Blog by Melissa and David Sokulski, L.Acs.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Foraging Friday: Staghorn Sumac

Today we went out and gathered staghorn sumac, to make a lemonade-type of drink for people to sample at the Wild Edibles Walk tomorrow. (We forgot the camera when harvesting, but the above link takes you to Wikipedia...great pics and info.)



Above are the sumac clusters on the table, and below I've put them in a jar.



I'm filling the jar with cold water (cold water preserves the vitamin C). I'll fill the jar to the top and let it sit overnight. Tomorrow morning I'll strain and add sweetener like honey, agave nectar or maple syrup to taste.



The Wild Edible Walk is tomorrow (Saturday, September 27)! We will have the walk rain or shine, unless it is a total downpour or there is thunder and lightning. We're meeting at 10 am on the south side riverfront park...the upper trail. If you have a question about the weather and the walk, call our office after 9 am Saturday, and we'll have a message on the machine letting you know whether the walk is on or not.

We hope to see you soon!

~ Melissa

3 comments:

Rose said...

Hi, I'm a senior in highschool and am very interested in TCM especially acupuncture. I know there are about two TCM schools here in Austin where I live, but I want to know more about this career. How many years does the training typically take? Also, what can I expect in terms of salary?

Thanks,
Paulina

Melissa Sokulski said...

Hi Paulina,
My acupuncture training was three years (through the summers as well) and the Chinese Herbs was another three year program (though since I've graduated they have combined them into one three-year program.) I went to the New England School of Acupuncture just outside of Boston, MA. You can check into the schools in your area to find out how long the programs are. My program also required a college degree as a prerequisite, along with some science courses. My husband and I have our own practice, but now there are acupuncturists on staff at hospitals all around the country, as well as being employed by health centers, spas, and other places like that.
Please feel free to contact me at BirchCenter@gmail.com if you have more questions and I can email you directly. Also, there are probably some great acupuncturists in your area that you can meet with and they'll tell you all about being an acupuncturist.
Good luck!
~ Melissa

Carolyn said...

Melissa,
We love that sumac drink. :)

I was thinking of you this week because we went out urban foraging for pokeberries to dye wool (not to eat.) The experiment turned out very well.

I wish we could have come on your wild edibles walk...it sounds great. I found that book while in college and bought it in honor of the first person who taught me about such things.


-Carolyn