2 years ago
Is poke weed safe to eat? If so, how do I cook it?
I don't know the technical name for this plant, or even if it is called that everywhere. It grows near wood piles or creek beds, and there is a lot of it on my property. The stem of the plant is a purplish color, and it has purple berries. I have heard that you can cook the leaves of the plant, and it is like spinach, but I have been told by others that the plant is poisonous and will make you sick. Do you know if it is safe to eat? If it is, is there a specific method for cooking the leaves?
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M$1 Answer
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
Poke gets its name from an native american word "pokan" which means any plant used to produce a red or yellow dye.
I've eaten pokeweed all my life with no ill affects but it HAS to be prepared carefully.
The following recipe for preparation is as close to the one I learned from my grandmother as I can find.
-quote-
8 cups young pokeweed leaves and stems of plants up to 8 inches tall, collected only in springtime, and without any pieces of the toxic taproot, coarsely-chopped
1 large pot of rapidly boiling water
1 medium pot of rapidly boiling water, 2 tbs. olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, chopped, 1/4 cup wine vinegar, 2 tsp. tamari soy sauce
1. Boil the pokeweed in the medium pot of rapidly boiling water 1 minute over high heat.
2. Drain in a colander.
3. Return the pokeweed to pot with more boiling water from the large pot and boil another minute.
4. Drain and change the water again, and boil another 15 minutes
5. Drain again, pressing the pokeweed against the colander with a slotted spoon to press out as much water as possible.
6. Meanwhile, if desired, gently sauté the garlic in olive oil 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned, and stir the oil, garlic, tamari, and vinegar into the cooked, drained pokeweed greens.
-end quote-
I toss in a handful of fresh bacon bits and use balsamic vinegar to dress it.
Its delicious and has a number of benefical attributes associated to it, amoung them being benefical to the immune system.
I collect only the young stems and leaves in the spring, never the roots, flowers, berries, or summer or fall plants, which are poisonous.
These are pictures of the poke that I collected just an hour or so ago to show you at what stage of development I gather poke from my gardens.
Be sure to review the sites I've listed in my sources
before consuming pokeweed.
They are loaded with great recipes and valuable information regarding this herbaceous perennial.
In my opinion poke is some of the best tasting wild spring greens there is.
Its yummy.
Poke gets its name from an native american word "pokan" which means any plant used to produce a red or yellow dye.
I've eaten pokeweed all my life with no ill affects but it HAS to be prepared carefully.
The following recipe for preparation is as close to the one I learned from my grandmother as I can find.
-quote-
8 cups young pokeweed leaves and stems of plants up to 8 inches tall, collected only in springtime, and without any pieces of the toxic taproot, coarsely-chopped
1 large pot of rapidly boiling water
1 medium pot of rapidly boiling water, 2 tbs. olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, chopped, 1/4 cup wine vinegar, 2 tsp. tamari soy sauce
1. Boil the pokeweed in the medium pot of rapidly boiling water 1 minute over high heat.
2. Drain in a colander.
3. Return the pokeweed to pot with more boiling water from the large pot and boil another minute.
4. Drain and change the water again, and boil another 15 minutes
5. Drain again, pressing the pokeweed against the colander with a slotted spoon to press out as much water as possible.
6. Meanwhile, if desired, gently sauté the garlic in olive oil 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned, and stir the oil, garlic, tamari, and vinegar into the cooked, drained pokeweed greens.
-end quote-
I toss in a handful of fresh bacon bits and use balsamic vinegar to dress it.
Its delicious and has a number of benefical attributes associated to it, amoung them being benefical to the immune system.
I collect only the young stems and leaves in the spring, never the roots, flowers, berries, or summer or fall plants, which are poisonous.
These are pictures of the poke that I collected just an hour or so ago to show you at what stage of development I gather poke from my gardens.
Be sure to review the sites I've listed in my sources
before consuming pokeweed.
They are loaded with great recipes and valuable information regarding this herbaceous perennial.
In my opinion poke is some of the best tasting wild spring greens there is.
Its yummy.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Oh yeah, there are wild onions (at least I have been told, and sometimes, I think I can smell them)...the problem is that I do not know how to correctly identify them. I have heard that they are found near creek beds in the spring time, and there is a creek that runs behind my house. I have a funny (and kind of embarrassing) story in regards to that.
I found a recipe for wild onion soup once, and I decided I wanted to go out and find some wild onions and make this soup. I went out and picked a big bunch of what I thought were wild onions and made the soup. I had friends over that night and served some up for everybody. About an hour later, everyone, including myself, was feeling sick to their stomach. It had to be the wild onions, everyone said. One of my friends took me into the kitchen and said, "Show me what you picked." I showed her what was leftover from my harvest (which I was somewhat proud of). She said, "Those are NOT wild onions! Those are flower bulbs!" Fortunately, no one got really sick, but I still felt really bad. I have not gathered up anything that even remotely resembles a wild onion since.
Awesome Shadowbear! I am going to go pick some tomorrow and cook it according to this recipe. I just think it is really cool to be able to eat something that is growing wild in my own yard!
Thanks again, Shadowbear! I think I will get me some field guides. I am pretty good at identifying trees, but the rest of it is sometimes difficult for me to decipher. I don't know about gooseberries, but I will look into that.
It has always amazed me what people will drive past on their way to a grocery store.
Mother Earth is a bountiful provider if one has the knowledge.
If you have alot of poke growing close then chances are there are wild onions as well, wilted poke and wild onions are hard to beat.
Bon appetit
Hehe,
Sounds like you should invest in a few wild edible plant guides.
Wild onions are easy to recognize and are bursting with flavor and vitimins.
Wild onion soup is the bomb and sure to impress any onion lover.
I'll take some pictures tomorrow of some and post them here.
Bet you have gooseberries too and right now is the perfect time to collect the young leaves to dry for tea.
Gooseberry tea is goood stuff.