Another Favorite Mountain Food Is Poke Greens (Or Polk Greens)
Posted by Bucky in West Virginia
So far I have mentioned Ramps, and Morel mushrooms as wild West Virginia favorite foods. It is time for another. Pokeweeds, also known as poke, pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot, polk salad, polk sallet, and inkberry is a spring tradition around these parts.
Young pokeweed leaves can be boiled three times to reduce the toxin, discarding the water after each boiling. The result is known as poke salit, or Poke salad, and is occasionally available commercially. Many authorities advise against eating pokeweed even after thrice boiling, as traces of the toxin may still remain. For many decades, Poke salad has been a spring favorite West Virginia cuisine, despite campaigns by doctors who believed pokeweed remained toxic even after being boiled.
My Granny and I have been eating this stuff for years, and I bet her Granny used to eat it also. It tastes a lot like spinach. I like taking a heaping spoonful, putting it in a bowl, giving it a good dose of salt and pepper, and then smothering it with vinegar. Tasty! My wife is fixing some tonight, and I can’t wait!
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If it tastes like spinach but has the potential to be dangerous, why not just eat spinach?
Where’s the fun in that?
It tastes similar to spinach, but a bit more of a tang…must be the toxins…lol.
Change in plans, we are eating Tuesday night, so if no knew posts get made, you will know that the toxins got the better of me.
Toxins, hmm — sounds delish LOL. Well, personally, I haven’t tried it. But you say you’ve been eating it for years, so I guess it is safe to eat.
I love it –I had it when i was younger
but now it is hard to come by….
Now we are cooking …..
You pick it in May when it first comes up before any flowers start, which is when it is not safe to eat anymore. I can this every spring and mix one jar with one can of spinach or turnip greens mixed with a bit of bacon. It has it’s own distinct flavor.
I am eating some now as I write this. You can eat the young ones year round and even fry the young stalks in flour salt and pepper. Dont eat raw. Boil the 2-3 times first. I have eaten them raw and even the berries in small amounts but I don’t suggest it. I am 39 and healthy as a horse. They taste better than spinach. The texture is about the same.