Wild Pokeweed Berries
by Sandi OReilly
Title
Wild Pokeweed Berries
Artist
Sandi OReilly
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
While visiting a sunflower field, I came across this vibrant plant with these berries against a dark pink stem. I learned later this plant is called Pokeweed berries and that the green berries will turn a deep purple. Even though poisonous to humans and livestock, birds, raccoons and other animals eat and enjoy it's fruit. In small amounts, this plant has medicinal uses. I thought the photography of this plant made an interesting and colorful image.
Pokeweed is a native of North America. Pokeweed prefers rich, moist soil and cultivated land. Its habitat includes bamyards, open woods and thickets, waste areas, and recently disturbed ground. It grows along creek banks, pond margins, ditches, roadsides, and fencerows. Despite the poisonous nature of the mature plant, country cooks have long used the young shoots as a delicious potherb. The young shoots are gathered in spring, when no taller than 6 inches and before the stem turns purple. Both stem and leaves are edible and should be cut about 2 inches above the ground. The greens must be boiled twice, in two changes of water, and each change of water must be thrown away. Then the greens are flavored with salt and pepper, and butter or bacon, and are served hot. Prepared in this manner, "poke salad" is nutritious and nontoxic. But only the young shoots of early spring can be safely used; the root parts and older leaves must be carefully avoided.
Fine Art Nature Photography by Sandi O'Reilly, All Rights Reserved and Copyrighted in the US and Internationally.
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Uploaded
August 4th, 2014
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Viewed 396 Times - Last Visitor from Littleton, CO on 03/27/2024 at 10:25 AM
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Comments (54)
Nick Boren
What an amazing macro dear Sandi... I love the bold purple colors in it, and of course you composed and exposed it so well. :-) FV