Poke Salat

We've been having a typical Spring in the Ozarks, cool and rainy with just a few nice days a week sprinkled in to give you "Spring Fever!" The kind of weather that makes you want to get outside for a nice walk. If you take that stroll in the countryside, you might just see some Dogwood blooms....

Or a Redbud tree showing off!


But if you venture a little farther into the woods, you will find even more treasures!

Every Spring my parents would excitedly plan a trip to the April woods in search for what Daddy called "Indian pokeweed." He had been taught by Grandma Risley, who was half Cherokee of it's medicinal qualities. The shoots are pale green and succulent, often near a fencerow or where there used to be an old homeplace. The Indian poke comes when the morels are growing, when the violets are in bloom and Mayapples are coming up. All through the summer the plants grow tall until June when small greenish white flowers appear, followed by small flat green buttons of berries. The summer days soon make the berries fat, large as a pea and they turn dark purple, almost black. Poisonous to humans, the birds love the berries and eat their fill, only to "broadcast" the seeds later across the fields for next summer! Viewed as a weed by many,Southerners have long recognized its value as a green vegetable!

The Allen Canning Company of Siloam Springs, Arkansas once canned and sold poke, but abandoned it in the spring of 2000. They just couldn’t find enough people to harvest it in quantities to make it worth the bother.

Anti-AIDS drug? In recent times, poke has been found helpful in the treatment of diseases related to a compromised immune system. Even more amazing, new research has revealed that it contains a possible cure for Pediatric Leukemia. The Pokeweed Antiviral Protein, properly administered, kills leukemia cells! In one study, 15 out of 18 participating children attained remission. Studies continue.

Poke Trivia
Poke comes from the Algonquian Indian word "pakon" or "puccoon," referring to a dye plant used for staining.
Poke is sometimes spelled polk. The leaves were reportedly worn by enthusiastic supporters during the campaign of James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States.
Poke contains vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and phosphorus.
Poke contains steroids that resemble cortisone, making it a helpful treatment for skin conditions like psoriases, acne, and fungal infections.
The song Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White was later covered by Elvis Presley.
During the War Between the States, soldiers fashioned quills from feathers and used ripe pokeberry juice for ink. Some of these letters can be found in museums today, as legible as they were on the day Sherman burned Atlanta.

I'm including a recipe for Poke Salat (Salad), a springtime dish served in the Ozarks. My parents knew just where the plants grew on the farm and would gather up a "mess" to have with fried fish. There are warnings to take into account if you are going to cook the greens fresh. Consumed raw, poke salad will make you sick as a dog. The stuff that makes you sick is concentrated in the root, stems, and the veins of larger leaves. Mom would only pick the small leaves from a plant no more than knee high. So how does it taste? Some people compare it to asparagus. It's more like spinach I think, but it's a "acquired taste"

Traditional Southern Recipe
· Begin with a “mess” of poke salad: enough leaves to fill a plastic grocery bag.
· Wash and rinse the leaves.
· Add to cook pot and bring to boil. As soon as it’s boiling, drain and refill with water. Do this two more times.
· After boiling and draining three times, squeeze out the excess water.
· Add bacon grease to a skillet on medium heat. Saute in pan just to heat through.
· Salt to taste.
· Optional: cook with a half cup of chopped onions and bacon or country ham.