I see a lot of comments on here about not liking bitter tasting food. I don't think anyone likes the taste of bitter things. However, during my cancer journey, I did so much research, reading books and internet sources of information. It became very clear that diet and lifestyle had everything to do with both getting cancer as well as overcoming cancer. I learned that bitter tasting foods are supposed to be especially effective in killing cancer cells. For instance the seed inside a peach pit was touted to cure cancer by some. I purchased a bag on line and ate several every day and wow, were they ever were bitter. Monkeys actually eat that bitter pit seed instead of the fruit. I did several things to fight the cancer. I give the credit to God for answering the many prayers that went up for me. Complete strangers would stop with conversation and leave promising to pray for me. The cancer was a rare and agressive cancer and against all odds, 6 years later I am still cancer free. Hallelujah !!
Most parents don't acclimate their babies-toddlers-young children to bitter or hot or spicy things. I think that's a mistake. I'm Indian, I fed my now 21 year old daughter the same way my ancestors did, and the way I was fed. She ate WHATEVER we ate, it just went through the blender. [Of course they didnt have the blender, 😋, so it was cut, then mashed up with liquid!!] Yeah, pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, steak, a fully loaded hotdog, a casserole, ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and red onion, pickles, sauerkraut, fried fish, tacos...It ALL went through the blender once she was about 6 months old. Sure, we had the money for store purchased "baby food", but I just thought I'd go with what sustained our family for literally thousands of years...and...we're all still here. I did check with her pediatrician who had no problems with this. My own, personal opinion is this: baby food is like any convenience food, same stuff, just overpriced and bland. When she first started eating "baby food" I just bought regular fruits and veggies, cleaned them, then sent them through the blender. I'd then freeze portions in ice trays. Yeah, we BOTH WORKED full time, has other hobbies and interests but it took about an hour on Saturday afternoon to make and freeze her whole weeks worth of food, while she and I played in the kitchen. SO WORTH IT!!
They say that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment...which means if you change a diet to almost pure organic alkaline based veggies n fruits it can help drastically.
My great Uncle Clyde used to pay all of us kids to pick him a ' mess of poke salad" every time he came to visit. Being so thrilled to get the money ( no allowance in my childhood) , that I never knew if he actually ever ate it ! I feel a twing of guilt for never finding that out. He gave us much joy on his vusits. Uncle Clyde served in WWII and came home not obly bodily injured, but his mind too. He used alcohol to chase the memories away and he just pulled away from the gurl he was gonna marry after he came home. He never spoke of the war , but I sent for his records- with his permission, in the 1990's a year before he died . They sent me a his medals and the citations. He was injured by artillery in a fox hole with some more men, one being his best friend , who died in that hole. Uncle Clyde never forgave himself for living I believe. I made sure he got a military funeral and that his medals were with him. He had 2 Bronze Stars for saving others and being under fire while doing it and he got two Purple Hearts as well. I lnow he found Peace finally at death that his life never gave him. Back then they were told they were "shell shocked" or cowards.....Thankfully , now they know the True cause and our soldiers are no longer made feel a coward or less of a person for the haunting nightmares war gives them.
These got planted by birds in my yard 3 years ago. Now I have scores of them all over the yard. I let 2 of them grow all-natural. Very neat and very fast-growing plants. This is the first year I discovered what they actually are. Mine are regrowing in the same spot from last year. This year the two from the same spot as last year are nearly 8 feet high.
My grandmother used to make it all the time, and so did my mother when we were growing up in Tennessee. I now live in Alabama and haven't thought about it in years. One day I saw some growing in my neighbors backyard, she was from Ohio and thought it a weed. Believe it or not I dug up several of the plants and transplanted them on the border of my backyard and the woods behind the house. They all lived and grow back every year and the birds have "planted" more in the woods. I do just as my grandmother and mother used to fix it; pick only the young tender leaves, boil 3 times, cook in a cast iron skillet, with bacon grease, scramble several eggs in with it in about a 50 / 50 mix, add a little salt to taste. The old family memories of the 60's come rushing back like in a time machine. Thanks for the video. Blessings to you and all those reading. I miss the good old days when no one locked their doors and we kids played outside everyday till dark. We came in to dinner, ate poke and chose one of the 3 black and white channels on TV, and watched Mutual of Ohmaha's Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins, and the Wonderful World of Disney. Those were the days!
Proud Papa I miss those days too Papa!! But my Momma didn’t make poke...so I’m going to make it for my grown adult children!!! They will get a kick out of it I’m sure...! 💜🙏🏼
So I never had it growing up. But I have it now growing in my Mother's Yard. The birds brought it into the yard a few years ago and we could never figure out what to do with it. I personally love the flowers and berries. It's a stunning plant. But it grows almost 15 feet tall in Northern California.
My favorite memories of childhood was "hunting poke" with my Dad and Grandma in Southeastern Oklahoma. We lived in a city, so sometimes on a Saturday Dad would get a brown paper bag and paring knife and holler, "load up"! The three of us would ride along back roads collecting as much as we could. We'd come home and Grandma would boil it, drain it, then fry it in bacon grease most of the time. The sweet little old lady that said she put sugar in it was right! Sometimes they called it salad because on occasion Grandma made a "dressing" in a skillet of; 3 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar and 2-3 more tbsp of bacon grease and let it simmer until it thickened a little, then poured it over the fried or boiled leaves. It's the best when put on top of buttered homemade cornbread. Yes, if you can believe it, it does cure cancer!!! But don't declare that too much or it'll be banned in the U.S.!!!
My grandmother made a dandelion salad with that dressing! Sometimes she would add the whites of boiled eggs as well to the dandelion salad. I have a few huge poke plants in my yard, I will be using it this upcoming year. It's getting late now but I gathered a few leaves to dry and use in my magick.
I have a literal forest. It was over 10 ft tall last year. The roots were over 20 inches long and 6 inches thick. I was told the berry is also toxic, even if it touches the skin. They absolutely were pretty. And apparently the Grey Catbirds LOVED the berries. Ive had the berry juice all over me with ZERO issues, but I have no issues with oak, ivy, nor sumac poisons either. Instead Im super allergic to weird stuff like jalapenos and perfumes.
I pick the leaves when young - boil it and drain it and boil it again.... then I put into zip bags to freeze to have all year long.... I thaw it and fry it up in bacon grease with chopped onions and stir up couple egg yolks and stir in to the greens... Polk Salat...... love it (picked 55 gallon trash bags of the stuff to put up)
Don't chew the berries and don't eat more than one or two the first day you eat one. Inside the little seeds is poison; but left un-chewed and swallowed is OK. Also, some only eat leaves/stripped stalk in May and June as the middle vein turns red as summer ripens them and they grow larger; but you can cut the red vein out of the middle of the leaves when all they all get big in August/September and even October if it stays warm. Like the elder lady said, she sometimes puts a little bit of sugar. I like a tiny bit of honey to take the bite off the taste, but i think spinach has a bite to it too, like Arugula. Maybe her daughter didn't know she put that little bit of sugar in it sometimes lol ~she was adorable. i never used the stalk, but i think i will try that next Spring! Stinging Nettles grows even more abundant here in upper-Ozarks and it has a much milder flavor; a very mild flavor, indeed, for greens, no aftertaste at all! You have to wear gloves to cut Stinging Nettles as they are barbed all under leaves and on stems; but when you dump a mess into boiling water and take it off the heat immediately, it instantly melts the barbs completely. Nothing more pleasant than a soup based in Stinging Nettles or to eat them like you would cooked spinach and very much a relief to arthritis. The very young Spring leaves haven't developed barbs and are good raw, like in a salad. ~Bon Appetit!
