Pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

vegetable · leaf

Young shoots boiled twice with the water discarded, cooked like spinach in the poke sallet of the southern United States.

Origin

Eastern North America

Where to find it

On waste ground, woodland edges and rubble, from the eastern United States to southwestern France, where it has naturalized.

Season (United States)

April to May · grows in your region

Preparation

The whole plant is toxic raw: only the very young shoots, before they turn red, boiled twice; never the root or the berries.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · ChlorophyllIn small amounts, not counted Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

Its black berries were used as ink and dye, even in letters from the Civil War.