Del ? Polk Salad ?

[Major 2]

I was listening to Cirrus radio 60's music and the 1969 song, "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White, was playing.
So I got to thinking , anybody tried these 

this from the internet...

Polk Salad, Poke Weed, and a variety of other common names are all names for the poisonous plant, Phytolacca americana. The plant is a perennial, and grows wild across a large portion of the United States. The plant is similar to turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens - but a little more acidic and can be bitter. One of the most interesting things about polk salad is that it's actually quite poisonous. The toxic substance in the plant is a triterpene saponin called phytolaccigenin, which causes hemagglutination. Sometimes called American Nightshade, polk salad can be a very dangerous plant if not prepared and consumed properly.
Once the green leaves reach about 7 inches - they are filled with toxin and unsafe to eat. The stems, and root, are always full of this poison, and there is never a safe time or safe way to eat them. However, as long as the leaves are less than 7 inches long, this plant can be prepared safely and consumed, by carefully following a few simple steps.

1. Immediately after picking the polk greens, wash thoroughly in cold running water.

2. Immerse the cleaned greens in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.

3. Drain, and rinse the boiled greens with cold running water again, rinse boiling pot.

4. Refill pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil the greens again for 5 minutes.

5. Drain, rinse the greens again in cold water.

the greens are now safe to eat. However, in the South, we cook them one more time by frying them in a skillet with some bacon fat. Some people also scramble eggs into the fried greens. You may add salt and pepper to taste, and some people like a little vinegar on them.

[Shotgun Franklin]

Historically this was the food of the very poor. Some people develop a taste for it, yeah I once met that guy. I've seen the plants as tall as a one story building. As mentioned, the small leaves are the ones kinda fit to eat. I knew a Lady who poisoned her new husband by not cooking the stuff long enough, he did live. It grows throughout Southeast Texas. It's a PITB to mess with and if our greens are available the pokeweed is passed by.

[Texas Lawdog]

Major 2, I saw Tony Joe in concert in Amarillo in 69 or 70.

[Delmonico]

More than just food for the poor, poke weed appears in the spring a lot of times before any garden greens appear, in the days before fresh veggies and fruits flown into grocery stores it was a cure for scurvy and rich and poor alike really are glad to do about anything to get rid of it after a long winter.

[Major 2]

Interesting stuff fellows... just from a song I started to read about it..

I have it here, I just called it Nightshade and cut it down so the Horses did not try it....

I think I'll shy away from eating it

[Delmonico]

Poke weed and nightshade are in different families.  Nightshade is related to tobacco, potatoes, peppers and tomatoes, poke weed is not related to any cultivated normal food species.

[Johnson Barr]

So lets look at other goodies from the Nightshade family; the tomato, the potato, eggplant and the entire pepper group (jalapeno, habenro, pimento, bell, etc.). I recently found that giving up my favorites help to relieve my arthritic joint pain. No kidding! The nightshade family is an infamitory to those of us that suffer joint pain. Give them up for 30 days and see for your self. I did and now I'm pain free but, gawd how I miss my taters and peppers. Sleeping through the night is of greater value to me.

[Shotgun Franklin]

The first two 'greens' of Spring are Chickweed and Scurvy Grass. Both are far better eating than Poke Weed.

[Delmonico]

The first two 'greens' of Spring are Chickweed and Scurvy Grass. Both are far better eating than Poke Weed.

They don't grow everywhere, poke weed is more widely distributed by far and Chickweed is an European plant that is more distributed now than in the past. Hence Poke Weed is more widely know as an early wild green. 

Wild onions are also a common scurvy cure in areas they are common such as the Great Plains but they have the draw back in the most common species Allium canadense of upon heavy usage of them causing problems with the thyroid gland to slow down the absorption of iodine, a real problem in the iodine poor diet on the Great Plains.  Maybe Jim Bridger's goiter problem stemmed from eating to many wild onions in the spring from his days as a fur trapper, at least that is one theory on it, but goiters were common in the early days of the settlement there, one reason iodized salt is the most common table salt in this country.   

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
I remember my granddaddy Brown liked Poke in the early spring . I remember going with him and helping ( probably was in the way ) as most 6 year old boys . That was a long time ago .

[Oregon Bill]

I had heard poke weed had to be prepared just right to be safe.
Johnson, a physical therapist advised me to give up nightshade family vegetables to reduce arthritis pain.  I'd rather live with the pain than without fresh tomatoes and 'tater salad.

[Major 2]

I had heard poke weed had to be prepared just right to be safe.
Johnson, a physical therapist advised me to give up nightshade family vegetables to reduce arthritis pain.  I'd rather live with the pain than without fresh tomatoes and 'tater salad.

I had heard the same about the nightshade family vegetables... and agree with you