Are the stalks and leaves still posionous in the winter? I have quite a few dead ones in my yard.. I worry about my animals accidentally eating part of it because sometimes they eat snow.
My grandson and I had polkweed for the first time last week. It grows as a weed in my yard here in Massachusetts. After watching a video on the preparation of it, we boiled it 3 times and added sal, pepper and butter. We could not tell the difference between polkweed or spinach. My grandson loved it!! As did I. We have identified 12 different wild edibles on my 1/2 acre. Last year we found a puffball mushroom the size of a soccer ball behind my shed. Cleaned it and cut it up into little pieces and fried them in butter with farm fresh eggs. Sooooo yummy.
Really interesting because many young folks and herbalists keep saying that pokeweed is sooo toxic. So, maybe they should watch your channel first before they make claims. I live in northern Maine and we have a lot of poke weed around, so I have to try your recipes. Thanks for sharing!
I've always heard that the Pokeweed Plant was toxic, but had medicinal qualities if used properly. I've always just steered clear of it. Thanks for this video, I had no idea that this plant is and has been used as a common food source.
My daughter lives in my other house, the back yard became over grown. I went down there to clean the yard up because my town issues weed violations. I have pokeweed there in abundance. At first, I thought it was milkweed, so I left it there. Now I see it is pokeweed. I’m going to share your video, so when mosey neighbors, that have nothing better to do than climb my privacy fence to get pictures for court, (he told me and showed me the pics on his phone) I can honestly say, He doesn’t know weeds from garden food. I have spearmint as well. I don’t see why I have to level it to the ground. I planted it many years ago. Thank you for your video sir.
It is illegal to take pictures of private property that can't be seen from a public easement. So if your nosey neighbor is climbing your privacy fence and taking pictures of your property he is breaking the law.
Julie Miller now you can say that your back yard is NOT over grown... it’s your “Back To Eden” garden!! Check out what the garden I’m speaking about on the internet!!! 💜🙏🏼🤷♀️💋😁
Thank you so much for your informative guide on poke. I have a few questions regarding the 'one poke berry per day' arthritis/rheumatism remedy: 1. How old were you when you first began taking poke berry-was there pre-existing arthritis upon beginning treatment, or did you start taking it solely as a preventative measure; 2. If arthritis/rheumatism was already present, how long before you noticed relief of your symptoms (days, weeks, or months?), and has your doctor noted any reversal of joint inflammation/damage with diagnostic scans (X-ray/MRI) after a particular length of time with the poke berry protocol; 3. What is the best time of day to take the poke berry and is it best effective taken with, or without food-i.e., upon waking on an empty stomach, after coffee or with breakfast, or just before bed (on an empty stomach) in the evenings?
I am now 80 and was raised on poke..... My Dad used to fry the stems after rolling them in cornmeal.... I love the stuff but it isn't available where I now live.... My great Aunt raised my Dad on it and she passed away at 104 years of age..... Like fried green tomatoes, it isn't what you would call a pleasant taste, but once you've eaten it it becomes very desirable....
If it doesn't taste good your not cooking it right daddy would gather the poke about12in.high and momma would boil it and then fry it in fatback grease and add eggs to the poke salad and my grandpa and daddy made poke berry wine for arthritis medicine1tbl.spoon a day
Poke can be found in the cities because birds poop there too. 😁 I live in a city now. While walking up the sidewalk I smelled poke. Its growing up through the bushes so I'm going to harvest the seeds. Don't eat poke growing in sprayed areas! (Goes without saying but some people may need to know.) Go poke hunting. I bet you'll find some!
Wow! Thank you! This stuff grew on our property when I was a kid, and we were fascinated by it. One year (I was maybe 10) we made "paint" with it (adding a lot of other weird ingredients, one of which I think was mustard) and were surprised when the neighbors didn't want to buy our wonderful paint. LOL! I always thought the stuff was poisonous, so we never touched it, but I knew there was something "special" about it. Then almost 50 years later I look at my youtube feed and say, "What? I know that plant!" I am so thrilled to learn of it's healing and food properties. Soon as I get land again, I'm going to make sure that I find a way to grow a poke patch.
@@kittimcconnell2633 Good idea for when I move back to NY. I've never seen it growing here in Orlando, Fl or nearabouts. Not a lot of farm roads here either. :)
Lion Gladden I’m in Ocala, just north of Orlando, and with all due respect... Poke is all over the place in Florida!!! You just haven’t been paying attention!! 🦁 I’m sure that if you look closely, you will find poke EVERYWHERE!!! 💜🙏🏼
@@jackipalmer5680 Fantastic to know I'll have to head out towards that way. Where I live it's mostly concrete on top of concrete. Will definitely keep my eye out.
I have been eating floured and fried poke stalk for 60 years..! I and my family always cut it when it was 2-3 ft. tall . All we ever done was remove the leaves and slightly peel what ever was necessary- rinsed it off- flour and fried it to a medium crispy brown.. Damn good- I was raised on it and a lot of other wild plants..! it WILL NOT poison you..!
Can you eat the stalks raw? And do you eat the berries. I have some growing in my yard, and the berries look so good. I ate a few last year, and nothing happened to me. And what the leaves, can you eat them raw?
@DevaJones03 ... I already figured out that poke berries are NOT poisonous. I have some growing in my yard and I have been eating them, and nothing bad happened to me. And I ate them raw. I bet the leaves can be eaten raw too ... but they were bitter when I took a bite. I don't care too much for bitter food.
Sometimes the side effect appear much later and in a way where you don't make the connection, like stones, bladder, liver or other problems. I am not saying that is what will happen. It always depends on the dose and how tolerant one is and other factors. I would suggest boiling twice at least and eating the berries raw but very limited, maybe a few a day - this is my opinion, so you do what you feel is right for you. The best to all of you wild crafters. Stay healthy and informed!
@Gittl G. ... I have 100% faith in God and His natural foods ... they do not cause health problems. Any problems like stones, bladder, or liver problems are the direct result of consuming unnatural foods which do not digest and process through the body correctly, and clog everything up ... and btw, cooking is not natural. It is best to eat God's food just exactly the way HE created them ... fresh, and raw ... just like all the animals in the wild do. Cooking destroys most of the nutrition, which leads to faster aging and other probems.
You mention that the poke seeds must have been in the ground for years before they sprouted. I had a boxelder tree uproot in a severe storm one year and that year I had red berry elderberry come up. The seed from the elderberry had to have been in the ground amongst the roots of the boxelder 100 years. It amazes me how long seeds can stay viable when buried deep enough in the ground and sprout as soon as they are exposed to the air and sun.
My Mom and Dad used to harvest the young leaves and my Mom used to boil and season the leaves - yummy! Plus my Mom was so happy when a poke sallet plant popped up because she said seeing one brought back sweet childhood memories of her harvesting & eating the leaves with her Mom too 💕
Ate it cooked in a cast iron skillet with eggs growing up. We never boiled the poke leaves but only used young leaves picked when the plant was just a foot or so tall. Smeared the berries on our face and went on the warpath also.
Thank you for teaching me something brand new. It was a pleasure learning about the nutritional and medicinal values of something that grows wild.! With food prices subject to sky rocket because of all the drenched rain flooded gardens this could be like green gold!
My Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer at an early age..1930's..the old timey doc told her to eat poke Sally.. she did and the cancer disappeared... from that time on she prepared it for family every year afterwards.. None in the family of nine children ever came down with cancer in their lives...!?
My grandmother use to par boil it and cook it with turnip greens and we ate like a veggie. I was told that if you don't boil it, it would make you sick. We call it "poke salad"...😁
The old people in the Appalachians always called it Poke Salat, and I think they spelled it that way. Means "salad", but it's never consumed as a salad !
