Poem: "Do Not Disrespect the Sumac Tree"
This poem is spillover from the May 2, 2023 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from Dreamwidth users Siliconshaman, Erulisse, Curiosity, and Doug Edwards. It also fills the "feed" square in my 5-1-23 card for the Pets and Animals Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by DW user Fuzzyred. This poem belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Do Not Disrespect the Sumac Tree"
[Saturday, October 3, 2015]
Kardal was appreciating Octoberfest
from the vantage point of his food truck,
and he enjoyed practicing diplomacy by
feeding people delicious Syrian food.
He had a great slot near the center cross,
between the Abenaki food truck Wlipi and
the flowery blue one of the SCOBY Gang,
because they all offered healthy dishes.
There was a lull in the long lines of folks
wanting food, because the main band
had just started playing on the stage.
Abundance Brown walked up to
Wlipi, swinging a basket in her hand.
"I'm really sorry about spooking the deer,
I didn't know the scouts were out that way,
so I brought a concrete apology," she said.
"Sumac is a traditional ingredient, right?"
"Don't worry about the deer, it's not
your fault that someone else muffed up
the notifications," said Alain Azamowat.
"The elders will straighten it out. Yes,
sumac is traditional, so thank you."
Kardal couldn't resist any longer.
He leaned out and asked, "Where
did you get sumac? I can't find it
in any of the stores around here,
so I have to buy mine online."
"Why would you buy it when
you could pick it in the woods or
along any railroad?" said Abundance.
"Wait, what?" Kardal said. He hadn't
had time for foraging in Vermont, and
he certainly hadn't expected to find
anything from Syria growing here.
"You haven't noticed them growing?"
Abundance said. "A lot of people don't."
"Do not disrespect the sumac tree,"
Alain said seriously. "Its berries
brighten summer beverages and
add nutrients to foods all winter."
"I thought sumac was a desert plant,"
said Kardal. "Vermont is very different."
"Here we have staghorn sumac or
Rhus typhina, and smooth sumac
or Rhus glabra," said Abundance.
"If I remember right, the species
that grows in the Middle East
is Rhus coriaria. People call it
Syrian sumac or Sicilian sumac."
"These are salônak, also known as
staghorn sumac berries," Alain said,
looking into the basket. "Kardal,
come take some of these, there's
no need for you to buy it online."
"Abundance brought that for you,"
Kardal pointed out, though he
was tempted by the offer.
"And now I'm offering to share
the bounty with a fellow cook,"
Alain said. "Besides, you shared
your maple syrup with me when
I ran out of mine last week."
That was true. They'd both
worked the Maple Leaf Festival,
which was exhausting and profitable.
"All right, I'll take some sumac,"
said Kardal agreed. "Thank you."
He grabbed a container and
went over so Alain could
fill it from the big basket.
Later on, he could talk with
the local foragers about
stocking up on sumac --
and let the other Syrians
know about the supply.
He could make many things
with sumac, but most of those
would have to wait for later,
when he had a full kitchen.
Lamb kofta, kabob koobideh,
and shish tawook all used
sumac in their seasoning.
Turkish fish stew and
za'atar pickles could
be made in big batches
and stocked in the truck.
He could make Salat Yirakot
or Salat Summāq now, though.
Usually he alternated between
Shâmiyât and Syrian Chopped Salad,
making as much in advance as he could,
but he kept fresh vegetables in the truck
so he could make more if necessary.
Sumac also made a lovely tea,
cold in summer and warm in winter,
although it needed careful heating
to avoid cooking out the good parts.
Kardal decided to start by grinding
some sumac to make tea, and while
that was steeping, he mixed up
a big batch of Salat Yirakot.
He sampled the salad and
was pleased by the tangy taste.
Then he grabbed the signboard
and added both items to the menu.
He was just straining the sumac tea
when a fresh flood of customers
arrived after the band wrapped up.
The Syrians instantly spotted
the new additions and crowded
together at the window rather than
in an orderly line, clamoring to know
where he had gotten the sumac.
"Abundance Brown told me that
it grows around here," Kardal said.
"It's not identical to Syrian sumac
but it should serve the same purpose.
Try some and tell me what you think."
Before long, the tea was gone,
the salad was gone, and most of
his customers said it tasted the same.
Kardal smiled. He would definitely
need to talk with the foragers and
pay his respects to the sumac trees.
It was nice to know that, no matter
how far you went from your starting point,
some things would still stay the same.
* * *
Notes:
Alain Azamowat -- He has light copper skin, black eyes, and brown hair with a short mustache and beard. He has a broad face and sturdy build. His heritage is Abenaki and French. He speaks English, French, and Wôbanakiôdwawôgan (Western Abenaki). He is 28 years old in 2015.
