recently we had a storage shed that mysteriously burned down along with 2 of these trees. You might not know it, but sumac-ade (made from either smooth sumac Rhus glabra, or staghorn sumac Rhus typhina) is in fact a tasty herbal relic and beverage straight from the Iowa area of ancient times, as well as the rest of the heart of the Midwest. Another common wildlife food genus, related to sumac. Cut the sumac clippings into pieces as small as possible to boost the rate of decay. In Arab countries, ground sumac is commonly sprinkled over hummus to add both visual appeal and flavor to this thick vegan dip. It isn’t harmful and not entirely unpleasant but it’s worth taking this into consideration if using it for cullinary purposes. The largest specimen is generally the mother plant. I grew up in Israel for five years and have done a lot of traveling in Europe and the Middle East, so sumac brings up childhood memories from when I lived in the West Bank. Made of cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with sesame seed paste, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic, hummus is typically served with flatbread, such as pita, or as an accompaniment to falafel patties, vegetables or grilled chicken. Allergies/Toxicity: Sumac has been reported to cause skin irritation. Sumac spice, however, is derived from the dried and ground berries of a specific type of sumac plant, Rhus coriaria. Maybe if it grew in Australia it would be known as good didgeridoo wood! Sumac wood, when dried, is about the whitest, finely grained wood imaginable. Like the catapult idea (an excellent one, thanks) you take small branches to bend into uprights for shelves or what not and they dry into really colourful pieces of knobby wood. The bark was chared but the interior of the tree remained intact. Sumacs include about 35 flowering woody North American species in the Rhus genus within the Anacardiaceae family, which also includes cashews, mangos, and pistachios. For the garbanzo beans, cover chickpeas with a ton of water and overcook them, to where the skins look like they're popping off, the beans are breaking in half, and they're almost mushy. Chef Annie Pettry grew up gardening, foraging, and fishing in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, and made some serious cooking stops before landing at Decca Restaurant in Louisville. Charcuterie Board with Sumac Pita Chips from My Kitchen Love. Copyright © 2008-2020 Eric Meier | All Rights Reserved, Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification. 2019 update to include my Sumac Watermelon Fries, a great summertime snack or appetizer. Sumac has a moderate level of natural luster. Easy to work. I picked up some pen blanks from eBay. The pale yellow, close-grained and satiny wood of ailanthus has been used in cabinet work. 5 out of 5 stars (89) 89 reviews $ 44.77 FREE shipping Favorite Add to Live edge wood bookends made from salvaged African sumac wood crosscut. Sumac (staghorn Sumac), grows in a colony. Sprinkle it directly on melons, or use it in a dry marinade where you don't want direct acid to "pre-cook" the proteins, but still want the sourness, like with fish dishes. The First Nation civilization and major economic center known as Cahokia, an extensive city and network of commerce among many ancient peoples in the Midwest, had quite the reach and influence all along the Mississippi River – including the Upper Mississippi area … Hummus aside, also other dips and spreads can benefit from a sprinkle … Small pieces of Sumac are occasionally harvested by hobbyists for specialty wood projects; prices should be moderate. Recently of Proof on Main in the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, Chef Levon Wallace will soon be heading up Cochon Butcher in Nashville, Tennessee. Identifying and Using Hundreds of Woods Worldwide, POSTER: Worldwide Woods: Ranked by Hardness. At Moderne Barn in Armonk, NY, Chef Ethan Kostbar cooks new American cuisine with influences from his travels through the Middle East and Europe. Learn more on our Terms of Use page. In my house we are popcorn freaks—we're always eating popcorn and putting whatever we can on it. That’s not a new fact, because wood has been used since the ancient times and it still remains in the modern civilization. We do a chef challenge where one chef challenges another chef with a secret ingredient, and once it was sumac. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Jacqueline writes about people who make delicious things; chefs, farmers, beekeepers, bakers, wine makers and distillers, bringing their stories to life through intimate interviews, "As Told To..." pieces, and ghostwriting for their websites and cookbooks. I believe that 4 of the trees on my property when I bought it were sumac. Soft wood, green wood, and big wood will produce substandard fires. It is a versatile spice, and can be added to a meat rub, used as a flavoring in vegetable dishes (such as eggplant), and is the perfect seasoning for homemade hummus.Sumac is an ideal match for lamb and duck as it cuts through the fattiness of the meat. The uses of wood. To get some inspiration on ways to bring it into our kitchens, we polled the pros on their favorite ways to use it, from snacks to main dishes to sweets. The wood seems hard but I am not the one who cut it.