POKE SALLET, WHAT IS IT! CAN I EAT IT?
"If some of ya'll
never been down south too much
I'm gonna tell you a
little story so's you'll understand what I'm talkin' about
Down here we have a plant
that grows out in the woods, and the fields
And it looks somethin'
like a turnip greens
Everybody calls it Poke
Sallet" < from Poke Sallet Annie by Tony Joe White
The Poke's ready for picking!
Phytolacca americana, the American Pokeweed,
is a herbaceous perennial plant native to the Southeastern United States. Poke
is one of the most misunderstood wild edibles I know of. Even the fact that it
is edible is often disputed, usually by people who have never tried it. Some
say it is poisonous if the stalks have turned red, the berries will kill you
and never, ever even touch the root, much less eat it. When to harvest it, what
parts to pick and how to cook it are all debated and there are multitudes of
web pages dedicated to those questions.
I once asked The Herb Lady
at Barberville Pioneer Settlement about Poke. I mentioned I had quite a few plants
growing on my property and she exclaimed how fortunate I was! Then, for the
next forty five minutes she went on about the benefits of all parts of the Poke
plant. I literally had to walk away with her still lecturing the crowd that had
gathered on all things Poke.
I know people who have eaten Poke greens all
their lives. The young leaves are often cooked like turnip or collard greens,
through two changes of water. The juice from the berries was used by Civil War
soldiers as ink to write letters home and some people make wine and jelly out
of it. The stalks can be sliced and dipped in cornmeal and fried like okra. The
root is currently being studied for its anti-cancer properties and as an
effective treatment for pain and swelling from rheumatoid arthritis. Grannies "Rheumatiz Medicine" on
the show The Beverly Hillbilly's was a mixture of moonshine, Poke root and a
few other herbs.
The word Sallet comes from
Middle English and refers to a mess of greens cooked until tender.
Be warned; Poke, like any
other wild edible, CAN BE TOXIC and even poisonous in some people.
Contact me at: thecharliecracker@gmail.com for more on this and other Florida wild edibles.
