I replied to the old post, but as Claire mentioned, the thread isn't bumping.

I don't have any pokeweed growing in my yard. But there is a ton of it down at the cul-de-sac. My daughter and I love to go down there and "pull" the berries off between our fingers. We also do that with rag weed. Then we throw the berries down on the ground and stomp on them!

I have 'seeded by bird' pokeberry plants that now grow among the transplanted rhodys. Looks like a jungle, but it's a border...of a sort. Last year the pokeberry plants reached nearly 10' high and a wind storm physically severed a rather thick trunk, but lo, they grow yet again.

I leave them intact for the birds but have read somewhere that for human consumption the leaves (or is it the berries?) have to be cooked twice. Just remember some sort of 'danger' sign, so I do not pop them down the ole gullet. Serviceberries, yes, pokeberries, no. Think I'll plant lingonberries. If I could just find a pancake producing plant...

So, can you eat the pokeberry leaves in a salad? Will the raw berries give you a stomach ache?

I know that someone in NH a few years ago died after eating pokeweed, so I have no temptation to try eating them at all!

I am not fond of them. They grow in our large pile of horse manure that we stockpile to create garden beds from, and the roots are huge. Every year I have to be sure to get them cut back before they go to seed; otherwise we would be overrun by them. I do have quite a range of other bird-friendly berries available, so I don't feel guilty about removing this one food source.

Went "Googling" and found too many links with flashing red warning signs about eating pokeberries. True, some researcher at Oklahoma State in the 1950's - after killing a zillion mice -calculated that it would take about 45pounds of berries to kill an average size adult human male - a calculation only. Otherwise, with a lesser amount of berries and with a certain degree of susceptiblility, you can just get convulsions, severe vomiting (for those who lived), and respiratory paralysis and death for those more susceptible. The problem, as I see it, is one doesn't know their degree of susceptibility at the onset. If you live, you're not very susceptible?

Is there a Wild Folks for Poke compound on the Cape?
Seriously, do you really eat these? Have you tried lingonberries instead? Lingonberries haven't killed a Swede yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ontario Wildflowers.com - pokeberry

Pokeberries are very poisonous--all parts, I believe, including the leaves. I have read that in the rural South, especially the Appalachians, the very young, newly emerging leaves are eaten in poke salad but I wouldn't try it myself.

And while I'm rambling, have any of you heard that great roots country, Cajun-influenced song, Poke Salad Annie? There's a great rockabilly singer, Sleepy LaBeef from Arkansas, who plays our area. I've heard him at Johnny D's in Somerville. His cover of Poke Salad Annie is my favorite. Deepest baritone I ever heard. Elvis and Johnny Cash both covered this but neither as good as Sleepy at his best.

Couldn't find a good version by Sleepy online but here's one I liked on YouTube by Tony Joe White. Turn up the volume, and enjoy--just don't eat the stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poke Salad Annie by Tony Joe White

I have been trying to grow variegated pokeweed for years. I bought a plant in a pot at the end of the season, it didn't overwinter. I tried with another plant in a pot. It didn't thrive. I tried last year with seeds. The seedling died off. This year I have 3 tiny seedlings planted out late that are not exactly thriving. At Susan's Perennials in New Hampshire, she had various variegate pokeweed that had self-sown. I am just hoping for one. I like the funky look of pokeweed, but understand why many don't want to see it in their gardens.

Poke Salad Annie! What a great song, Ginny - maybe I'll name the pokeberry outside my kitchen window Annie. I'll just make sure no parts of Annie get inside the kitchen.

Asarum: I also tried to grow a variegated pokeweed one time. It didn't winter over so I didn't try again.

i wonder where the archive threads are and how they respond. I found this one using Google. When I posted on it the post was emailed to me, as was pixie_lou's post, but it didn't make its way back onto the current forum.

Claire

Ginny - I actually have a Tony Joe White record album (I'm either dating myself or setting myself up to be considered cool and retro - you guess which) and that was my favorite song on it!

Usually when threads fall off the list they become unavailable and you get an error page if you have it bookmarked. How strange that this one is accessible even though it is long gone.

Cloud_9, We can date ourselves *and* be cool and retro. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Re the original thread. I clicked on the link and see the new posts by Claire and Pixie Lou, and added "test". But the thread does not pop back up, tho it does accept new posts. Strange.

Also see some familiar names, including some no longer here. Whatever happened to Cady? She was so active here for years.

'Polk Salad Annie'? I remember that song...lol. '....Gator's got your granny'. [g]

Sometimes you can pull up a thread by googling it, but I've found that you can't bring it up from there to post to it.

I have some Pokeberry in the yard too. It seems to come up when I allow an area to go untended.

Why can't I find any pokeweed when I need it?

Since it's rainy and drizzly today, I was thinking of a fun project to do with my 5 yo daughter. I decided we could go down to the cul-de-sac, pick some pokeweed berries, come home and make natural dye and dye her a pokeweed t-shirt. We put on our raincoats and rubber boots, grab a bucket and some clippers, trudge on down to the cul-de-sac. Lo and behold, not a pretty purple berry in sight. Just lots of green berries.

Guess we'll save this project for another day. We made blueberry muffins instead.