… Read more ». If I'm going to use sumac, it's going to be in a ganache, not an ice cream. It’s also a common ingredient in traditional Middle Eastern cuisine and is used in everything from meat dishes to salads. I have found the pith of even the thickest part of the tree is still soft as foam. John Swanson: Sumac is a good wood for turning, but has a tendency to split and check during drying. Scientific Name: Rhus spp. The heart, when split, shows no spalting, even after that time. Sumac has a moderate level of natural luster. If it’s safe to use for this, I suppose I put a food safe wax as a finish. Name – Rhus typhina Family – Anacardiaceae Type – shrub. The berries of staghorn sumac are used to make lemonade. There are 24 staghorn sumac wood for sale on Etsy, and they cost $35.05 on average. Dry staghorn sumac burns well when dry, but sumac wood is not very dense and does not have as the btu content per pound or per stick that hardwoods or even softwoods do. (Rhus typhina), Tree Size: 30-40 ft (10-12 m) tall, 6-12 in (15-30 cm) trunk diameter, Average Dried Weight: 33 lbs/ft3 (530 kg/m3), Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .45, .53, Modulus of Rupture: 10,200 lbf/in2 (70.4 MPa), Elastic Modulus: 1,190,000 lbf/in2 (8.21 GPa), Crushing Strength: 5,940 lbf/in2 (41.0 MPa). Lemony sumac complements such a wide variety of flavors that chefs use it liberally and with gusto. Color/Appearance: Along with Lignum Vitae, Sumac is one of the few woods that has a consistently yellow to olive-green coloration. In the northeast the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina, synonym: Rhus hirta) predominates. I was thinking of making a small saltbox for the kitchen from staghorn sumac. Re: Sumac I've carved it a lot. Color/Appearance: Along with Lignum Vitae, Sumac is one of the few woods that has a consistently yellow to olive-green coloration. Scans/Pictures: A special thanks to Mike Leigher for providing the wood sample of this wood species. Pricing/Availability: Because of its small size, Sumac is not a commercially important species. Sumac is best carved green as it hardens with age. Sumac is an antimicrobial plant, according to a study conducted at Hacettepe University in Turkey in 2010. It turned very easily with no tearout issues and finished very well. But there are couple of safety issues to consider. There’s nothing like a tasty plant that just loves to grow in just about anywhere, it’s a forager’s dream. Rot Resistance: Sumac is rated as being non-durable to perishable regarding decay resistance, and is also susceptible to insect attack. The sumac brightens everything up with citrus tones, but it's also earthy, so I feel like it makes fried food pop. Staghorn sumac (sometimes called stag’s horn, vinegar, Virginia or velvet sumac) is so named for two reasons, both related to male deer. Poison sumac is … Others are offshoots that sprout from tubers. Today, we are going to present you with the 10 common uses of wood that all of us know, but it’s not too bad to remind you about them in any case. Sapwood is a grayish white. I love the tart, almost sour element that you get from sumac. Comments can take a minute to appear—please be patient! She honed her skills at now-classic restaurants like Perennial, Blackbird, Maude's Liquor Bar, and Avec. Burning non-local wood or endangered timber poses an environmental hazard. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy. The dried drupes of certain sumac species, when ground become purple in color, and are used as a spice in Mediterranean and Arab cuisines. A point to bear in mind with sumac is that the wood deas impart a distinct flavour. Beech: A wood of femininity. Herbal Sumac Uses. The tree that Jack Neuzil, my father, and his buddy, Don Ochs, made use of was a staghorn sumac, the fruit — called drupes — of which were a source of a lemon-tasting drink for many Native Americans. We let the ribs marinate for 24 hours and then sit at room temperature before cooking. Getting Started: Sumac is 8 th on our Fabulous Fruit List, and it is an easy beginner forager plant to collect. Everyone thinks of sumac as Middle Eastern, but in Italy and Sicily, it's a spice that's grown easily and used often. Sumac is a tangy, lemony spice often used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. This easy pie dough recipe doesn't require special equipment or training. Sumac’s bright red color makes it an attractive addition to pale dishes. At Per Se, sumac ganache was my go-to ganache. Even today, most woodworkers dismiss sumac as small and insignificant. Because it has that neutral, earthy kind of sour note, sumac goes great