My property is covered in poison ivy (as well as tons of wild plantain, the remedy for rash I just learned) but my grandmother has farmed here since 1940's, and neither my mother nor father get a reaction. ALL of their descendants seem to have inherited this immunity to poison ivy (we've all played in it😂🌱) much to the dismay of many partners who have MAJOR reactions. 5 generations strong. Just thought I would share!
I’m immune to poison ivy and poison oak as well, I pull it out of our back garden or wherever I see it all the time, just with my bare hands, I’ve never had even so much as an itch or a bump from it.
Ate it all my life I'm 67 now(still work in full time). Learned from my mom who was born in Marked Tree, Arkansas. I use the leaves all year, I only boil once and rinse thoroughly. Never thought about eating the stem, ill try it. You can mix it with other greens, it's got a sharp flavor, really good, and it's never hurt me. It's certainly not " deadly poisonous", and you don't have to boil it eighty times! It's the best of the greens, imo.
Mom cut the stalks, coated it in corn meal and fried it like okra. When we went camping, we picked and fried it with wild ramps in an iron skillet. Delicious
I'm from eastern Kentucky and we use polk in a salad. We cook it with Plantin, another (weed) that grows in yards, bottoms and fields. They are delicious together.
When these elderly people pass away and we have not learned from their culinary skills and from their upbringing in finding food that the land grows wild we will be very sad because I fear one day time's could get very hard and those who live in the cities will be the first ones to die because they rely on the grocery stores much like a lot of us but the elderly who live in the country can rely on their upbringing and the things they were taught by their parents and grandparents where they can find and forage food in the wild and live a healthy life in spite of the difficult times. We must start asking questions and listening now.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video!! I found this plant in my yard here in Oregon, and i was told it was poisonous!♡♡♡ now i have the REAL info from you!
I have watched thousands of videos on youtube, but this one is probably the best one I've ever seen. Thank you so much. When I was a young girl I used to cook poke salad, but had forgotten so much about it. Thank you for all the recipes & things to look for. I had no idea the berries could be taken medicinally! We were always told they were deadly.
I live in San Francisco and saw one growing up in a fenced in lot nearby where a neighbor had had an antique shop that was bulldozed. I didn't know what it was but I took a lot of photos and online learned what it was. Well I was so impressed I ordered a rooting from a nursery and I planted one in a tub in front of our apartment building today. I've warned the neighbors not to touch it when and if it comes up. I'm more interested in how it looks than how it tastes.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us! I didn't know what I had volunteered in my garden. I did pull some out after finding it to be poisonous, but I left some to grow for it's beauty in my wild area. I'd love to try 1 berry for arthritis but I'm still a little scared. I will research further, but I'm happy to learn about this from someone who has real experience with it. God Bless You.
Very good presentation on pokeweed. I always have a "spring" cooking of poke. My grandmother taught me to use it and I love it. You gave me a few new ideas to help enjoy it all year long. Thank you.
Do you know of a use for the ripe berries? I have several poke plants just loaded with berries and I hate to throw them away if I could use them to treat cancer or arthritis either one.
Where I come from, we lived off this stuff, many ways to cook it, however my grandmother would boil it three times, pour off the water, and then boil it again...it’s good. I don’t know how it reproduces, but it grew everywhere in our pasture.
Ive had this growing in my yard in Suburbs of Detroit, Mi for two yrs now. Ive read it was poisonous unless cooked right. Great Video! Thank you! Honestly, i believe this plant arrived after cleaning my birds cage & extra seed feed of hers got into the soil. My reason for believing this is because i sprayed the tray of her cage off into that soiled area & ended up with corn stalks growing even between cracks of the pavement in my patio just infront of that soil area. Along with other plants i couldnt identify at the time. I'll research more on the berries. I have terrible arthritis in my back and hips with severe pain daily. Im looking for more holistic approaches to subsiding the pain. Any thoughts and or suggestions ate Greatly appreciated. Thanks y'all :) wishing happy healthy lives for all.
I’m in California and can tell you it’s everywhere here, now that I know it’s something to eat, etc., I can’t wait to go out in my pasture and go poke hunting!
Thank you for the information. I bought a house a few years back in Ohio, and noticed these plants popping up on the side of my house that gets the most shade. I know nothing about plants and flowers, but I thought they were pretty and I was shocked at how big they got and how fast they grew. This year I decided to let them grow to see how tall they would get and I have one now that must be about nine or 10 feet tall! Doubt if I will use it to cook but it’s good to know more about it. It reminds me of that old song Polk Salad Annie, lol!! ❤️
Thank you for this great video. I have lots of it growing in my yard in Illinois. I think it's beautiful, but thought it was poisonous until now. I have had people stop to take take pictures of the ones in my yard because they grow so tall!
In north Georgia. Cut down a holly tree in December that was too big and too close to the house. It was definitely over 10 years old and suddenly we have the first pokeweeds that I've seen on the property growing within a couple feet of the stump. Most likely birds enjoying berries from both plants I suppose. Just wanted to share because we had a very similar experience.
My grandmother was from Grundy Virginia she was off of the Cherokee reservation she went to Pikeville Kentucky to live my mother grew up there she used to give my mother pokeberry cough syrup which she made my grandmother made
My 94 yr old neighbor used to eat the young leaves in spring with eggs. But she told me that her daddy used to make a wine from the berries and keep it cool in the stream on their farm. Tripped me out. Haha
I learned how to make poke from my granny. We only boil it one time instead of three for about 20 minutes. Rinse it good with cold water and fry in bacon grease and a couple eggs and the crumbled bacon at the end. I also keep a poke patch on my back yard
Been in Michigan all my life. About 7 years ago Polk started appearing. Warmer temperatures. I leave them alone marvel at their beautiful shapes height and berries
@@b-rad2699 To me it tastes just like spinach. You boil and drain it two to three times, then fry it in skillet and scramble an egg in it with some bacon grease and
My Grandma always cooked the younger leaves in with some fresh spinach, after the three boilings and washings. She had to have it once every Spring. She called it her 'tonic'. I was always told the berries were poisonous, though. I'd like to try that one-a-day for arthritis... I know Mountain folks know natural medicine better than I do!
My grandmother came to live with us in Memphis Tennessee and almost went crazy when she saw the Poke Salad. We had no idea what it was. She used to cook it with Green's. We started eating it all the time.
A very informative and entertaining video! A poke plant came up in my dry yard in California last year. I don't see another on the whole property, but I plan to spread some of the seeds down in the basin. I spin and weave and look forward to doing some wool dyeing when the berries are ripe. Thank you!
The pokeweed in my yard totally kicked out the Joe Pye Weed I tried to get eatablished, but now that I know you can eat the leaves all season and not just very early spring, I've made my peace with the plant. I've seen this stubborn plant grow in sidewalk cracks in the city.
We would serve the leaves with pickled banana pepper juice or vinegar and the sliced pickled banana pepper with a sliced boiled egg or two. We also cooked the leaves in bacon grease with the bacon. Don't remember ever doing the 3 boil part and we never ate the stalks.
Excellent !! I'm from Southwest Iowa.. Got lots of Polk Weed.. it is awesome, but... I haven't tried eating it yet. I didn't know the facts or any recipes.. The hamburger style looks like a winner.. the bowl of greens looks great too. I'm now a Vegan, health reasons, turned 62, and I'm going to share this info with my family.. a berry a day for arthritis, great.. God bless you all.. Loved your video.. ♥️👍♥️
I once read a medical report on experiments using poke berry to fight childhood leukemia. Should still be out there on the web. I also read that the Native Americans used poke as a purgative . . . feeling a little sick or plugged up, a few leaves unboiled will clean you out good. Nothing wrong with that! For anyone, go slow, see how your body reacts. I think there is also a difference when it grows in places that maybe aren't as clean as others.
