[header] How to harvest and prepare common milkweed shoots [title] Search for milkweed populations in your area. [step] The common milkweed usually grows in full sun, in waste places, fields, or hedgerows. Poke milkweed is also considered an acceptable edible milkweed. 
[substeps] Never take plants that grow near areas where pesticides are used heavily (for example, farms), urban areas, polluted water sources, or closer than 150 feet (45.7 m) from roads. These plants may have absorbed toxins from their environment that could make you sick.