in places where you might not want the liquid from citrus juice. A 2014 StarChefs Rising Star, Pettry has created a menu that relies on the diverse products of Kentucky agriculture. Is it safe to use for this? Excellent for carving, molding and toys. There are dozens of other sumac species native to Europe, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world, a few of which are used as landscape plants in the U.S. Sumacs are generally shrubs or small trees. Here’s a quick overview of what types of wood work best with each type of food:All of these woods will work just fine when it comes to smoking but the one… Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest recipes and tips! The most common staghorn sumac wood material is wood. If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment. When cutting / working on the wood it has an odor quite similar to Olive wood. One of my favorite things to do with sumac is season fried food. Toxicodendron (the Poison ivy, Poison oak, Poison sumac family.) It is never very large and not strong, but for decorative items, it is really quite attractive. Sumac Recipes for Dinner This is actually a traditional use for the spice. Sumac Tree Uses. Originally from Missouri, executive chef Rachel Dow of Chicago's The Betty has lived and worked in Chicago for over a decade. Most species that produce strong skin reactions (mostly through contact with leaves), such as Posion Sumac, are in the Toxicodendron genus, rather than the Rhus genus. I have also had to have the huge one cut down do to having been planted next to my house and was almost touching my house. Sumac (pronounced (/ ˈ sj uː m æ k /) or (/ ˈ s uː m æ k /), and also spelled sumach, sumak, soumak, and sumaq) is any one of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae.It grows in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in East Asia, Africa, and North America. Poison Sumac Laure Neish/iStock/Getty Images Carved bowl made of sumac wood, the small bowl for the candies, nuts etc PiotrBaranowicz. The same crisp skin and juicy meat as our classic recipe, but with a flavor-packed herb butter to coat it. Meat loaf! Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) grows just about anywhere and everywhere all across the eastern part of the United States. Add salt to the water so that it absorbs as the beans sit, then strain and fry the beans in oil at 350°F (180°C). Pushing the pith out to make flutes, tubes and natural straws are all useful, but you can then cut those tubes into … We use a regular extra-virgin olive oil, which is funny because people think we use something fancy, so we're all embarrassed if someone sees the tin. Generally I cut the blanks for walking sticks a few inches longer than needed , dip the ends in wax and strip the bark. I'm a big fan of pairing healthy with unhealthy, and since sumac is kind of flavorless but has a citric tang to it, I made a sumac doughnut. Staghorn sumac, also called vinegar sumac, is a short tree that grows in a roundish shape. Sumac is a lightweight wood known for spitting, popping and throwing out embers. If you’re using wood to heat and flavor, or if you’re just using the wood to flavor then the final taste of the meat is always going to be very dependent on the type of wood used. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) Description: One of the easiest shrubs to identify throughout the year, staghorn sumac has a spreading, open form growing up to 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. It does become brittle with time, but that is the case to a lesser degree with redwood and cedar as well. Sumac probably won't put out a lot of heat. Grain/Texture: Grain tends to be straight to interlocked, with a fine to medium texture. Endgrain: Ring-porous or semi-ring-porous; medium to large earlywood pores 3-6 rows wide, small to medium latewood pores, moderately numerous to numerous; commonly in radial multiples or tangential bands, sometimes in clusters; tyloses present; narrow rays not visible without lens, normal spacing; parenchyma vasicentric. Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. So I toss it all over popcorn with salt, and it makes it almost like you're eating salt-and-vinegar popcorn, but with more complexity to it. The sumac plant is a wild bush that primarily grows across the Mediterranean region, stretching from Italy to Greece to Lebanon. