Springtime Delicacies
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Springtime Delicacies
It’s springtime 2025, time to begin searching these Appalachian woodsy areas for those springtime delicacies, poke sallet and morel mushrooms (sometimes called dry land fish). I was raised on them, and still look forward to early spring when they can be found.
Jim and I rode the side by side up the mountain behind the house last Saturday to search for those tender little green sprouts called poke sallet. I have a lot of friends who are searching for morel mushrooms right now too, but they are harder to find. Morels are considered a delicacy in any area, and sell for high prices whether you buy them from those who hunt them wild, or if you buy them dry on Amazon. Of course with any kind of wild or garden greens or mushrooms these delicacies must be looked and washed to remove bugs and soil.
Many people, especially those who were not born and raised in Appalachia, think poke weed is poison. I don’t believe the stalks, leaves or roots are poison, nor do I believe it must be cooked and drained 3 times before adding seasoning and eggs to help counteract the effects of the poison. I was taught, however, that the berries are poisonous. I question that theory too, because the berries are consumed by many species of birds, which in turn causes poke to come up in other areas.
My Grandma Sharp always looked, washed, drained and chopped the leaves and stalks. She placed it in a large bowl, and sprinkled in a generous amount of cornmeal. She pre-heated a large iron skillet with a generous amount of lard (I use corn oil). Once the grease gets hot, add the poke. Be careful that you don’t get burnt, the grease may pop! Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and fry until golden brown on all sides. Most of the time, I have to add more oil, as the bottom of the pan becomes dry. Do not cook it with a lid on it.
My Daddy fixed poke the same way my Grandma did, and she also taught my Momma how to fix it. I always thought Momma fixed it better than either of them. Notice that she did not add eggs. I guess it all depends on how you were taught as you grew up. Many boil the leaves three times and drain the water each time, add eggs and then fry in a skillet like scrambled eggs. They will then fry the stalks like okra. It seems to me that if you fixed it like that, all the vitamins that are in leafy greens would be gone. As the weather gets hotter, and the poke weed grows taller and bigger, the leaves get stronger. As the matter of fact, when it is that mature, it will definitely skin your tongue as you eat it LOL! ..at that point, if you’re still going to eat it, I can see where it may be necessary to boil the leaves and fix it with eggs because that would remove some of “whatever it is” that skins your tongue! This could be why many people think the plant is poison. One thing is for sure, it is definitely delicious when picked and prepared as soon as it comes up in the spring and grows to about 8”-10” tall.
I like to serve fried poke with pinto or white great northern beans (don’t forget that you can buy a hambone to cook on your beans at Honey Baked), fried potatoes or mac and cheese, green onions, pickled beets and crispy cornbread. Try this method of fixing it, and you will think it’s delicious too!