Tired of the garden weeds? Eat them!

by Neil Goldstein, Posted Aug 8th 2008 @ 11:02AM

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.

Filed Under: Budget Cuisine, Wild Edibles, Ingredients
Tags: greens, purlane, summer, vegetables, wild edibles, wild food, wild foods, WildEdibles, WildFood, WildFoods

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-08-2008 @12:11PM rainey said... I got the heads up on purslain a couple years ago and began looking for it where I can find it in my garden. I don't use pesticides. About the same time I saw it on a table at the local farmers' market.

I like it a lot. Mine has a flavor that's like the seeds of yellow crookneck squash and there's a pleasant subtle rush when the succulent leaves are broken and spill out their flavor. Perhaps we have different varieties or perhaps it's because I pick mine very young. In fact, I've never seen the blossom.

If you have it in your garden be aware that it spreads it's seeds when you pick it. So if you don't want to end up with a ton of it, best to dig it up gently and pot it so you can pick in a spot where seeds won't germinate.

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8-08-2008 @12:11PM Neil Goldstein said... It usually has much smaller flowers, so this picture wasn't exactly as I see it in my garden either. Yes, one of the characteristics of purslane is its ability to go to seed even after pulled from the ground. This is a good way to collect the seeds though (which are also edible). You can lay the plants on a screen to age and drop their seeds, and then sift the seeds out through the screen. The seeds can be ground into a very nutritious flour.
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8-08-2008 @1:16PM Sarah H. said... My dad said the same thing to me and my siblings about ten years ago and made us go pick it so he could cook it. We all thought he was nuts... "It's a weed!" but he cooked it and it was pretty good. Now it's the new thing! My dad, a trendsetter. Who woulda thunk it.
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8-08-2008 @7:39PM Julie said... My family has always enjoyed foraging and there are several weeds that we use regularly in our cooking.
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/2008/05/memories-can-grow-like-weeds.html
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8-09-2008 @8:58PM Dr. Electro said... I foraged a lot when I was younger. Purslane wasn't readily available in Texas during my youth bur I found plenty elsewhere. One variety has a smaller flower and larger, carotlike taproot. Very tasty indeed.
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8-15-2008 @1:28PM Scout said... Holy . . . THAT is edible? My mother was truly wise when she told that a weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it. Hmmm, apparently this stuff makes good pesto.
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