Alain lives on the Abenaki Reservation not far from Rutledge, Vermont. There he works at the restaurant Wlipi, which means Eat Well, serving a range of historic and contemporary Abenaki cuisine. The food truck of the same name is in high demand for all sorts of events around the county and tribal events farther afield. Recipes emphasize traditional Vermont ingredients such as venison, fish, sunchokes, wild rice, corn, squash, beans, and maple sugar. Alain enjoys networking with other cooks and exchanging recipes from any cuisine. He never fared well in school, barely scraping through high school. He learns better by watching and doing than by reading.
On duty, Alain wears a white cooking uniform. Off duty, he likes outdoorsy menswear. His base colors are black and white, often accented with hunter green or red, occasionally denim. He also has Abenaki regalia for powwows and other cultural events.
Qualities: Good (+2) Abenaki Cuisine, Good (+2) Generous, Good (+2) Hunter-Gatherer, Good (+2) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Conventional Education
* * *
Whatever you do, do NOT disrespect the sumac tree.
Terramagne-America encourages healthy eating by making it easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. One example is that events tend to assign the best positions to vendors offering healthy foods. In this case, Octoberfest is laid out with two main paths dividing it into quarters, which makes the center cross the highest-traffic area, so that's where healthy food vendors go. You can still find funnel cakes and corn dogs, but they're in less convenient places, so people have to walk farther to find those.
The SCOBY Gang is a blue flowered food truck that serves ginger beer, kombucha, fire cider (with kombucha or maple syrup), kefir, tibicos, kimchee, and sourdough bread sandwiches. They also make vinegar and soy sauce, sold in small tubs or larger bottles.
Foraging for sumac focuses on the berries.
staghorn sumac
Rhus typhina
Rhus typhina syn. R. hirta (staghorn sumac or stag's horn sumach) is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in Southeastern Canada, the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and the Appalachian Mountains, but is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world.
Common name: Smooth sumac
Scientific name: Rhus glabra.
Other common name(s): Smooth sumac, Common sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, Red sumac, Western sumac, White sumac.
Life form: Tree-shrub.
Flowering time: 14 - 21 days.
Flowering period in Vermont for this plant is: May ↔ August.
Rhus coriaria (also known as Sicilian sumac, Iranian sumac, and Syrian sumac, depending on who you ask) is the variation that originated in the Mediterranean basin before spreading across southern Europe and the Middle East. It can reach up to 10 feet in height and is principally grown for its edible berries, which are dried and ground to produce powdered sumac.
Sumac berries grow on the Rhus coriaria shrub, which is typically found in high plateau areas of the Mediterranean like Sicily, due to its wild, rocky lands. Sumac also grows in Turkey and can be found in parts of Iran.
[---8<---]
In North America, indigenous peoples and early pioneers used sumac to treat a variety of ailments, from coughs and sore throats to stomachaches and wounds.
salônak
sal8n pl sal8nak staghorn sumach cones or fruiting bodies, Rhus typhina
Native Food: Crabapple Jelly With Sumac
Sugaring in Wabanahkik (Land of the Dawn)
An Abenaki History of Maple.
In traditional Abenaki sugaring, maples were tapped by cutting a diagonal notch in the bark and then a flat spile made of cedar or slippery elm was inserted just below the bark layer. (In later years, spiles were constructed of hollowed salonakwam (sumac twigs) hammered into a hole cut in the bark). The sap would then drip down the wood spile into clay or woven birch-bark sap baskets - called maskwaijo - placed at the foot of the trees.
10 Ways to Use Sumac
Sumac recipes include:
Lamb Kofta
Kabob Koobideh
Shish Tawook
Turkish Fish Stew
Za'atar Pickles
Salat Yirakot
Salat Summāq
Sumacade
Sumac Tea (hot or cold)
Sumac is high in vitamin C, which degrades at high temperatures. While herbal teas are often brewed at 205-212º F, hot beverages are typically drunk at 135º F (optimum) and no hotter than 150º F (maximum). Vitamin C doesn't start significant degradation until 158º F, so all you have to do is brew high-C teas at a lower temperature for a bit longer -- 155º F or even 150º F is warm enough to work.
There is usually one fresh vegetable salad in addition to the everyday tabouli.
Syrian Chopped Salad
Shâmiyât (toasted flatbread salad)
Vermont state deer season starts October 1 for early archery. Native American reservations are free to set their own hunting seasons. The Abenaki, like most tribes, send out scouts to survey available game then report back to the elders, who decide what can be hunted, when, and how much. With deer, the scouts not only watch for bucks to show signs of rut, they want to make sure that most does and fawns have separated because it is taboo to kill a mother with young.
