The Poke Plant

My grandmother used to make Poke Salad from the Poke plant.  It was found in wild areas near the mountains.  She knew what to do with that plant because if it wasn't prepared just right, it could be poisonous. The young leaves were good for the salad. 

During the depression, my grandfather used to make 25 cents a day.  They worked hard for it and there wasn't much you could do to make that go very far.  My grandmother knew just which plants were healthy to eat.   She also knew how to make Pokeberry Wine.  She would give that to my dad and my grandfather and it would help with their rheumatism.  She'd pour once ounce every morning before they left and it would definitely help with the rheumatism.  My grandmother had native Indian blood.  They knew a lot about the medicinal value of the plants.  ~  from Earl, April 29, 2012

From Garden Web:  Here's the truth about poke salat - phytolacca americana.

Poke salat, when it matures, develops purple colorations on its stalk, flower stem, and berries and seeds. It is the MATURE leaves, and purple stem and seeds that contain the poisonous substances. Young plants are safe, as is the juice.

Young poke without any hint of purple makes an excellent dish of greens similar to spinach. It must be parboiled, then should drained well and added to a skillet and fried in butter or bacon drippings. It's a meal fit for a king.

Mountain folk often make a wine from the berries, claiming that a small glass each day helps relieve their arthritis symptoms. They also make a jelly, discarding the seeds. Many southern cities have festivals in honor of poke, and many websites contain lots of information.

Poke plants are spread far and wide by birds who gobble up the berries, then deposit the seeds for miles around. In fact, the seeds are difficult to germinate artifically because they prefer going through the acid in a digestive tract and then get frozen before they will sprout.

Poke root is a herbal remedy that has been used for millenia with excellent results, but can be poisonous when used incorrectly, as sometimes happens with someone who doesn't know what they are doing.  By Molly McBee