Polk Greens

[Bro. Noble]

When I was coming in for dinner a while ago,  I walked past a patch of polk.  Since my wife won't fix it the way I like and she is gone today,  I figgered that's what I'd have for dinner,  and I did ;D

[Raider Bill]

I love polk greens! I've got them everywhere on my Tenn hill. Had no idea what they were up till 2 years ago.

[Texas Ranger]

Polk Salad, Poke Weed, and a variety of other common names are all names for the poisonous plant, Phytolacca americana. The plant is a perennial, and grows wild across a large portion of the United States. The plant is  similar to turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens - but a little more acidic and can be bitter. One of the most interesting things about polk salad is that it's actually quite poisonous. The toxic substance in the plant is a triterpene saponin called phytolaccigenin, which causes hemagglutination. Sometimes called American Nightshade, polk salad can be a very dangerous plant if not prepared and consumed properly.

Once the green leaves reach about 7 inches - they are filled with toxin and unsafe to eat. The stems, and root, are always full of this poison, and there is never a safe time or safe way to eat them. However, as long as the leaves are less than 7 inches long, this plant can be prepared safely and consumed, by carefully following a few simple steps.

1. Immediately after picking the polk greens, wash thoroughly in cold running water.

2. Immerse the cleaned greens in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.

3. Drain, and rinse the boiled greens with cold running water again, rinse boiling pot.

4. Refill pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil the greens again for 5 minutes.

5. Drain, rinse the greens again in cold water.

At this stage, the greens are now safe to eat. However, in the South, we cook them one more time by frying them in a skillet with some bacon fat. Some people also scramble eggs into the fried greens. You may add salt and pepper to taste, and some people like a little vinegar on them.

People are perhaps more familiar with the popular 1969 song, "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White, than they are the plant itself. The song, however, gives a pretty good description of the plant, and why - perhaps - we started eating these potentially dangerous greens.

[Bro. Noble]

Well, Don,  I guess you wouldn;t like the way I cook them either :(  I'm not just right,  but I ain't dead :D :D

I also just use the new growth and break the tops off to about a half inch stem.  While a couple of slices of bacon are frying with about a half onion I pick about a half a peck of polk ,  shake off the bugs,  and splash some water over them to settle any dust on them.  I then stuff them in the skillit with the bacon and onions,  salt them,  pour some pickled pepper juice over them as well as a little vinigar.  When the leaves are wilted down good I eat them.  I put a slice of bread on my plate to soak up the extra juice cause it's too good to let go to waste.

Had a friend that would slice the stalks and fry them.  I never tried them and he died before I ever thought to ask him more details on their preparation :(

[Raider Bill]

Thanks for the info! I had no idea. A local invited me to his house for dinner and served them which was my first time. They were fried and Dang good.

[Texas Ranger]

Bro Noble, did he die after he ate the poke sallat, which is what it's called down here. 8)

[Bro. Noble]

No,  the polk didn't get him.

Polk is a staple in this area and I've never heard of anyone getting sick from them.

In Ava Mo.  they have an annual 'Polk Salat Day ' festival.

Didn't Euell Gibbons die from something he ate?

A few years ago some hippies near here died from eating water hemlock roots.  They thought it was wild carrots :(

When we were first married my wife used to can polk.  We ate it instead of storebought greens.

My grandma used to take me greens pickin when I was pre school age.  Besides polk,  we picked carpenters square,  mouse ear, dandilion,  dock, and lambs quarter that I can remember.

Just some little tidbits I figger everyone ought to know ;D ;D ;D

[Tom]

Did you know that Spinach is Poison?

[Texas Ranger]

Bro Noble, we ate mouse ear, dandilion,  dock, and lambs quarter as well, along with water cress fresh from the Current River, complete with worms. :

[mburrow]

we even some times fry the young tender stalks like you would fry okra
wife is cooking up a batch now

[Raider Bill]

When I was a kid we used to pick Cowslip greens in the spring.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

A guy I know was pulling up polk plants around his house and noticed a nice tuber on the end of them, He cut a dime sized pice of one, chewed it up, didn't like it and spit it out. He could not leave the bathroom for 3 days. Should have gone to the hospital but he is stubborn.

Jon

[Bro. Noble]

Did you know that Spinach is Poison?

I hadn't heard that,  but I remember hearing that old timers like you and the Texas Ranger used to think tomatoes were poison :D :D

[Texas Ranger]

Tomatoes are poison, less you make them into salsa, the peppers kill the poison.  Then the fahitas and beer kill the heat from the peppers.  Then the digested peppers kill the worms.  Good for your health.   8)

[fishpharmer]

I like your thinkin TR.  ;D   

[Tom]

I had a toxicology professor tell me, in class, that Spinach had some kind of dangerous poison.  If you ate about three tons at a sitting, it'll kill you deader'n a hammer.

His point was that it paid to know more than it was poison.

[fishpharmer]

I tried to poison myself with spinach :D  but always got too full.  Now I know why. 

I likes my spinach with eggs.  Really.  If that don't kill nothing will.

[LeeB]

I don't think toxic gasses and poison are the same thing.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

Just don't fart in the rain gear. :D I never told ya that story. About 3 guys loading onto a chopper, after working in rain all day, with rain gear on and something about garlic at the previous supper. :D

Fiddleheads and butternuts was suppose to kill us all up here. I'm well preserved by now I figure. Tougher than titanium. ;D The guys in Prince Rupert I worked with wouldn't even eat it. Heck I just drove down the Skeena R like the local natives always did each spring and pick my own. Never killed them. ;) The last trip I got into head high stinging nettles and was numbed for 3 days. :D :D :D :D