Fall is a beautiful time to visit Vermont and experience the gradual transition between seasons. The exact timing of peak foliage colors depends on a number of factors and can vary from year to year, but generally, autumn colors reach their crescendo during the last week of September and the first week of October.
"Do Not Disrespect the Sumac Tree"
[Saturday, October 3, 2015]
Kardal was appreciating Octoberfest
from the vantage point of his food truck,
and he enjoyed practicing diplomacy by
feeding people delicious Syrian food.
He had a great slot near the center cross,
between the Abenaki food truck Wlipi and
the flowery blue one of the SCOBY Gang,
because they all offered healthy dishes.
There was a lull in the long lines of folks
wanting food, because the main band
had just started playing on the stage.
Abundance Brown walked up to
Wlipi, swinging a basket in her hand.
"I'm really sorry about spooking the deer,
I didn't know the scouts were out that way,
so I brought a concrete apology," she said.
"Sumac is a traditional ingredient, right?"
"Don't worry about the deer, it's not
your fault that someone else muffed up
the notifications," said Alain Azamowat.
"The elders will straighten it out. Yes,
sumac is traditional, so thank you."
Kardal couldn't resist any longer.
He leaned out and asked, "Where
did you get sumac? I can't find it
in any of the stores around here,
so I have to buy mine online."
"Why would you buy it when
you could pick it in the woods or
along any railroad?" said Abundance.
"Wait, what?" Kardal said. He hadn't
had time for foraging in Vermont, and
he certainly hadn't expected to find
anything from Syria growing here.
"You haven't noticed them growing?"
Abundance said. "A lot of people don't."
"Do not disrespect the sumac tree,"
Alain said seriously. "Its berries
brighten summer beverages and
add nutrients to foods all winter."
"I thought sumac was a desert plant,"
said Kardal. "Vermont is very different."
"Here we have staghorn sumac or
Rhus typhina, and smooth sumac
or Rhus glabra," said Abundance.
"If I remember right, the species
that grows in the Middle East
is Rhus coriaria. People call it
Syrian sumac or Sicilian sumac."
"These are salônak, also known as
staghorn sumac berries," Alain said,
looking into the basket. "Kardal,
come take some of these, there's
no need for you to buy it online."
"Abundance brought that for you,"
Kardal pointed out, though he
was tempted by the offer.
"And now I'm offering to share
the bounty with a fellow cook,"
Alain said. "Besides, you shared
your maple syrup with me when
I ran out of mine last week."
That was true. They'd both
worked the Maple Leaf Festival,
which was exhausting and profitable.
"All right, I'll take some sumac,"
said Kardal agreed. "Thank you."
He grabbed a container and
went over so Alain could
fill it from the big basket.
Later on, he could talk with
the local foragers about
stocking up on sumac --
and let the other Syrians
know about the supply.
He could make many things
with sumac, but most of those
would have to wait for later,
when he had a full kitchen.
Lamb kofta, kabob koobideh,
and shish tawook all used
sumac in their seasoning.
Turkish fish stew and
za'atar pickles could
be made in big batches
and stocked in the truck.
He could make Salat Yirakot
or Salat Summāq now, though.
Usually he alternated between
Shâmiyât and Syrian Chopped Salad,
making as much in advance as he could,
but he kept fresh vegetables in the truck
so he could make more if necessary.
Sumac also made a lovely tea,
cold in summer and warm in winter,
although it needed careful heating
to avoid cooking out the good parts.
Kardal decided to start by grinding
some sumac to make tea, and while
that was steeping, he mixed up
a big batch of Salat Yirakot.
He sampled the salad and
was pleased by the tangy taste.
Then he grabbed the signboard
and added both items to the menu.
He was just straining the sumac tea
when a fresh flood of customers
arrived after the band wrapped up.
The Syrians instantly spotted
the new additions and crowded
together at the window rather than
in an orderly line, clamoring to know
where he had gotten the sumac.
"Abundance Brown told me that
it grows around here," Kardal said.
"It's not identical to Syrian sumac
but it should serve the same purpose.
Try some and tell me what you think."
Before long, the tea was gone,
the salad was gone, and most of
his customers said it tasted the same.
Kardal smiled. He would definitely
need to talk with the foragers and
pay his respects to the sumac trees.
It was nice to know that, no matter
how far you went from your starting point,
some things would still stay the same.
* * *
Notes:
Alain Azamowat -- He has light copper skin, black eyes, and brown hair with a short mustache and beard. He has a broad face and sturdy build. His heritage is Abenaki and French. He speaks English, French, and Wôbanakiôdwawôgan (Western Abenaki). He is 28 years old in 2015.
