Barbara, age 61, and granddaughters Emily, age 11, and Holly, age 4

Intergenerational Description of Joint Project:

In Mammaw’s back yard we feed the birds and water them so that they will eat poke salat seeds and deposit them on the ground to make new plants.  We take care of the older plants to preserve them  by roots.  It is a food source.

Celebration of Rachel Carson’s Sense of Wonder:

We got to be together in keeping our family food source for six generations.  If we take care of the birds, they will bring new plants.  If we take care of the plants, we can have healthy food. We also know what is poison and what is good to eat. 

Essay and poem:

My Mammaw and I wrote this poem. My name is Emily and I am 11.  Mammaw my grandmother is 61.   This is a picture of me and my sister Holly and poke salat.  Holly is 4.  It is my job to teach Holly about the plants Mammaw taught me.  Mammaw says her great-Mammaw Hattie said it was spelled with a t, not salad.  Mammaw’s Mammaw Gurtie taught her not to eat poke salat without cooking it.  They lived in Mississippi and Mammaw’s Mammaw had lots of poke salat during the Great Depression.  We live in Virginia and have 3 poke salat plants this year.  It tastes like spinach when you cook it.  Poke salat always comes up wild.  This poke is in Mammaw’s back yard.  The birds planted it. It is wonderful how it works.   Next year it comes up again from roots.  We use the purple berries to make ink and draw pictures.  You don’t eat them.  We have to keep poke salat going by giving the birds water in the summer.  We eat the honeysuckle blooms behind the poke salat.  It is very important to keep this free food alive.  Here is the poem.

Thank you, EMILY
 
Poke Salat
 
Raw, it’s poison—better heat it.
Cooked, it’s yummy—better eat it.

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