There are several plants I am familiar with that are considered weeds. Dandelion comes to mind instantly. We'll wait till fall to talk more about our little yellow lawn devils. I was shopping in the Union Square Greenmarket recently during a lunchtime walk, and amongst the multi-colored organic carrots and varietal greens, was purslane. Purlsane is a slightly succulent sprawling weed, with thick reddish stems. It radiates out, flat to the ground from a central root. I had seen this plant in my garden and flower beds before learning from one of my books what it was. Purslane is raised as a crop in other parts of the world, where it is used raw as a salad green, or cooked like spinach. Here we relentlessly pull it from the garden, and just throw it away. I had told a neighbor of mine that seemed to be overrun with the stuff to save it for me a few years ago.

Because of the succulent nature of the leaves and stems, the plant has a unique texture. I have found this to be a love/hate sort of thing though. For raw use, pinch off the smallest tips of the plant and leaves, wash, and add to salad, or use the whole plant chopped. It has a slightly salty/sour taste. You can also add it to potato or pasta salads. To cook, you can simply steam until tender, or heat some olive oil in a large pan with crushed fresh garlic, add the purslane and cover. Cook until tender, but don't let it burn. Season with some salt and pepper. Chopped onions may also add some interest (or wild ones!).

Other than getting it out of the flower beds, or using as a frugal side dish, there's another reason to eat Purslane; It's healthy! Purslane is very high in Omega-3 fatty acids, and also contains vitamins B, and C, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. As always, beware of any plants growing near toxins, or industry. You may have this growing in your yard already. Please try it. You'll be pleased, and 5 to 10 dollars a pound wealthier.