I have done a little research on pokeweed and have found out that in Lincoln County, KY there is another type of pokeweed plant called Phytolacca Decandra. What do you know about this plant? Evidently it is only used In homeopathic preparations, but may have some other medicinal properties. Will poke seed last without having to refrigerate it?
I cut mine at about 4"-6" tall, and just a quick wash in the sink with cold water, then saute in butter, salt, and pepper until nice and tender, then eat. I do not boil it first. I take the larger leaves, wash them, then almost deep fry in bacon grease, dry on a paper towel, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. They become pretty crispy, and taste MUCH better than potato chips! My family actually laughs at the notion of boiling it in a change or two of water, but none of us are allergic to it either.
Thanks for your interesting video about Pokeweed! I live in Indiana & have one by my fence that comes up every year & it is so beautiful! There are a bunch of small ones now too. I never knew what it was called! I just happened to come across your video tonight!👍😁
One correction. Pokeweed is prevalent throughout the northeast. My yard in New Jersey has pokeweed growing throughout sections of the yard. (Also a sassafras tree)
Thank you for sharing your love of poke. I have taken a berry while to gently move lymph. I have eaten the young greens, but this is the first I’ve heard of preparing and eating the stalk and leaves.
I had a feeling that I could use this plant! But the ones in my yard are more sprawly than tall and the leaves are much smaller.. The berries look the same. Thanks for all the wonderful information and letting us see what exactly you do with it!!
Mom knew when to pick it. Then she would boil the leaves and the stalk . drain and refrigerate . then toss with cornmeal and fry. I loved it with pinto beans. .
I enjoyed watching how you cook this beautiful plant. We have them here in California's Northern Central Valley. Apparently, years ago, the wine growers used them to color some wines red.
I came to this video because I had a pot with dirt in it under my deck. I noticed the distinctive leaves and color and thought it was pretty so I didn't get ride of it; even though I didn't have a clue what it was. As the weeks went by I noticed it flowering and soon after the green berries. I thought it could be poisonous and so I've never touched it, just watered it along with my other veggies. Just last week they started turning purple so I decided to take a picture and post to a Fb gardening group I'm in. One person identified it and I have been on the mission to find out more ever since because I had never heard of it before.
Peel the pink off and save it to make a fungicidal wash.. Eat the rest: boiled, fried, baked in bread, berries as pies or jelly.. Europeans used the berries to color wine.. I don't throw out the water it's boiled in.. Usually I make it into a medicine that promotes healing with little scab formation and the scabs never get hard or itchy.. It's good for so many things..
When you throw out that water you throw out a lot of water-soluble nutrients.. At the very least put the water on your compost.. Batter and fry those stems and leaves..
Can you eat the stalks raw? And do you eat the berries? I have some growing in my yard, and the berries look so good. I ate a few last year, and nothing happened to me. And what about the leaves, can you eat them raw?
I was raised on Polk I love my fried poke hair grows all over the place here in Indiana with that comes wild black mustard love that two also fried with bacon
i love poke salad ,wash it really good in salt water ,boil it about 5mnts ,fry up some fatback chop up Vidalia onions with stalk ,drain poke salad add to fried fatback grease n onions cook 20mnts whip 2 eggs optional add in salt n pepper 1 tbls sugar ,simmer 10 mnts make big pan of cornbread eat up Delicious !!🤗
I have read Polk has a high concentration of vitamin A. This is the reason it is boiled and the water poured off 3 times. Some people are sensitive to a high concentration of vitamin A.
tell her that poke weed gives food and water to 27 varieties(in MarylAND) and likely equally as many in her area, It saves their lives during draughts.suggest she greens the plants for the birds
I have Polk salad often and raised on it so folks came n from Indiana and I gathered a mess . Washed and salted it then rinse . Then cook in crockpot a little bacon just wonderful
I see a lot of comments on here about not liking bitter tasting food. I don't think anyone likes the taste of bitter things. However, during my cancer journey, I did so much research, reading books and internet sources of information. It became very clear that diet and lifestyle had everything to do with both getting cancer as well as overcoming cancer. I learned that bitter tasting foods are supposed to be especially effective in killing cancer cells.
For instance the seed inside a peach pit was touted to cure cancer by some. I purchased a bag on line and ate several every day and wow, were they ever were bitter. Monkeys actually eat that bitter pit seed instead of the fruit. I did several things to fight the cancer. I give the credit to God for answering the many prayers that went up for me. Complete strangers would stop with conversation and leave promising to pray for me. The cancer was a rare and agressive cancer and against all odds, 6 years later I am still cancer free. Hallelujah !!
Most parents don't acclimate their babies-toddlers-young children to bitter or hot or spicy things. I think that's a mistake. I'm Indian, I fed my now 21 year old daughter the same way my ancestors did, and the way I was fed. She ate WHATEVER we ate, it just went through the blender. [Of course they didnt have the blender, 😋, so it was cut, then mashed up with liquid!!] Yeah, pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, steak, a fully loaded hotdog, a casserole, ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and red onion, pickles, sauerkraut, fried fish, tacos...It ALL went through the blender once she was about 6 months old. Sure, we had the money for store purchased "baby food", but I just thought I'd go with what sustained our family for literally thousands of years...and...we're all still here. I did check with her pediatrician who had no problems with this. My own, personal opinion is this: baby food is like any convenience food, same stuff, just overpriced and bland. When she first started eating "baby food" I just bought regular fruits and veggies, cleaned them, then sent them through the blender. I'd then freeze portions in ice trays. Yeah, we BOTH WORKED full time, has other hobbies and interests but it took about an hour on Saturday afternoon to make and freeze her whole weeks worth of food, while she and I played in the kitchen. SO WORTH IT!!
They say that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment...which means if you change a diet to almost pure organic alkaline based veggies n fruits it can help drastically.
Blessings 🙌
Praise God
My great Uncle Clyde used to pay all of us kids to pick him a ' mess of poke salad" every time he came to visit. Being so thrilled to get the money ( no allowance in my childhood) , that I never knew if he actually ever ate it ! I feel a twing of guilt for never finding that out. He gave us much joy on his vusits. Uncle Clyde served in WWII and came home not obly bodily injured, but his mind too. He used alcohol to chase the memories away and he just pulled away from the gurl he was gonna marry after he came home. He never spoke of the war , but I sent for his records- with his permission, in the 1990's a year before he died . They sent me a his medals and the citations. He was injured by artillery in a fox hole with some more men, one being his best friend , who died in that hole. Uncle Clyde never forgave himself for living I believe. I made sure he got a military funeral and that his medals were with him. He had 2 Bronze Stars for saving others and being under fire while doing it and he got two Purple Hearts as well. I lnow he found Peace finally at death that his life never gave him. Back then they were told they were "shell shocked" or cowards.....Thankfully , now they know the True cause and our soldiers are no longer made feel a coward or less of a person for the haunting nightmares war gives them.
These got planted by birds in my yard 3 years ago. Now I have scores of them all over the yard. I let 2 of them grow all-natural. Very neat and very fast-growing plants. This is the first year I discovered what they actually are.
Mine are regrowing in the same spot from last year. This year the two from the same spot as last year are nearly 8 feet high.
