Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Poke Salad

For those who don't know poke salad is not something you grow in a garden but a poisonous wild weed that is picked for its young leaves (before they get a red hue) then boiled at least twice to get the toxins out of it.  One scientist says that no part of the plant should be eaten no matter how many times it is boiled.

I don't eat poke salad, and I don't know anyone who does anymore, but I do remember going with a friends parents, grandparents and their aunt and uncle to go look for poke salad.  One of my other friends had a school bus driver that occasionally stopped if she saw some "good poke salad."

Many of you have heard the Tony Joe White song Poke Salad Annie which was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (they've been known for a song or two) in 1969 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.



Do you have a poke salad story?  Share with us in the comments section and don't forget to follow @okracola on Twitter!

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3 comments:

Toto said...

In my home town and several other more rural locations that I am familure with there are those who eat and love poke salad. I've had it once... I prefer collards haha.

Toto said...

In my home town and several other more rural locations that I am familure with there are those who eat and love poke salad. I've had it once... I prefer collards haha.

Anonymous said...

Love the blog! Three Quick Notes... 1) Polk salad is pronounced "Poke Salit" but it's written "Polk Salad".
2) Those red berries will stain your clothes forever.
3) And Polk Salad is poisonous if it isn't cooked right. (Growing up, our family doctor maintained that Polk Salad could be poisonous no matter how it was cooked. So partake with great care.)