A "Self-Help" approach to living healthy, because you don't need to be a nutritionist, trainer, or doctor to treat your body right. Be good to your body and your body will be good to you. We'll focus on natural ingredients to address different health concerns and improve general well being. Come along with me on this journey and let's get Healthie!
Poke Sallet (also called Poke "Salad" by us Hillbillies) is an old-time favorite dish in the Appalachian region. In its plant form, before cooking, it is called Poke Weed. Poke Weed grows wild in this area and we forage it in the very early Spring. As always, when foraging, be 110% certain that you know exactly what you are looking for. You wouldn't want to get ahold of the wrong thing, which brings me to my next point... CAUTION: POKE WEED IS TOXIC! Yes, that's right. It is toxic from root to tip, but I will teach you how to boil out the toxins and use it as you would any other cooked greens. You're probably thinking, "What's up with Hillbillies and their poisonous foods?". Right? Well, isn't even chicken toxic to eat if not cooked? Also eggs, if not pasteurized, must be fully cooked to eliminate the possibility of Salmonella poisoning. Many foods are this way. It just seems odd because it isn't usually vegetation that carries this risk. Here in Appalachia, we don't mind it any more than cooking our chicken and eggs to a safe temperature. We are blessed with bountiful foraged foods and don't mind putting in a little work to take advantage of what is freely given. It's a gift from God and we receive it with Thanksgiving. Poke weed can grow to be as much a 10 ft. high. But when foraging, be sure to harvest plants no more than 2 ft. high, as the plant becomes more toxic the larger it grows. Harvest by cutting the stems and leaves, leaving the root in tact in the ground for next year's harvest. The roots and berries are the most toxic part of the plant. Never eat these! Next are the stems, with the leaves being least toxic. The toxins are denoted by the apparent purplish color on the stems. Clean by breaking the leaves away, peeling downward to remove the purple skin from the stem. Cut or break away this skin from the leaf, keeping the leaves for cooking. If you want, you can peel any remaining purple from the smaller parts of the stems and cut these up to use with your leaves as well. Rinse thoroughly and drain in a colander or salad spinner. Detoxify by boiling 3 times,10 minutes of boiling each time, changing the water out for clean water and rinsing the greens between each time. After your 3 boilings are complete and the greens are rinsed and drained a final time, you may use the Poke Sallet as you would any other cooked greens. Most people around here like to then fry it up with onions and bacon in bacon grease. It would be perfectly healthy to fry this up with onions and bacon, using a healthier oil such as avocado oil or coconut oil. Another favorite option, my husband's fave and a very healthy option at that, is to cook the greens in with scrambled eggs. Poke Sallet is DeLiCiOuS with egg! Just give them a quick fry in a healthy oil as described in the first option and then pour your beaten eggs in on top and stir as the eggs cook. Similarly, you could also use these greens in omelets, frittatas, quiches, etc. Be sure to check out my full tutorial as I show you step-by-step how to detoxify this delicious Appalachian foraged favorite. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Xmei_DIQ0
To have these growing wild on our property is quite a blessing and we are thrilled to find these each year. However, as always, I must warn you: Before foraging for Hickory Chickens or any other wild foraged food, always be 110% certain that you know exactly what you are looking for. False Morels are also found in areas where true Morels are found. False Morels are highly poisonous!
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Yum! One of nature's healthiest, mOsT DeLiCiOus gifts! Our locally foraged "Hickory Chickens" are otherwise known as the gourmet delicacy, morel mushrooms. Hickory Chickens are a foraged mushroom that Mother Nature knows how to cultivate to perfection. However, we haven't quite figured out all of her secrets on this one and haven't been successful in commercial cultivation as yet. If you find these in the grocery store you will pay a pretty penny for them. However, if you live in an area that Mother Nature decided to bless with these jewels, you can get them FREE! There is a narrow window of opportunity to find them each year, for just about a week or two in early Spring. Here in Southeastern Kentucky, now is the time! (The first week or two of April). Bonus: When foraging from nature (or growing your own food at home), you can be certain that you are getting organic, chemical-free, non-gmo, safe, and healthy food! CAUTION!: Mushroom foraging can be dangerous if you don't know what you're looking for! There are poisonous false morels that grow in these areas, often even right among the true morels. I have come upon these myself while hunting mushrooms. Before you go hunting for Hickory Chickens, you must be 110% certain that you can tell the difference. NEVER eat mushrooms that you aren't certain of. If you do go Hickory Chicken hunting, please help Mother Nature to ensure future crops by cutting (not pulling) your mushrooms at the ground and gather them in a MESH bag. The mesh will allow the spores to fall to the ground as you go through the woods and distribute them for possible future growth of more mushrooms. Also, when you get them home, give them a first soak in plain cold water. NO SALT until the second soak. Dash the water from your first clean soak back out into the areas that they were found. If there are any viable spores in there, this will give them an opportunity to grow as well. These are very important guidelines to follow. We don't want to tromp in and destroy nature's eXtReMeLy delicate system for growing these. Respect her garden! Most recipes you find for Hickory Chickens will be breaded and deep fried. But in today's video, I'm gonna show you a healthier way to prepare them. And in my opinion, this way is not only healthier, but way more delicious. Hickory Chickens have such an amazing flavor! I only have an opportunity to experience that flavor once a year and I don't want to cover it up with greasy breading. Watch my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYlKKexSE8
Detoxify by boiling 3 times,10 minutes of boiling each time, changing the water out for clean water and rinsing the greens between each time. After your 3 boilings are complete and the greens are rinsed and drained a final time, you may use the Poke Sallet as you would any other cooked greens. 