My grandmother used to make it all the time, and so did my mother when we were growing up in Tennessee. I now live in Alabama and haven't thought about it in years. One day I saw some growing in my neighbors backyard, she was from Ohio and thought it a weed. Believe it or not I dug up several of the plants and transplanted them on the border of my backyard and the woods behind the house. They all lived and grow back every year and the birds have "planted" more in the woods. I do just as my grandmother and mother used to fix it; pick only the young tender leaves, boil 3 times, cook in a cast iron skillet, with bacon grease, scramble several eggs in with it in about a 50 / 50 mix, add a little salt to taste. The old family memories of the 60's come rushing back like in a time machine. Thanks for the video. Blessings to you and all those reading. I miss the good old days when no one locked their doors and we kids played outside everyday till dark. We came in to dinner, ate poke and chose one of the 3 black and white channels on TV, and watched Mutual of Ohmaha's Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins, and the Wonderful World of Disney. Those were the days!
Proud Papa -I too remember❣
Proud Papa I miss those days too Papa!! But my Momma didn’t make poke...so I’m going to make it for my grown adult children!!! They will get a kick out of it I’m sure...! 💜🙏🏼
Yep we got 2 channels and of course poke salad was eaten still do I omit the eggs don't like green eggs
So I never had it growing up. But I have it now growing in my Mother's Yard. The birds brought it into the yard a few years ago and we could never figure out what to do with it. I personally love the flowers and berries. It's a stunning plant. But it grows almost 15 feet tall in Northern California.
My favorite memories of childhood was "hunting poke" with my Dad and Grandma in Southeastern Oklahoma. We lived in a city, so sometimes on a Saturday Dad would get a brown paper bag and paring knife and holler, "load up"! The three of us would ride along back roads collecting as much as we could. We'd come home and Grandma would boil it, drain it, then fry it in bacon grease most of the time.
The sweet little old lady that said she put sugar in it was right! Sometimes they called it salad because on occasion Grandma made a "dressing" in a skillet of; 3 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar and 2-3 more tbsp of bacon grease and let it simmer until it thickened a little, then poured it over the fried or boiled leaves. It's the best when put on top of buttered homemade cornbread.
Yes, if you can believe it, it does cure cancer!!! But don't declare that too much or it'll be banned in the U.S.!!!
My grandmother made a dandelion salad with that dressing! Sometimes she would add the whites of boiled eggs as well to the dandelion salad. I have a few huge poke plants in my yard, I will be using it this upcoming year. It's getting late now but I gathered a few leaves to dry and use in my magick.
I have a literal forest. It was over 10 ft tall last year. The roots were over 20 inches long and 6 inches thick. I was told the berry is also toxic, even if it touches the skin. They absolutely were pretty. And apparently the Grey Catbirds LOVED the berries. Ive had the berry juice all over me with ZERO issues, but I have no issues with oak, ivy, nor sumac poisons either. Instead Im super allergic to weird stuff like jalapenos and perfumes.
I pick the leaves when young - boil it and drain it and boil it again.... then I put into zip bags to freeze to have all year long.... I thaw it and fry it up in bacon grease with chopped onions and stir up couple egg yolks and stir in to the greens... Polk Salat...... love it (picked 55 gallon trash bags of the stuff to put up)
Do u have to cook it before u freeze it. Cause I put mine up raw in freezer.
@@traceykays433yes, boil it & drain ,squeeze water out first. Then freeze
Don't chew the berries and don't eat more than one or two the first day you eat one. Inside the little seeds is poison; but left un-chewed and swallowed is OK. Also, some only eat leaves/stripped stalk in May and June as the middle vein turns red as summer ripens them and they grow larger; but you can cut the red vein out of the middle of the leaves when all they all get big in August/September and even October if it stays warm. Like the elder lady said, she sometimes puts a little bit of sugar. I like a tiny bit of honey to take the bite off the taste, but i think spinach has a bite to it too, like Arugula. Maybe her daughter didn't know she put that little bit of sugar in it sometimes lol ~she was adorable. i never used the stalk, but i think i will try that next Spring!
Stinging Nettles grows even more abundant here in upper-Ozarks and it has a much milder flavor; a very mild flavor, indeed, for greens, no aftertaste at all! You have to wear gloves to cut Stinging Nettles as they are barbed all under leaves and on stems; but when you dump a mess into boiling water and take it off the heat immediately, it instantly melts the barbs completely. Nothing more pleasant than a soup based in Stinging Nettles or to eat them like you would cooked spinach and very much a relief to arthritis. The very young Spring leaves haven't developed barbs and are good raw, like in a salad. ~Bon Appetit!
Are the stalks and leaves still posionous in the winter? I have quite a few dead ones in my yard.. I worry about my animals accidentally eating part of it because sometimes they eat snow.
Thank you for sharing your story and the information is great to know
We used to cut stalk,peel the outer layer, cut it up and bread it with cornmeal and fry it like fried okra. Tastes like Fried okra. Yummy!
My grandson and I had polkweed for the first time last week. It grows as a weed in my yard here in Massachusetts. After watching a video on the preparation of it, we boiled it 3 times and added sal, pepper and butter. We could not tell the difference between polkweed or spinach. My grandson loved it!! As did I. We have identified 12 different wild edibles on my 1/2 acre. Last year we found a puffball mushroom the size of a soccer ball behind my shed. Cleaned it and cut it up into little pieces and fried them in butter with farm fresh eggs. Sooooo yummy.
Love all of the old timer comments, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
"but we did and we lived"
I love that statement.😅
i remember eating this at my grand parents home. i couldn't get/eat enough of it. long forgoten.
Really interesting because many young folks and herbalists keep saying that pokeweed is sooo toxic. So, maybe they should watch your channel first before they make claims. I live in northern Maine and we have a lot of poke weed around, so I have to try your recipes. Thanks for sharing!
I've always heard that the Pokeweed Plant was toxic, but had medicinal qualities if used properly. I've always just steered clear of it. Thanks for this video, I had no idea that this plant is and has been used as a common food source.
My daughter lives in my other house, the back yard became over grown. I went down there to clean the yard up because my town issues weed violations. I have pokeweed there in abundance. At first, I thought it was milkweed, so I left it there. Now I see it is pokeweed. I’m going to share your video, so when mosey neighbors, that have nothing better to do than climb my privacy fence to get pictures for court, (he told me and showed me the pics on his phone) I can honestly say, He doesn’t know weeds from garden food. I have spearmint as well. I don’t see why I have to level it to the ground. I planted it many years ago. Thank you for your video sir.
It is illegal to take pictures of private property that can't be seen from a public easement. So if your nosey neighbor is climbing your privacy fence and taking pictures of your property he is breaking the law.
And there are always rocks honey❣
@@lindamaemullins3086 Yes indeed! Lol
Julie Miller now you can say that your back yard is NOT over grown... it’s your “Back To Eden” garden!! Check out what the garden I’m speaking about on the internet!!! 💜🙏🏼🤷♀️💋😁
Thank you so much for your informative guide on poke. I have a few questions regarding the 'one poke berry per day' arthritis/rheumatism remedy:
1. How old were you when you first began taking poke berry-was there pre-existing arthritis upon beginning treatment, or did you start taking it solely as a preventative measure;
2. If arthritis/rheumatism was already present, how long before you noticed relief of your symptoms (days, weeks, or months?), and has your doctor noted any reversal of joint inflammation/damage with diagnostic scans (X-ray/MRI) after a particular length of time with the poke berry protocol;
3. What is the best time of day to take the poke berry and is it best effective taken with, or without food-i.e., upon waking on an empty stomach, after coffee or with breakfast, or just before bed (on an empty stomach) in the evenings?
