I picked the stems under about 10 inches tall, and plucked the leaves, discarding any that seemed overly large or bug-eaten, washed them all under cold water for about 30 seconds, brought a pot of water to boil, while heating some water for the second boiling in a tea kettle, then boiled the leaves for about 2 minutes, poured off the water, then poured the hot water from the tea kettle over the leaves and boiled them again for 4-5 minutes. I then drained them again, and served them with some Marzetti spinich salad dressing. I intended enough to serve my family of four, but wife and kids called and said they were eating out. I told them not to bring me anything and dug in.

Concerned that poke can be poisonous, my intention was to eat just a little and make sure it didn’t kill me. I had a big plate full, and took a few bites. I began to think “maybe I should stop now and wait and see if I have a bad reaction to this.” I took a couple of more bites and thought again “I should probably stop now.” Took a few more bites and thought “well, it has been a few minutes and I feel all right.” Then I finished the rest of the poke, probably eating almost a quarter-pound all by myself. I just couldn’t help myself, even with a theoretical fear of death in the back of my mind. It was that good!

I would describe it as similar to greens of the many other types, though nice and firm, without any of the bitterness you sometimes get. I would describe the flavor as a little bit artichoke-like, though quite mild. The were far superior to the spinach greens I grew last summer.

I wholeheartedly endorse trying the greens as well as the stems. If you don’t, you are really missing something. Any you can probably still find them for a little while yet.