Poke Salad

(peter chapman gpl creative commons 2004)

If you venture throughout the Red Hill Community in Tallassee, Alabama, you will notice there are a lot of these plants. They are throughout the southeast and there are different variations of species in this plant family and very invasive throughout Southeastern United States and Central and South America. You can eat this plant when it is young only.
People call this stuff "Poke Salad". Those who find it invasive call it pokeweed. I call it just pretty bushes. It makes a beautiful plant for those of you who appreciate what God gave to us. For many people in middle America and South America, they will tell you, "I ate this plant when I had nothing to eat." A word of caution though, don't eat this one unless you know for sure it won't kill you! :) Only eat it with an expert that can tell you more about it.
According to Wikipedia on the subject, you are supposed to use the young leaves and boil them three times taking out the toxins of the plant, always throw out the toxin water. It was the staple of many southern cuisines from the earlier centuries of new America to the Great Depression.
A little celebrity news about poke salad, it was sang in some famous songs by Tony Jo White "Poke Salad Annie" and by The king himself Elvis Presley. This plant also has been used in the most musical places of all such as New Orleans where famed chefs have used it in such dishes as "Poke Salad Lasagna" or just "Poke Greens".
Poke berries have been used in jellies and jams, but I wouldn't suggest it because it could be poisonous. If you know someone who's experienced with it and doesn't say, "I don't know" to some of your questions, refer to that person. Many people in middle America used to wash their hair in these berries. The Mayan people are some of those, but there are many tribes that still do it. Did you know that the United States Amendments were written in Pokeberry juice? I didn't know this until I read for myself. That's amazing to me to know that this weed that continues to grow in my backyard had something to do with the US Amendment. Native Americans used the dye to decorate their horses red, blue or purple. The red juice symbolized blood during the civil war.
I found some great blogs about this plant and their uses, I wouldn't recommend using the plant for food purposes, but there are ways of using it in other purposes. This blog is for information only and for fun. I love writing about plants and their history. I have had more fun with this blog than any other that I've used before. These links is for your further poke salad research. Thank you for reading

Poke Salad Annie
Sweet Tea And Poke Salad
Poke Salad and Other Epicurean Delights From A Plumb-Southern Cuisine