Staghorn sumac and smooth sumac (Rhus typhina and Rhus glabra,
respectively) are reliable edibles from summer through winter.
The plant is easy to identify, but consult a good field guide or
someone who knows their plants to make sure the plant you’re
looking at is an edible sumac and not poison sumac. Once you see
the plants side-by-side, though, you will see there is a big
difference between the two. The edible part of our sumac is the
distinctive fruit cluster, which is prominent from summer
through winter. The individual fruits are small, but the large
heads make gathering them a breeze! Once you gather the heads
you make a liquid concentrate from them, which can be used in
beverages and in cooking. In winter, when the fruit clusters
have seen better days, you’ll need more clusters to get the same
effect as the clusters you collected in September, but the
results will still be tasty and reminiscent of lemons! There are
two ways to make the concentrate but make sure you don’t use hot
or boiling water in ei