Pokeberry

A well known North American wild edible. It is a large, deep rooted, robust perennial growing to 2.5m high. The young shoots are cut when 20-30cm high and cooked, when they taste like asparagus. To cook, put in a pan with cold water, bring to the boil, discard water and replace with fresh water, then boil for 10 minutes.

Note the shoots are toxic raw, and the dark purple fruits are not edible- they are used as an ink and dye.