Alain lives on the Abenaki Reservation not far from Rutledge, Vermont. There he works at the restaurant Wlipi, which means Eat Well, serving a range of historic and contemporary Abenaki cuisine. The food truck of the same name is in high demand for all sorts of events around the county and tribal events farther afield. Recipes emphasize traditional Vermont ingredients such as venison, fish, sunchokes, wild rice, corn, squash, beans, and maple sugar. Alain enjoys networking with other cooks and exchanging recipes from any cuisine. He never fared well in school, barely scraping through high school. He learns better by watching and doing than by reading.
On duty, Alain wears a white cooking uniform. Off duty, he likes outdoorsy menswear. His base colors are black and white, often accented with hunter green or red, occasionally denim. He also has Abenaki regalia for powwows and other cultural events.
Qualities: Good (+2) Abenaki Cuisine, Good (+2) Generous, Good (+2) Hunter-Gatherer, Good (+2) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Strength
Poor (-2) Conventional Education
* * *
Whatever you do, do NOT disrespect the sumac tree.
Terramagne-America encourages healthy eating by making it easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. One example is that events tend to assign the best positions to vendors offering healthy foods. In this case, Octoberfest is laid out with two main paths dividing it into quarters, which makes the center cross the highest-traffic area, so that's where healthy food vendors go. You can still find funnel cakes and corn dogs, but they're in less convenient places, so people have to walk farther to find those.
The SCOBY Gang is a blue flowered food truck that serves ginger beer, kombucha, fire cider (with kombucha or maple syrup), kefir, tibicos, kimchee, and sourdough bread sandwiches. They also make vinegar and soy sauce, sold in small tubs or larger bottles.
Foraging for sumac focuses on the berries.
staghorn sumac
Rhus typhina
Rhus typhina syn. R. hirta (staghorn sumac or stag's horn sumach) is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in Southeastern Canada, the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and the Appalachian Mountains, but is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world.
Common name: Smooth sumac
Scientific name: Rhus glabra.
Other common name(s): Smooth sumac, Common sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, Red sumac, Western sumac, White sumac.
Life form: Tree-shrub.
Flowering time: 14 - 21 days.
Flowering period in Vermont for this plant is: May ↔ August.
Rhus coriaria (also known as Sicilian sumac, Iranian sumac, and Syrian sumac, depending on who you ask) is the variation that originated in the Mediterranean basin before spreading across southern Europe and the Middle East. It can reach up to 10 feet in height and is principally grown for its edible berries, which are dried and ground to produce powdered sumac.
Sumac berries grow on the Rhus coriaria shrub, which is typically found in high plateau areas of the Mediterranean like Sicily, due to its wild, rocky lands. Sumac also grows in Turkey and can be found in parts of Iran.
[---8<---]
In North America, indigenous peoples and early pioneers used sumac to treat a variety of ailments, from coughs and sore throats to stomachaches and wounds.
salônak
sal8n pl sal8nak staghorn sumach cones or fruiting bodies, Rhus typhina
Native Food: Crabapple Jelly With Sumac
Sugaring in Wabanahkik (Land of the Dawn)
An Abenaki History of Maple.
In traditional Abenaki sugaring, maples were tapped by cutting a diagonal notch in the bark and then a flat spile made of cedar or slippery elm was inserted just below the bark layer. (In later years, spiles were constructed of hollowed salonakwam (sumac twigs) hammered into a hole cut in the bark). The sap would then drip down the wood spile into clay or woven birch-bark sap baskets - called maskwaijo - placed at the foot of the trees.
10 Ways to Use Sumac
Sumac recipes include:
Lamb Kofta
Kabob Koobideh
Shish Tawook
Turkish Fish Stew
Za'atar Pickles
Salat Yirakot
Salat Summāq
Sumacade
Sumac Tea (hot or cold)
Sumac is high in vitamin C, which degrades at high temperatures. While herbal teas are often brewed at 205-212º F, hot beverages are typically drunk at 135º F (optimum) and no hotter than 150º F (maximum). Vitamin C doesn't start significant degradation until 158º F, so all you have to do is brew high-C teas at a lower temperature for a bit longer -- 155º F or even 150º F is warm enough to work.
There is usually one fresh vegetable salad in addition to the everyday tabouli.
Syrian Chopped Salad
Shâmiyât (toasted flatbread salad)
Vermont state deer season starts October 1 for early archery. Native American reservations are free to set their own hunting seasons. The Abenaki, like most tribes, send out scouts to survey available game then report back to the elders, who decide what can be hunted, when, and how much. With deer, the scouts not only watch for bucks to show signs of rut, they want to make sure that most does and fawns have separated because it is taboo to kill a mother with young.
Fall is a beautiful time to visit Vermont and experience the gradual transition between seasons. The exact timing of peak foliage colors depends on a number of factors and can vary from year to year, but generally, autumn colors reach their crescendo during the last week of September and the first week of October.