I use to help my great grandmother gather poke and cook it with Indian fine cornmeal, fried. She was Cherokee. We made many other foods.
I am now 80 and was raised on poke..... My Dad used to fry the stems after rolling them in cornmeal.... I love the stuff but it isn't available where I now live.... My great Aunt raised my Dad on it and she passed away at 104 years of age..... Like fried green tomatoes, it isn't what you would call a pleasant taste, but once you've eaten it it becomes very desirable....
80? wow I guess it must be like the fountain of youth too
I have so much pokeweed but I'm scared of it
If it doesn't taste good your not cooking it right daddy would gather the poke about12in.high and momma would boil it and then fry it in fatback grease and add eggs to the poke salad and my grandpa and daddy made poke berry wine for arthritis medicine1tbl.spoon a day
Poke can be found in the cities because birds poop there too. 😁
I live in a city now. While walking up the sidewalk I smelled poke. Its growing up through the bushes so I'm going to harvest the seeds.
Don't eat poke growing in sprayed areas! (Goes without saying but some people may need to know.)
Go poke hunting. I bet you'll find some!
I think fried green tomatoes taste incredible.
Wow! Thank you! This stuff grew on our property when I was a kid, and we were fascinated by it. One year (I was maybe 10) we made "paint" with it (adding a lot of other weird ingredients, one of which I think was mustard) and were surprised when the neighbors didn't want to buy our wonderful paint. LOL! I always thought the stuff was poisonous, so we never touched it, but I knew there was something "special" about it. Then almost 50 years later I look at my youtube feed and say, "What? I know that plant!"
I am so thrilled to learn of it's healing and food properties. Soon as I get land again, I'm going to make sure that I find a way to grow a poke patch.
It grows wild along farm roads in fence lines, you could collect it there if you do not get your own land
@@kittimcconnell2633 Good idea for when I move back to NY. I've never seen it growing here in Orlando, Fl or nearabouts. Not a lot of farm roads here either. :)
Lion Gladden I’m in Ocala, just north of Orlando, and with all due respect... Poke is all over the place in Florida!!! You just haven’t been paying attention!! 🦁 I’m sure that if you look closely, you will find poke EVERYWHERE!!! 💜🙏🏼
@@jackipalmer5680 Fantastic to know I'll have to head out towards that way. Where I live it's mostly concrete on top of concrete. Will definitely keep my eye out.
I have been eating floured and fried poke stalk for 60 years..! I and my family always cut it when it was 2-3 ft. tall . All we ever done was remove the leaves and slightly peel what ever was necessary- rinsed it off- flour and fried it to a medium crispy brown.. Damn good- I was raised on it and a lot of other wild plants..! it WILL NOT poison you..!
Can you eat the stalks raw? And do you eat the berries. I have some growing in my yard, and the berries look so good. I ate a few last year, and nothing happened to me. And what the leaves, can you eat them raw?
Peace To All I wouldn't suggest eating the leaves raw but cooked yes eat them.
@DevaJones03 ... I already figured out that poke berries are NOT poisonous. I have some growing in my yard and I have been eating them, and nothing bad happened to me. And I ate them raw. I bet the leaves can be eaten raw too ... but they were bitter when I took a bite. I don't care too much for bitter food.
Sometimes the side effect appear much later and in a way where you don't make the connection, like stones, bladder, liver or other problems. I am not saying that is what will happen. It always depends on the dose and how tolerant one is and other factors. I would suggest boiling twice at least and eating the berries raw but very limited, maybe a few a day - this is my opinion, so you do what you feel is right for you. The best to all of you wild crafters. Stay healthy and informed!
@Gittl G. ... I have 100% faith in God and His natural foods ... they do not cause health problems. Any problems like stones, bladder, or liver problems are the direct result of consuming unnatural foods which do not digest and process through the body correctly, and clog everything up ... and btw, cooking is not natural. It is best to eat God's food just exactly the way HE created them ... fresh, and raw ... just like all the animals in the wild do. Cooking destroys most of the nutrition, which leads to faster aging and other probems.
Yes thank you so much for the recipe. For the poke burger.
You mention that the poke seeds must have been in the ground for years before they sprouted.
I had a boxelder tree uproot in a severe storm one year and that year I had red berry elderberry come up.
The seed from the elderberry had to have been in the ground amongst the roots of the boxelder 100 years.
It amazes me how long seeds can stay viable when buried deep enough in the ground and sprout as soon as they are exposed to the air and sun.
My Mom and Dad used to harvest the young leaves and my Mom used to boil and season the leaves - yummy! Plus my Mom was so happy when a poke sallet plant popped up because she said seeing one brought back sweet childhood memories of her harvesting & eating the leaves with her Mom too 💕
Used as a primary food source during the great depression.
no wonder they are telling everyone in Europe to pull it out!
😯
The next great depression will start shortly...
@@angelawierda760 My Aunt would make jelly out of the the pokeberrys
@@Victor-iq5rd Famine on the way. Learn to forage, Folks.
Ate it cooked in a cast iron skillet with eggs growing up. We never boiled the poke leaves but only used young leaves picked when the plant was just a foot or so tall. Smeared the berries on our face and went on the warpath also.
the good old days ...
I live in Alabama. And my mama used to par boil it and then put it in eggs to be scrambled. And it was very good! And down here we call it poke salad.
Thank you for teaching me something brand new. It was a pleasure learning about the nutritional and medicinal values of something that grows wild.! With food prices subject to sky rocket because of all the drenched rain flooded gardens this could be like green gold!
Excellent information. I remember the song Poke Sally Anny. Now I know what they singing about. Thank you.
To Tess Jones, The song was
Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White
I sure wish the direction on the poke burger was more exact. I am thinking of adding finely chopped onions, garlic salt and cheese!!!
My Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer at an early age..1930's..the old timey doc told her to eat poke Sally.. she did and the cancer disappeared... from that time on she prepared it for family every year afterwards.. None in the family of nine children ever came down with cancer in their lives...!?
I Love Poke Sallet seasoned with bacon steaming in a bowl add boiled eggs chopped on top and a little red wine vinegar!
My grandmother use to par boil it and cook it with turnip greens and we ate like a veggie. I was told that if you don't boil it, it would make you sick. We call it "poke salad"...😁
The old people in the Appalachians always called it Poke Salat, and I think they spelled it that way. Means "salad", but it's never consumed as a salad !
@@notmyworld44 Would you use it in place of lettuce in a hot lettuce salad? Maybe you never heard of it. It is a PA Dutch side dish.
@thomas sullivan, How did she prepare it?
My property is covered in poison ivy (as well as tons of wild plantain, the remedy for rash I just learned) but my grandmother has farmed here since 1940's, and neither my mother nor father get a reaction. ALL of their descendants seem to have inherited this immunity to poison ivy (we've all played in it😂🌱) much to the dismay of many partners who have MAJOR reactions. 5 generations strong. Just thought I would share!
Thank you for the tip about wild plantain.
I’m immune to poison ivy and poison oak as well, I pull it out of our back garden or wherever I see it all the time, just with my bare hands, I’ve never had even so much as an itch or a bump from it.
Ate it all my life I'm 67 now(still work in full time). Learned from my mom who was born in Marked Tree, Arkansas. I use the leaves all year, I only boil once and rinse thoroughly. Never thought about eating the stem, ill try it. You can mix it with other greens, it's got a sharp flavor, really good, and it's never hurt me. It's certainly not " deadly poisonous", and you don't have to boil it eighty times! It's the best of the greens, imo.
I only boil it once too. I dont bother boiling the young leaves though.
Can never be too careful. There are different kinds... just found out used to sell in cans! Stopped because nobody was harvesting it.
