July 1, 2013 Ligustrum and Pokeweed Along the Trail

It is strangely cool this July morning along the Rail Trail and the air is so sweet with the fragrance of the ligustrum in full bloom. Branches are topped with conical white sprays of blossoms. A Chinese medicine from the ligustrum is called Erzhi Wan, the two solstices pill. It's berries are harvested at the time of the winter solstice and combined with eclipta alba, harvested at the time of the summer solstice. It is said to strengthen the yin and create a balance of opposite energies.

And there is the pokeweed growing abundantly in the ditches and on the side of the path.

The alarming and almost unbelievable news is that the Pokeweed is poisonous and you should not eat it even if our grandmothers and aunties prepared it, their families ate it and they all lived to be in their 90's.  And they did know that it could be poisonous and so they picked it at certain times and prepared it in certain ways.
Even my mother told me that, but I cannot remember what she said.  It seems that it had to do with the maturity of the plant.

Here is a recipe from the "Granny's Old Time and Modern Cookbook" from the seniors of Rock Hill, but DO NOT EAT IT.

POKE SALAT

1 gallon poke leaves or shoots
Salt to taste
Water to cover
2 slices fatback
1 hot pepper

Wash greens and parboil, drain, rinse and chop.  Fry fatback in iron  skillet and then cook greens with water in same skillet until tender. Eat with cornbread.  Can also put onion in it.

Poisonous if raw. Pick in the spring from big bushes where older one has berries. Berries can be made into wine which is good for arthritis.

* Note, some people cook the greens and then rinse them again and heat them another time. This may reduce the poison content somewhat.  Actually this is done this way in the above recipe.