Pokeweed - Foraging

[Guest guest]

Hey Chris,

 

> This is a plant that comes up many times in the wild foraging circles

> ... but as the foragers themselves point out (and as Martin has pointed

> out) care must be taken for several reasons .. much of the plant is

> deadly toxic at all times and the leaves are only edible when young, as

> the plant matures the whole thing becomes toxic. Martin mentions

> potential carcinogenic properties, which I haven't seen info about that,

> but I am not doubting it and will look that up in more detail (we all

> learn new stuff when doing these herb of the week projects <grinz> )

 

The only " care " that needs taken is knowing when to pick what and how to

cook it. Sorta like foraging for mushrooms. You gave good references

below .. but I am gonna add a few.

 

Martin ain't never et no Poke Salet .. likely ain't never et a Possum or

a Coon or had Cracklin Bread or Redeye Gravy neither. ;-)

 

Poke Salet is one of those plants that folks fear due to ignorance or

from being too cautious. American Indians and Suthran folks have been

eating it .. and preparing it CORRECTLY .. for hundreds and hundreds of

years. We can find URLS like the following that say don't eat it ..

http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/newspaper/june21b02.html

 

" The roots, berries, seeds and mature stems and leaves of pokeweed are

poisonous, " says Extension Food Scientist Jean Weese. There are at least

three different types of poison in this plant -- phytolaccatoxin,

triterpene saponins, an alkaloid, phytolaccin, and histamines.

 

For years, people have picked the young shoots and developing leaves

(before they take on their reddish hue) off this plant and cooked them.

The plant is still used by many people today, and the tender young

shoots often appear in rural vegetable markets in the South.

 

Most people boil the shoots and leaves for 20-30 minutes, first in salt

water and again in clean water, then eat the plant much like spinach.

 

The boiling process removes some of the toxins but certainly not all of

them, " says Weese. I suggest that people avoid this plant no matter how

many times your mother or grandmother may have prepared it in the past

and no matter how good it tasted. Why would you want to eat something

that we know is toxic when there are so many other non-toxic plants out

there we can eat? "

 

My reply to this is .. because it tastes so good .. and I don't believe

there is any harm in eating it. Knowing which leaves to pick and how

to prepare it is important .. like I said above, just as knowing the

correct way to forage for mushrooms.

 

Then we have the Great Forager .. Euell Gibbons .. the man who ate Pine

Trees ;-) saying what I said above .. pick it right and cook it right.

http://www.geocities.com/KindlyRat/PokeSalad.html

 

The URL below has some interesting information .. to include:

 

" In addition to poke salet's economy and taste, it is being studied by

researchers for use in treatments of autoimmune diseases including AIDS

and rheumatoid arthritis. The chemicals in poke salet promote cell

division in white blood cells that normally would not divide. Poke salet

is also being studied as an agent to combat fungal infections. "

 

http://www.southernangel.com/food/pokesala.html

 

Here's one of the many recipes for Poke Salet ..

http://www.thatsmyhome.com/mainstreet/beans/poke-salad.htm

 

And another .. http://www.grits.com/polk_egg.htm

 

Them whut don't know whut grits is should fergit about cooking Poke

Salet in the first place. ;-)

 

When Asians stop eating rice and Martin stops eating fish and chips and

crumpets and such and Charles Manson gets out on parole that's when

folks in the South are gonna stop eating Poke Salet. Martin and others

are gonna start eating it soon as somebody discovers it increases sexual

functions in older folks .. natural Viagra. ;-) Only reason it ain't

been studied yet is cause nobody can sell it .. its all over the place

and its free.

 

> Below are some links to the foraging info on this plant ...

 

Good ones they are too. :-P

 

Its after 11:00 PM here now and all this tawk about larpin gud food done

got my hunger up a powerful bunch so I reckon I'm gonna go to one of the

little all night restaurants around me and eat some iskembe soup .. its

the closest thing I can get to chittlins in Turkey. ;-)

 

> *Smile*

> Chris (list mom)

> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

> ~~~~~~~~

> http://members.aol.com/keninga/poke.htm

>

> http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Pokeweed.html

>

> http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1383

> <http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1383 & whichpage=12>

> & whichpage=12

>

> This one has a good picture of pokeweed

> http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/edible-and-medicinal-plants-pokeweed.

> htm