POKEWEED
Common Names: Pokeweed, Garget, Poke, Pokeberry, Pigeonberry.
Scientific Name: Phytolacca americana
When to Find: Spring and summer.
Where to Find: Rich soils, fields, roadsides, and farmsteads.
Parts Used: Young shoots, stalks, and leaves 6 inches or less in length.
Warning: Berries are poisonous to humans. Older stalks and leaves may
also contain some poison.
Preparation: Use fresh as a vegetable after parboiling to remove phytolaccic acid.
Storage: Freeze, or pickle.
Identification: Green-white flowers turn to purple-red berries. Plant is 5-10 feet tall. Leaves are shaped like a lance head.
