Are these berries poisonous?/what kind of plant is this?

[okiemommy]

I ripped it out of the ground last summer just to be on the safe side, and forgot to take a picture of it before I took it out. Hopefully someone out there knows what kind of plant this is, and if the berries are poisonous. I had never seen it before until we moved out here to the country. It popped up in several places in our yard.

 

[Rosalind]

That is a pokeberry. The berries themselves are poisonous to humans (well, the seeds inside the berries are--they are tiny seeds). BUT if you pick the shoots when they are young, microwave them a couple of minutes in water, drain and saute them in butter with onions, maybe scramble an egg in there, they aren't half bad.

 

[okiemommy]

aaaaaahhh I see! That would explain the milky secretion that came out of the stalk when I chopped it down. Pokeberries and chokeberries are different right?


ETA: thanks for the info!!!

 

[allabout]

Poke salad. Yep, Rosalind is right. Everywhere here. You have to disgard all the root system or it will come back next Spring.

Years ago everyone had to eat some every Spring....it will give you "a good cleaning out" or nowdays it is known as a colon cleansing. Young tender shoots were boiled, drained, sauted in bacon grease. It takes alot because the leaves cook down like a turnip green. Momma made us eat it, maybe the onions and eggs would be better.

 

[rockytopsis]

The young tinder leaves are great to eat.
Wash them good
Boil long enough to wilt down
Drain and rinse in cold water
Reboil with a good pinch of baking soda
Drain and rinse well in cold water
Squeeze as much liquid out as you can
Saute in butter and add several beaten eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Yum Yum

 

[mamato3]

yep thats poke my grandma and i used to go out and get poke, lambs quarter and dandelion to pick then she would clean it and cook it been a while since i had it

 

[patandchickens]

when ripe, pokeweed berries turn white horses the most fascinating blotched purple when they take it into their heads to roll on 'em, and MAN does it take a long time for the color to 'wear off'!!

I saw some named variety being sold in a nursery last summer. Gee. Named variety of pokeweed. Go figure

Pat