Sauteed Poke

You'll person to spell foraging -- cautiously -- for this one. Poke, a weed that's edible lone aft you detoxify it, is autochthonal to the greater Washington area. "You tin find poke everywhere," says William Schindler III of Washington College, who created a people called Food, People and the Planet. To find it, helium suggests searching for the stalks from the erstwhile year. They turn up to 8 feet gangly and tin enactment astir for a twelvemonth oregon so.

It's important to usage poke shoots that are little than 8 inches tall; taller shoots whitethorn beryllium excessively toxic. The smaller, the better. Cut the shoots into 1- to 1 1/2-inch sections (they volition detoxify faster and much thoroughly than full shoots). Wash the chopped shoots earlier cooking.

Don't adjacent deliberation astir skipping the aggregate boilings and h2o changes; they are essential.

From William Schindler III, an adjunct prof astatine Washington College successful Chestertown, Md.

Ingredients

From William Schindler III, an adjunct prof astatine Washington College successful Chestertown, Md.

Tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick.