Sumac
is all over the place and merely needs to be understood and applied. At least it is already gaining recognition as
a flavor agent.
What this reminds us off is that there are many
plants in the wild that remain unused and unstudied. It is also worth noting that in the wild it
is not uncommon for quality to change from plant to plant. Thus it is wise that we also learn to develop
taste tests before we gather a given fruit.
Green and sour is a lousy idea and a wild apple or even a young tame apple
will ruin your day.
Thus it is useful for growers to tackle individual
cultivars almost as a hobby on unused land in particular. This is an example. Obviously our lady here is comfortable that
she can sell her inventory as the orchard matures.
An Experiment in Farming Wild Sumac
Tama Matsuoka Wong has a
wild idea. Rather than choose a crop and pump it with water, fertilizers, and
pesticides to make it grow, why not take what nature already has in place and
make that a farm?
Wong, a professional
forager, is no stranger to nature’s bounty. Based in Hunterdon County, N.J.,
she supplies chefs such as Mads Refslund and Daniel Boulud.
Staghorn sumac (rhus
typhina) is native to North America. It bears clusters of bright red fruit
in August–September, has a tart, lemon flavor, and is loaded with antioxidants.
It has also achieved
culinary recognition, featuring heavily, for example, in Yotam Ottolenghi’s
cookbooks.
At Gramercy Tavern, it
has been used with fish, “almost like a crust,” said Wong; at Bar Pleiades, it
makes its way into a gin and tonic-like cocktail. It is widely used in the
cuisine of the Middle East, particularly in za’atar, a mixture of sumac, sesame
seeds, and dried herbs. Native Americans would make a sumac-ade with it. In
the absence of citrus, sumac was a good source of vitamin C.
A Wild Farm
In a proposed
Kickstarter project, Wong envisions a “wild farm” model. She will grow 500
sumac trees on 1 acre of preserved farmland, which her farmer neighbor finds
unusable.
Not only is local,
native sumac highly sought after by Wong’s clientele, it is also utterly
unfussy, thriving on poor soils.
Deer, who seem to know a
good thing when they see it, are fond of it. “They will jump over things to get
to it, when the young leaves are coming out,” Wong said.
Sumac found in stores is
generally imported from Europe or Turkey, and seems to be a different species,
Wong said.
Wong sent samples of
native and imported sumac to flavorists and chefs, and all agreed the native
sumac was superior in color, freshness, and flavor. The flavorists detected
flavors of vinegar and rancidness in the imported sumac.
Conservation Role
Much is still unknown
about sumac, including how long it takes to grow to maturation, though she
guesses about three years. “We don’t really know. That’s part of the problem,”
said Wong.
“We’re studying how to
make GMO corn more drought-resistant or something. There’s tons of money going
into that but there seems to be very little money or grants going into
something like this.”
Unlike a crop that needs
to be replanted every year, sumac is a perennial, so it will produce fruit and
continue to spread year after year, without any sort of human tampering.
At the same time, sumac
can play a significant conservation role by providing a home and food for
pollinators and controlling eroding soil, according to the New Jersey Audubon
Society.
The plot of land where
Wong plans to work is flanked by woodland on either side, and a “wild farm” of
sumac would provide a continuous corridor for wildlife.
Ironically, though, to
be able to grow it on preserved farmland, an exception had to be filed with the
state—sumac doesn’t figure on the list of commodity crops.
The Wild Farm project has until March 15 to
raise $33,000 on Kickstarter. So far, Wong has raised more than $28,000.
Recipe: Sumac Ade
From “Foraged Flavor” (Clarkson Potter, 2012), Courtesy of Tama
Matsuoka Wong
8 sumac berry clusters, Sugar,
maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener
Immerse the sumac in 2
quarts cold water for a few hours. The water should turn a jewel-like red.
Strain through a fine jelly cloth or several layers of cheesecloth to remove
any twigs or fine hairs. Sweeten to taste. Serve chilled.
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