I have been experimenting recently with making some spoons out of the wood of the Sumac tree. It has turned out to be a lovely wood. Nice to carve and with beautiful colours and grain. Once oiled it takes on a shimmering iridescence.
Sumac is a tree genus, species of which grow wild across much of the world. It is not native to the UK, but is often grown here as an ornamental plant.The ground up fruits of some species are used as a spice, particularly in the middle east, and I feel a particular affinity to this tree because was introduced to its use as a spice by my late friend Osman.
The spoon on the left of the above photo is still available to buy from my etsy shop HERE.