Wild Edibles III: Summer Purslane
Portulaca oleracea - I have always just called it purslane, but as it turns out there are a lot of types of Purslane, and our variety is called Common or Summer purslane. Other names for this plant are pigweed, parsley, or moss rose. See? I write these things so I can learn!
Purslane is a blessing and a curse to us here on the homestead. A blessing, because it grows everywhere at an overwhelming pace, and a curse because it grows everywhere at an overwhelming pace. I’m sure we could do better about finding uses for it, because for now we really just snack on it when we are in the garden and it is ridiculously hot outside, and sometimes we toss it into salads. I have a lot of little seedling trays in the greenhouse right now full of tomatoes, and it seems like every morning I have to pull little purslane seedlings out. They literally grow everywhere, and they are biggest in the middle of summer.
Purslane is a succulent plant that grows outward in a
creeping fashion. It’s little leaves are juicy and sour and slightly salty. Summer
purslane is commonly called a weed, but it is really a leaf vegetable that
grows wild and quite prolifically. It also grows fast and drops seeds throughout
the summer. Summer purslane is an annual that grows best in poor, compacted
soils (sigh) and is highly drought tolerant. So in short, it’s right up our
alley, climate-wise. I’ve always been told that purslane is most present in
Greek cuisine, and it makes sense because Greece would be the right climate for
purslane to be ever-present.
Like I said, our family usually just snacks on this plant
and it is present in the random salad, but purslane is really good for you and
we should use it and appreciate it more! (I wonder if I can lacto-ferment it?!)
According to Wikipedia, purslane contains more omega 3 fatty acids than any
other leafy vegetable plant, and the particular type of omega 3 fatty acids
present in purslane are actually also found in fish, which is odd and cool.
Purslane is also rich in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, calcium,
potassium and iron. One of those little juicy leaves packs a nutritional punch!
Medicinally, purslane is said to support and build weak
digestive systems, and when crushed and placed on the skin can provide relief
from bee or wasp stings, rashes or other types of skin irritations. It works
great on fire ant bites, which are just
as common as purslane in our summer garden adventures.
In the garden, we do not pull this plant unless we have to.
Leaving a creeping purslane plant to grow will stabilize soil moisture; protect
your garden plants’ roots from the sun, and at the same time will save more
water than it will take. The roots of the purslane plant go deep, and bring
moisture to the surface that the surrounding plants can use. So purslane is a
great ground cover plant, especially in a dry climate like ours.
More than likely, you have some type of purslane growing on your
property, even in your potted plants! Please do not pull this beneficial little
plant! Learn how to use it and if you have any recipes, medicinal or culinary,
please share them with me as I am determined to appreciate and use Summer
purslane more often here on the homestead.
You can share your knowledge of purslane in the comments or
on the blog’s new FB page, here. As you can tell, I am not especially
knowledgeable about this wild edible, so any extra info will be appreciated!! I
will be posting pictures of the purslane plants around our homestead on the
Facebook page, so stay tuned.
Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Blessings,
Tracy M
Hi Tracy. I'm loving your blog! I've been following kinda in the background since I heard your Off Grid Laundry show on Christian Farm and Homestead Radio. You're just a year younger than our youngest child, but display in your talking and writing a maturity beyond your years. I'm a relatively new follower to the Christian Farm and Homestead blog/podcast also, and just started my own homesteading blog. I've listed you as one of the blogs I follow.
ReplyDeleteWe have LOTS of purslane (we call it "pigweed") in our NE Indiana garden. After reading your post I'll have to be a bit more charitable towards the plant and (perhaps) a bit less dedicated to its complete and total annihilation from our garden. When you say your family snacks on the plant, is it "pluck and nibble" or is there some preparation involved? Since I'm sure we'll have plenty of it growing (in the garden plots, in the garden beds, in spots in the lawn, ...) again this year I figure I ought to at least try it!
Traccyyyy where have you been? Missing your posts :)
ReplyDeleteHeres a yummy cool recipe....
ReplyDeleteCucumber-Purslane Yogurt Salad
• 5 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices
• 1/4 pound purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well
• 2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil
• 4 cups whole milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Kosher salt
• Ground glack pepper
1. Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt.
2. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper.
3. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.
If you pick purslane in the morning, it will be more tart! Something about containing max heat-sensitive vitamin C after a cool night in the dark.
ReplyDelete