Mom cut the stalks, coated it in corn meal and fried it like okra. When we went camping, we picked and fried it with wild ramps in an iron skillet. Delicious
@@summerfunrides I love ramps so much
❤ from Harrison born in London ark.
I'm from eastern Kentucky and we use polk in a salad. We cook it with Plantin, another (weed) that grows in yards, bottoms and fields. They are delicious together.
Plantin? Is that also called plantain because that grows as a weed all over the place where I live. And I'm growing pokeweed.
How do you cook it?
When these elderly people pass away and we have not learned from their culinary skills and from their upbringing in finding food that the land grows wild we will be very sad because I fear one day time's could get very hard and those who live in the cities will be the first ones to die because they rely on the grocery stores much like a lot of us but the elderly who live in the country can rely on their upbringing and the things they were taught by their parents and grandparents where they can find and forage food in the wild and live a healthy life in spite of the difficult times. We must start asking questions and listening now.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video!! I found this plant in my yard here in Oregon, and i was told it was poisonous!♡♡♡ now i have the REAL info from you!
I have watched thousands of videos on youtube, but this one is probably the best one I've ever seen. Thank you so much. When I was a young girl I used to cook poke salad, but had forgotten so much about it. Thank you for all the recipes & things to look for. I had no idea the berries could be taken medicinally! We were always told they were deadly.
We are very honored by your remarks - Thank you so much. We swallow the berry whole without chewing for arthritis.
@@earthhealing4090 How do you save them to where you can use them all year?
@@buddycarmine2254 This is a good question. I know that people freeze kale. So I suppose poke greens could be frozen too.
I live in San Francisco and saw one growing up in a fenced in lot nearby where a neighbor had had an antique shop that was bulldozed. I didn't know what it was but I took a lot of photos and online learned what it was. Well I was so impressed I ordered a rooting from a nursery and I planted one in a tub in front of our apartment building today. I've warned the neighbors not to touch it when and if it comes up. I'm more interested in how it looks than how it tastes.
Just realized that's what this is growing in my yard... I was just about to dig it up until I ran across this video ~ ~ thanks for the information....
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us! I didn't know what I had volunteered in my garden. I did pull some out after finding it to be poisonous, but I left some to grow for it's beauty in my wild area. I'd love to try 1 berry for arthritis but I'm still a little scared. I will research further, but I'm happy to learn about this from someone who has real experience with it. God Bless You.
You are the second gardener I've seen talking and waving around a knife today lol. Thank you for the excellent video.
After the boil and rinse process. when i cooked in the bacon grease I always scrambled an egg in mine.
Very good presentation on pokeweed. I always have a "spring" cooking of poke. My grandmother taught me to use it and I love it. You gave me a few new ideas to help enjoy it all year long. Thank you.
Do you know of a use for the ripe berries? I have several poke plants just loaded with berries and I hate to throw them away if I could use them to treat cancer or arthritis either one.
Where I come from, we lived off this stuff, many ways to cook it, however my grandmother would boil it three times, pour off the water, and then boil it again...it’s good. I don’t know how it reproduces, but it grew everywhere in our pasture.
Ive had this growing in my yard in Suburbs of Detroit, Mi for two yrs now. Ive read it was poisonous unless cooked right. Great Video! Thank you! Honestly, i believe this plant arrived after cleaning my birds cage & extra seed feed of hers got into the soil. My reason for believing this is because i sprayed the tray of her cage off into that soiled area & ended up with corn stalks growing even between cracks of the pavement in my patio just infront of that soil area. Along with other plants i couldnt identify at the time. I'll research more on the berries. I have terrible arthritis in my back and hips with severe pain daily. Im looking for more holistic approaches to subsiding the pain. Any thoughts and or suggestions ate Greatly appreciated. Thanks y'all :) wishing happy healthy lives for all.
I’m in California and can tell you it’s everywhere here, now that I know it’s something to eat, etc., I can’t wait to go out in my pasture and go poke hunting!
Thank you so I’ve never heard of this , Very Interesting about eating one berry a day for arthritis.
Thank you for the information. I bought a house a few years back in Ohio, and noticed these plants popping up on the side of my house that gets the most shade. I know nothing about plants and flowers, but I thought they were pretty and I was shocked at how big they got and how fast they grew. This year I decided to let them grow to see how tall they would get and I have one now that must be about nine or 10 feet tall! Doubt if I will use it to cook but it’s good to know more about it. It reminds me of that old song Polk Salad Annie, lol!! ❤️
Saw this earlier today while walking my dog. Decided to do some research and came across this. Great video!
Thank you for this great video. I have lots of it growing in my yard in Illinois. I think it's beautiful, but thought it was poisonous until now. I have had people stop to take take pictures of the ones in my yard because they grow so tall!
In north Georgia. Cut down a holly tree in December that was too big and too close to the house. It was definitely over 10 years old and suddenly we have the first pokeweeds that I've seen on the property growing within a couple feet of the stump. Most likely birds enjoying berries from both plants I suppose. Just wanted to share because we had a very similar experience.
Hey Al! Thank you for all the information on Pokeweed. Big ((Hugs)) from Texas! xx : )
Thanks Kelly - Big hugs back atcha, from Kentucky!
I just today learned this weed, that for years I couldn't get rid of, is Poke! I am so excited to learn of the ways to prepare it. Thank you.
My grandmother was from Grundy Virginia she was off of the Cherokee reservation she went to Pikeville Kentucky to live my mother grew up there she used to give my mother pokeberry cough syrup which she made my grandmother made
My Grandma (Lucretia Stiltner Slone), was also from Grundy, (Leetown) and she cooked Poke Sala also.
lynn Entler -memories of down home granny's are most special,I wish I had wrote things down as memories are fleeting,much love❤️
lynn Entler do you know how to make that cough syrup? I would love to have it!! 💜
My 94 yr old neighbor used to eat the young leaves in spring with eggs. But she told me that her daddy used to make a wine from the berries and keep it cool in the stream on their farm. Tripped me out. Haha
I learned how to make poke from my granny. We only boil it one time instead of three for about 20 minutes. Rinse it good with cold water and fry in bacon grease and a couple eggs and the crumbled bacon at the end. I also keep a poke patch on my back yard
That is how I fix it. I also won't harvest to eat it unless I can break the stalk with my fingernail. I like mine tender.
Wonderful video sir I thank you for the information 😁
Been in Michigan all my life. About 7 years ago Polk started appearing. Warmer temperatures. I leave them alone marvel at their beautiful shapes height and berries
My family eats poke! We only pick the stalks between May & June. So delicious!
How do you prepare?
What exactly does it taste like?
@@b-rad2699
To me it tastes just like spinach.
You boil and drain it two to three times, then fry it in skillet and scramble an egg in it with some bacon grease and
@@Jessica-ts4dj
The stalk you can cut and fry up like okra
I never had the stalk didn't know you could eat that part. We boiled the leaves three times and cooked it like we do with spinach and eggs. Very good.
Poke runs rampant here on the farm. I am so looking forward to enjoying it as sallet. THANK YOU~!~
Thank you for posting, have these growing around my property. Will try cooking leaves. Hope to dye wool with the berries!
My Grandma always cooked the younger leaves in with some fresh spinach, after the three boilings and washings. She had to have it once every Spring. She called it her 'tonic'. I was always told the berries were poisonous, though. I'd like to try that one-a-day for arthritis... I know Mountain folks know natural medicine better than I do!
hudson steele -my granny also referred to it as a spring tonic❣
My grandmother came to live with us in Memphis Tennessee and almost went crazy when she saw the Poke Salad. We had no idea what it was. She used to cook it with Green's. We started eating it all the time.
