I grew up on a small farm in NE Georgia and poke salet was a staple in early spring, and mother insisted that the entire family eat at least one large helping because it was a "tune up" for Spring.

Sassafres tea was also used in both the spring and fall to cleanse the body. The roots of the bush are dug, washed, cut into small pieces and boiled until the water turns dark. The roots are removed and the water is strained through a strainer and drank as a beverage.

Depending on whether the tea was for a spring tonic or a fall tune up you used the roots from a white or red Sassafres bush. Both poke salet and Sassafres Tea must be very healthy. My mother died at age 101 and I am now 87 and in good health.

Read and enjoy some food and drink that was common during the great depression.