Sounds like the same pain I'm having with my shoulder. Crashed almost two weeks ago when body surfing at the beach in NC, not sure but I think i may have torn my rotator cuff......or really loosened up some tendons....
I guess you already have a recipe, but I just wrap the berries in cheese cloth and throw them in a Gallon pickle jar fill with cold water and set in the sun for an afternoon - same way I make regular sun tea. You can dry the heads on a dehydrator for later teas
i have a small stand of it in the back corner of my property , apparantly quail are partial to it as i have spooked them from under it a couple times in the past, i guess they eat the berries that fall off the cones.
So I never got this made due to being laid up after a volleyball outing (I go all out). So we picked more today and while we were picking a fellow came up and started asking questions. Turns out he's a tree nerd with his own landscaping business. We talked for about an hour discussing mostly wild edible and he gave me his card and I gave him this site.
Having this with supper tonight, enjoying it very much. I pulled the berries off of the cones and them in the mortar and pestle to smash them up a bit. Soaked 5 cones worth in 5 cups water for a little over and hour, strained and added 1/2c sugar. Put in fridge. Served on ice.
I am told this is the definitive recipe. Screenshot of PDF and source link below. http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr...ood/files/WildSumacLemonade.pdf?amp;tabid=791
Gonna have to look through my past issues of the mag for that. Would be quicker to just print that link though. Hey I'm old-school,most have figured that out by now.....