't poisonous and commonly misdiagnose skin rashes as sumac-related. Over the years I have had 3 people tell me they were "allergic" to sumac because they got a rash after being in it and were quite surprised when I told them that there is nothing about sumac that can cause a rash by casually brushing against it. When all was said and done, all 3 admitted that they had "been told" sumac was poison and they just assumed the rash came from it.

To answer the question originally asked about making jelly...yes, we make lots of it. It tastes a lot like jelly made from beach rose (rosa rugosa) hips. In addition to straight sumac jelly, we make a 50:50 blend of sumac-ade and elderberry juice that we both make jelly from and also dilute and sweeten to use as a beverage. The powerful antiviral qualities, antioxidants, vitamins, and immune system boosting properties of elderberries added to the benefits of sumac make it a supercharged jelly or beverage.

Ok, I'm done. ;-)


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Interesting!


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