South Memphis?
@@JonJon-du9ne Fraser
A very informative and entertaining video! A poke plant came up in my dry yard in California last year. I don't see another on the whole property, but I plan to spread some of the seeds down in the basin. I spin and weave and look forward to doing some wool dyeing when the berries are ripe. Thank you!
If you have dogs you might want to fence it of
Alison Green I heard that the dye grays out after a few washes
Loved your video
I really enjoyed this video. Thank you!!
My family skillet fried the poke . I was always told the crows would get drunk on the berries and where the crows went the poke seed went ..
Did the war paint thing with poke berries as a kid , and every where I put it on I had hives. So allergins are definatly different per each person
It grows wild in most people's yards here in St.Louis, Mo. We eat some of it every year.
I lightly stir fry mines in an iron skillet with onions,mushrooms,elephant garlic,parsley,pepper and himalayan pink salt
really enjoyed this video
how wonderful to see the different
people and their recipes !
Thank you. This has to be the sweetest video on something that I/we thought was poisonous. Thank you so much. God bless you
God bless you too
Many of the "weeds" in our yards are actually very beneficial to us as food or to use medicinally.
The pokeweed in my yard totally kicked out the Joe Pye Weed I tried to get eatablished, but now that I know you can eat the leaves all season and not just very early spring, I've made my peace with the plant. I've seen this stubborn plant grow in sidewalk cracks in the city.
We would serve the leaves with pickled banana pepper juice or vinegar and the sliced pickled banana pepper with a sliced boiled egg or two. We also cooked the leaves in bacon grease with the bacon. Don't remember ever doing the 3 boil part and we never ate the stalks.
We have it in southern Maine. My grandmother would prepare it to eat. It has been here for as long as I can remember
Excellent !! I'm from Southwest Iowa.. Got lots of Polk Weed.. it is awesome, but... I haven't tried eating it yet. I didn't know the facts or any recipes.. The hamburger style looks like a winner.. the bowl of greens looks great too. I'm now a Vegan, health reasons, turned 62, and I'm going to share this info with my family.. a berry a day for arthritis, great.. God bless you all.. Loved your video.. ♥️👍♥️
I once read a medical report on experiments using poke berry to fight childhood leukemia. Should still be out there on the web. I also read that the Native Americans used poke as a purgative . . . feeling a little sick or plugged up, a few leaves unboiled will clean you out good. Nothing wrong with that! For anyone, go slow, see how your body reacts. I think there is also a difference when it grows in places that maybe aren't as clean as others.
Grew up eating this as a kid I'm 54 now ate some last week delicious !
I have done a little research on pokeweed and have found out that in Lincoln County, KY there is another type of pokeweed plant called Phytolacca Decandra. What do you know about this plant? Evidently it is only used In homeopathic preparations, but may have some other medicinal properties. Will poke seed last without having to refrigerate it?
I cut mine at about 4"-6" tall, and just a quick wash in the sink with cold water, then saute in butter, salt, and pepper until nice and tender, then eat. I do not boil it first.
I take the larger leaves, wash them, then almost deep fry in bacon grease, dry on a paper towel, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. They become pretty crispy, and taste MUCH better than potato chips!
My family actually laughs at the notion of boiling it in a change or two of water, but none of us are allergic to it either.
Thanks for your interesting video about Pokeweed! I live in Indiana & have one by my fence that comes up every year & it is so beautiful! There are a bunch of small ones now too. I never knew what it was called! I just happened to come across your video tonight!👍😁
After I've boil it I put it in skillet with some bacon grease and stir fry for few minutes. I put garlic powder in it too.
i found this video and I want to very much express my love for everyone in this video. I love you! be well!!
One correction. Pokeweed is prevalent throughout the northeast. My yard in New Jersey has pokeweed growing throughout sections of the yard. (Also a sassafras tree)
Thank you for sharing your love of poke. I have taken a berry while to gently move lymph. I have eaten the young greens, but this is the first I’ve heard of preparing and eating the stalk and leaves.
This is the best video yet! TY for the lovely recipes! I can't wait to try them.
Thanks for watching - the Poke berries are ripe in glorious purpleness at present (9/21/21)
@@earthhealing4090 i put some in the freezer! 😁😜❤
I had a feeling that I could use this plant! But the ones in my yard are more sprawly than tall and the leaves are much smaller.. The berries look the same.
Thanks for all the wonderful information and letting us see what exactly you do with it!!
There's many different varieties! There's actually some species in the family that grow into small-medium sized trees!
thanks for sharing your friend's techniques!! love this
Mom knew when to pick it. Then she would boil the leaves and the stalk . drain and refrigerate . then toss with cornmeal and fry. I loved it with pinto beans.
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I enjoyed watching how you cook this beautiful plant. We have them here in California's Northern Central Valley. Apparently, years ago, the wine growers used them to color some wines red.
I came to this video because I had a pot with dirt in it under my deck. I noticed the distinctive leaves and color and thought it was pretty so I didn't get ride of it; even though I didn't have a clue what it was. As the weeks went by I noticed it flowering and soon after the green berries. I thought it could be poisonous and so I've never touched it, just watered it along with my other veggies. Just last week they started turning purple so I decided to take a picture and post to a Fb gardening group I'm in. One person identified it and I have been on the mission to find out more ever since because I had never heard of it before.
Thanks. I had a dream about this plant..and because of your video, have a renewed appreciation for the Pokeweed.
❤this is one of the best u tube videos I have watched! Thank you so much😊
I use every part of the plant for food, medicine and/or garden spray.. I can, freeze, dehydrate it and eat it year round..
Peel the pink off and save it to make a fungicidal wash.. Eat the rest: boiled, fried, baked in bread, berries as pies or jelly.. Europeans used the berries to color wine.. I don't throw out the water it's boiled in.. Usually I make it into a medicine that promotes healing with little scab formation and the scabs never get hard or itchy.. It's good for so many things..
When you throw out that water you throw out a lot of water-soluble nutrients.. At the very least put the water on your compost.. Batter and fry those stems and leaves..
Can you eat the stalks raw? And do you eat the berries? I have some growing in my yard, and the berries look so good. I ate a few last year, and nothing happened to me. And what about the leaves, can you eat them raw?
It contains an acid that could cause kidney stones. I always build mine twice and then squeeze out the water and eat it or fry it.
@@TheMrhycannon thank you for that useful info!
I was raised on Polk I love my fried poke hair grows all over the place here in Indiana with that comes wild black mustard love that two also fried with bacon
i love poke salad ,wash it really good in salt water ,boil it about 5mnts ,fry up some fatback chop up Vidalia onions with stalk ,drain poke salad add to fried fatback grease n onions cook 20mnts whip 2 eggs optional add in salt n pepper 1 tbls sugar ,simmer 10 mnts make big pan of cornbread eat up Delicious !!🤗
I really enjoyed watching your video. thank you
I have read Polk has a high concentration of vitamin A. This is the reason it is boiled and the water poured off 3 times. Some people are sensitive to a high concentration of vitamin A.
You are very informative! My mother in law says poke is her arch nemesis in the garden. Nice I can show her it is useful.
tell her that poke weed gives food and water to 27 varieties(in MarylAND) and likely equally as many in her area, It saves their lives during draughts.suggest she greens the plants for the birds
this is a very good and thorough video. thank you.
I have Polk salad often and raised on it so folks came n from Indiana and I gathered a mess . Washed and salted it then rinse . Then cook in crockpot a little bacon just wonderful
I had a beautiful variegated Pokeweed. All the seedlings were variegated also. You can buy it at Plant Delights online nursery. Several varieties.