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information. Do feel free to add sumac to your food at the table. The limb wood has lots of reaction wood (top under tension and bottom under compression) and is not too useable. I wish people used it more like salt; you have your salt and you have your sumac. Sumac Onions from Maria Ushakova. We add some za'atar and extra salt as well, and together they elevate plain olive oil to something extraordinary. Free shipping. It's essentially a dried flower, and just like with any spice, the fresher you can get the better. Is Good For Diabetes I always find Staghorn Sumac as having very low rot resistance. I hang my keys on a piece of Sumac. Sapwood is a grayish white. All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. Between the blood oranges and sumac, you get a citrusy, bright flavor that's divine. Jeff Mahin is a chef/partner at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and the creative force behind Stella Barra Pizzeria (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Chicago, DC opening winter 2014); Summer House Santa Monica (Chicago, DC opening winter 2014); and M Street Kitchen (Santa Monica). Then toss them with salt, sumac, and a chiffonade of mint. Yes, the lowly sumac, only recognized for its bright autumn colors, creates a most intriguingly beautiful wood. The color is rich green to … Here are a few ways the pros recommend to bring sumac into your cooking. Cohen is also author of the award-winning Dirt Candy: A Cookbook. I put it on roasted chicken and fish. You may never have eaten sumac, but it's sneaking up on you. Bow Woods (from a mathematical perspective), Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian, and Other Rosewoods, Genuine Lignum Vitae and Argentine Lignum Vitae, BOOK: WOOD! Sumac's bright acidity complements a wide variety of cuisines and flavors. Foliage – deciduous Flowering – June to August. Not sure what else you’d like to know about it, feel free to contact me with questions. Leaves are alternate, For two full racks of pork ribs, I'd say we use three blood oranges, three-quarters of a cup of olive oil, a tablespoon of honey, a little chopped garlic, and then maybe two teaspoons of soy sauce and two full tablespoons of sumac. It has a lemony flavor to it, and I love the color. The wood of the Laburnum tree should never be used as firewood since it produces an acrid smoke that taints food and can cause severe reactions from exposure to the toxins in the tree. Check out full interviews and more stories at WordsFoodArt.com. Tiny green flowers in the spring are insignificant, but are later replaced by large cones of crimson berries that remain throughout the winter. It goes so well with dairy, balancing bitter chocolate with dairy notes from the cream, rounding everything out. Use sumac trees for firewood, rather than shrubs, and allow it to season for at least one year prior to use. Such material as wood has multiple uses. It was this cool doughnut with strings of red in it. It's the first thing people eat when they come into the restaurant, because it's part of our oil blend for our bread. This is a very effective weapon against germs when it is used as a mixture of sumac and thyme oil together. Used in healing rituals but also love, frie… Sumac brightens it up and gives it a little something lemony. Amanda Cohen has received numerous accolades for her vegetarian cooking at New York's Dirt Candy, including a glowing two-star review in the New York Times, a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod, and a Top 10 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in America award from Food & Wine. Under this char was a beautiful red wood. Try using it in salads instead of lemon juice or to season grilled meat and fish. (This is a monthly update, and your email will be kept private.). We make a marinade for pork with it. The wood from sumac is beautiful. Sumac plant is said to be used as a serious defense against the micronutrient, especially salmonella Typhimurium. Common Uses: Small specialty items, carving, turned objects, and inlay. Ailanthus, Copal Tree, Stinking Sumac, Swingle, Tree-of-Heaven: Can be used for both healing and posioning spells. It has a distinctive golden / greenish / Brown grain. Mahin has accumulated several industry accolades, including Zagat's "30 under 30," Forbes' "30 under 30" list of hospitality-industry up-and-comers, and Restaurant Hospitality's "13 to Watch in 2013.". With the Greenmarket at the doorstep of New York City's Union Square Café, executive chef and partner Carmen Quagliata explores and develops his passion for his native Italian cuisine in one of the city's most beloved, iconic restaurants. I have like 4 cords of it and have being wondering what it was for some time. FYI: I receive a commission on sales generated through links to Amazon, eBay, etc. Some HTML is OK: link, strong, em. It is 43 rd on the Best Browse List. Somewhat uncommon in American cuisine, the citrusy, berry-like, bracingly tart flower is an old hand with Middle Eastern flavors, and more and more cooks and restaurants are embracing it with gusto. It's really good! Poison sumac is found in swamps, wetlands, pinewoods, and hardwood forests. I really like sumac, and I think it's a very underrated spice—it's citrusy, but it's also a flavor enhancer, like salt, since it highlights what's already in a dish. Dry staghorn sumac burns well when dry, but sumac wood is not very dense and does not have as the btu content per pound or per stick that hardwoods or even softwoods do.