Pokeweed poking through now!

For those early spring cooking greens, nothing beats poke greens cooked like spinach. It's popping out of the ground right now. Once the leaves open up and get about 10 inches or higher out of the ground, they are past their prime, and should NOT be eaten. The berries that form in late summer are said to be mildly poisonous, although there are some medicinal claims for eating 1-2 berries/day as a treatment for arthritis. The root has been used in various formulas through the years as an external treatment for cancer. Use caution.