Who uses them for trap dye??? We have a bunch right now ready for the pot...They are a very dark red and very big If anyone needs any I would be more than happy to box up a bunch for ya!!!

Use them every year mixed in with some soft maple bark & walnut hulls. Makes a beautiful color dye.

use them every yr ,, i put the pods in a ole t shirt and tie all holes up and place a rock inside for weight ,,, that way keeps berries from floating around thru water ,,, i just use them no other stuff, dyes my traps nice ,,, bob

might be a dumb question but I hear people talking about dying with sumac all the time... So... Is this different than poison sumac?... I know 2 things...
1) I am allergic to poison sumac, ivy, oak, etc.
2) I am allergic to poison sumac, ivy, oak, etc.

Same stuff or no?

I have used them in the past, like any plant with a high tannic acid content they will due steel.
However, I have to admit that I made tea, and drank more than I used for dye.
The large Stag Horn Sumac described by Chicken sound as if they are prime for gathering. Chicken if the berries are scarlet, and when you handle them some red sticky stuff adheres to you hands they are at the best state for use. The longer they hang the worse shape they will be in for tea or dye. The red color of the berries contains malic acid. Malic acid is the flavoring ingredient in apples, grapes, and other fruits. It is highly water soluable, so the more rain falls on the clusters of berries, the more malic acid is washed away.

Adios,
45/70,

Like 45/70 said,it makes good tea.But yes I use it every year and have been for better than 10 years or so,it works great and it's free.

a big bumper crop this year..never seen so many and the deep red color is awsome...I cant dye traps tioll next week so I will gather a bunch now and store in a box and wait till I can get to it

I have used sumac berries as a trap dye for 55 years. As 45/70 mentioned, their maximum "dye" potential occurs when the berry cluster has a sticky/oily feel to it when pinched and rubbed between your fingers.

Here is a primer that I found that may be helpful to those who are not familiar with this plant as a natural dye resource. It describes and details sumac, and differentiates them in relation to the poison sumac counterpart for those of you who may be sensitive to the chemistries of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek041208.html

Jonathan

Do you just boil it like logwood dye?

the smooth sumac plant, thier berries taste like lemons. lick one, you will be amazed.

I've used sumac for many years. Works well.

POISON Sumac has WHITE berries

I have used them for years...people tend to look at me funny while I'm picking them on the side of the road.

my uncle and i used sumac for trap dye for years he almost passed out when i drank some

i use it every year leaves a nice collor never even gave it a thought to use it for tea ill have to try that

If you are making sumac tea, you DO NOT boil them. Boiling the seed clusters brings the tannic acid out of the connective tissue that holds the seed together in the clusters, and this will make the tea bitter instead of sour.
For teab you need to bring the water to a near boil, cut your heat back, and add the seed clusters. Let them steep in the hot water. That's hot, not boiling! You can turn off the heat, and let them steep over night and then strain the tea off.

However, if you want good sumac trap dye you need to boil the sumac clusters to bring out the tannic acid. This is for dying, not drinking, as tannic acid is bitter.

Adios,
45/70,

Hags, if you're like my daughter any kind of sumac will blister you up. She gets a reaction to staghorn just the same as poison ivy.

That's me Martin... I guess I will just stick to walnuts or logwood and avoid any risks I am getting itchy just from ya'll talking about "sumac"... poisonus or not... lol

Sumac makes a great trap dye, and it smells great to boot!! In two or three weeks I'll be dying my steel.

where do i get is it ripe in my neck of the woods do you think