The Good Stuff

Are ya feelin' a might sluggish and poorly? I know what you need....Poke Salad! It's that time of year again and time for poke and all the other wild greens out there.  People ate wild spring greens because after a winter of eating dried beans, tack and jerky, they needed the vitamins and minerals the fresh greens provided - not to mention the digestive boost from the fiber.  Since we have vitamin pills and ready access to fresh produce in the supermarkets, nutrition from wild greens isn't as important today as it was a hundred years ago.  Unfortunately, it's a time honored tradition that has fallen by the wayside. I don't remember picking greens because of how nutritious they were, it's memorable because I did it with my family.  I want to make memories like that with my granddaughter, that's the good stuff.

No matter what part of the United States you live in, there are wild greens available.  Some are better than others but they are all wonderful and FREE for the picking!!
Here are a few of the easiest to identify:

 Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) aka Sour Dock is a tender green, has a wonderful tangy taste and cooks as quickly as spinach. Just a few seconds in boiling water or a quick saute and it's done.  Pick the leaves that are just unrolled so they are nice and tender. In the fall the Dock produces seed heads that make a great bran substitute.

Cat's Ear (Hypochaeris radicata) aka False Dandelion is a mild cousin to the regular dandelion.  It lacks the bitterness found in traditional dandelion so you can add it to any other greens mix. It's a hardier green and takes a while to cook tender, much like collards in regard to the cooking times.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a nice little green to add to salads or in with cooked greens.  It takes a few minutes to cook, about 5 minutes or so.  It's a neutral tasting green and can be added to most anything.  Stems and all can be eaten!

Poke Salad (Phytolacca americana) aka Poke, Inkberry is my all time favorite wild green. It's recommended that the leaves be parboiled 3 times before being eaten, but I only pick leaves that are less than 5" long and still have the tender, sticky feel to them.  I parboil those twice then cook.  The stems (as long as they are not red) can be eaten steamed or battered and fried like asparagus. When I was little we'd head out to the country to a friends property and my mother, grandmother and I would pick big sacks of poke salad to take home for supper.  I know most young people are scared to eat it because of all the scary info on the Internet but I eat it anyway. I've eaten it for 53 years and my ancestors ate it for thousands of years before me, so I reckon it's alright to eat.  Just pick it young and prepare it correctly and you'll be fine.

Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) aka Sour Weed is much like Sorrel in that it's super quick cooking and also has a tangy taste - even more so than Dock.  I love it so much.  Ya'll know I do if you read my blog lol.

Southern Mixed Wild Greens in Pot Liquor
If you want a big pot of cooked wild mixed greens just cook them in this order and they'll come out perfect:
In boiling water, add 1 slice bacon and salt to taste. Add Cat's Ear (cook till almost tender) then add Poke (pre-parboiled), cook for 1 minute, add Chickweed and cook another minute. Add Sorrel, cook 1 minute then add Dock, just cook for a few seconds then it's all done.  Make some Hot Water Cornbread and serve it with big pats of butter and you're set.  That's the good stuff, too.