Is this a weed or a real plant

[otforest]

Can someone tell me what this plant is ? I'm not sure if it's a weed or something that seeded itself in my veggie/flower garden. I throw kitchen scraps in there all the time so I have many things that come up but I'm usually able to tell right away if it's a weed or not. There are about five of these plant coming up in different areas but within several feet of each other.

[KarenZone3A]

looks a bit like a chard? regardless,, it has long been my philosophy that anything which is growing where you don't want it to is a weed (no matter what it is.)
happy gardening :)
Karen

[paminoklahoma]

It looks like polk salad (don't know the real name for it) grows wild all around here.

[Silver surfer]

Phytolacca has a common name of Polk salad.

Phytolacca americana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana

I always thought that it was very poisonous.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...26tbs%3Disch:1

[paminoklahoma]

We have allways done as the "old folks" taught us (now we are them lol) eating the stalk you peel it like celery cut like okra and fry, the leaves you boil twice, drain and rinse usually cut up in scrambled eggs, we were allways told the berries were poisonous None of us has been brave enough to eat any,, this illinois poke looks just a little different but the berries are a duplicate

[Shmilty]

Polk is a pain in the neck until you listen to the song "Polk Salad Annie"... Good ole Tony Joe White as well as the King himself did a version but I recommend you listen to Tony's when you go toe to toe with the pest. I "think" the song even includes the recipe..
I got that darn song stuck in my head now...