It grows all over Canada and the US offering nutritious berries, soil stabilization, habitat for birds and vibrantly flavored seasoning for creating in the kitchen
My family is from Vermont and New Hampshire. We moved away when I was very little (visiting and staying summers when we could, etc.), but after we moved back here (as an adult) in 1998, my uncle, who lived here all his life until his recent retirement, pronounced sumac as “shumac.” The plant and the word were new to me and I figured he must know, so I have called it “shumac” ever since - like sugar and sure. How do others pronounce it?
About 25 years ago, we found out about sumac lemonade and made some. We called it “sumac-ade,” and thought we had coined the word. I’m glad to see you calling it that too. :)
Thank you for sharing that story :) I grew up surrounded in the stuff at my parents farm in southern BC but had no idea the berries could be used to make a nutritious beverage until now.
Perhaps you did coin the term and it spread into books and use online eventually, I just used that term as I read it in several of my foraging books :)
My family is from Vermont and New Hampshire. We moved away when I was very little (visiting and staying summers when we could, etc.), but after we moved back here (as an adult) in 1998, my uncle, who lived here all his life until his recent retirement, pronounced sumac as “shumac.” The plant and the word were new to me and I figured he must know, so I have called it “shumac” ever since - like sugar and sure. How do others pronounce it?
About 25 years ago, we found out about sumac lemonade and made some. We called it “sumac-ade,” and thought we had coined the word. I’m glad to see you calling it that too. :)
Thank you for sharing that story :) I grew up surrounded in the stuff at my parents farm in southern BC but had no idea the berries could be used to make a nutritious beverage until now.
Perhaps you did coin the term and it spread into books and use online eventually, I just used that term as I read it in several of my foraging books :)
Thanks for the comment.