Harvest

Its that time of the year again.

Crops large and small are being harvested.

Nature giving up its bounty for  the long winter ahead..

Ever hear of Pokeberry?  It has a fascinating history.

A few details about this versatile plant:

Native Americans used its vigrant purple juice to decorate

their horses.

The Constitution of the United States was written using ink

made from pokeberries.  

poke salad ('poke salat') has been a staple of   the South

where it is cooked and rinsed at least twice to remove the

harmful component.

I dry the berries and use them to fight off winter colds and flu.

Once dried, the berries can be kept and used whenever the


immune system needs a little "poke" to rev it up.

The root can also be dug up and cleaned and preseved in


Everclear and used as a tincture or made into a cough syrup.

There are plenty of websites to explain the details. Susun Weed's

site being among the best of the best.




A pretty little berry with an amaxing past and an important present.