Anyone here eat Purslane?

[barryla61]

Accidently came across this "weed" in my yard last year and after some research found out it was very beneficial. This year I watched for it and transplanted a bunch into pots for easier harvesting. Oh yeah, it's very tasty as well.
Like most "weeds" it's a quick grower and can be found most anywhere, especially in gardens, flower beds and around yard edges.


http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html


1st pic shows some little slips right after transplanting.
2nd pic - pot on left is same as in 1st pic only 19 days later
3rd pic - served with a tomato and some dressing!

[RayR]

Ya, it is pretty tasty and it grows wild in parts of my garden, usually where I don't want it to be..
I've never dug it up and cultivated it in a container, but that's a great idea.

[delltraveller]

I sometimes snack on it out in the garden. Also the wood sorrel. And violet flowers. Sometimes I add pig weed and lambs quarters to salad, or for some greens in a soup or stew.

[brengolio]

Originally Posted by barryla61

Accidently came across this "weed" in my yard last year and after some research found out it was very beneficial. This year I watched for it and transplanted a bunch into pots for easier harvesting. Oh yeah, it's very tasty as well.
Like most "weeds" it's a quick grower and can be found most anywhere, especially in gardens, flower beds and around yard edges.


http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html


1st pic shows some little slips right after transplanting.
2nd pic - pot on left is same as in 1st pic only 19 days later
3rd pic - served with a tomato and some dressing!

Yes.......... I only came to find out about it a couple of weeks ago........ my neighbor told me to try it......... and I agree not to bad at all as far as taste

[Fusion_power]

Purslane is interesting for another reason too. We can talk about C3 photosynthesis which is what tomatoes use, or we can talk about C4 photosynthesis which is what corn uses. But purslane can switch between C3 and CAM photosynthesis as needed. This is crucially important because CAM metabolism uses far less water than either C3 or C4. In other words, purslane is highly drought tolerant and continues to grow and develop when other plants shut down.

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

"At night its leaves trap carbon dioxide, which is converted into malic acid (the souring principle of apples), and, in the day, the malic acid is converted into glucose. When harvested in the early morning, the leaves have ten times the malic acid content as when harvested in the late afternoon, and thus have a significantly more tangy taste.'


DarJones

[tjg911]

the bane of my garden! i hoe out this stuff by the pound and it is organic, maybe i should be selling it! i heard it tastes like lemon but i have never tasted it. it grows without rain and spreads like wild fire. you can't stop it, i question if roundup would kill it! i must grow 60 or 70 pounds of this weed a season and i'm constantly pulling or hoeing it out.

if you use it in a salad how would you describe the taste? is it noticeable or is it lost in the mix? if you saute it what do you mix it with? chard, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini? mix it with rice or pasta? i could stop growing most things i grow and still have a lot to eat the way this stuff grows. is it best to eat when small or when the plants get bigger? i'd assume flowering makes it bitter?

gimme a reason to like this weed!

tom

[rsg2001]

Heh. In my CSA last year, we had purslane the first three distributions; it definitely is edible, either "raw" as a salad green, or steamed or sauteed, and it is lemony. We used it mainly in salad. No, the taste doesn't doesn't get lost in it. You should try it!

Some people loved it and some hated it. My husband loved it, although I thought it was good the first time but then I got tired of it fast. I don't see people selling it at green markets, but I remember reading last year that its nutritional content is quite good. At the CSA people started to roll their eyes about it the third time it came around, and some didn't take any after the first time; they were happy my hubby wanted to take it off their hands. This year we have not gotten any. I believe it's more a matter of the mild winter and the early start the farm got in producing crops; the quality has been unbelievably good, and would you believe we've already been getting zucchini in the distribution?

[Garf]

I think I have this stuff too. One day I might taste it.

[biscgolf]

i grew it intentionally at one point and now have a hard time getting it to go away. i don't care for the taste but i have friends who love it.

My wife bought some in little pots a few years ago at one of the garden centers. She wanted it to drape over the sides of her flower pots. Since I normally reuse some of my potting soil from year to year, I can't get rid of it except by pulling it every time I see it pop a new seedling up. It does taste pretty good, but I've never actually harvested it for consumption. The same thing happened with some rose moss she bought in various colors, but I haven't seen any of it growing wild in a couple of years. I wonder if rose moss is edible since it has a similar growth habit with purslane.

I just learned on Wiki that Rose Moss or Moss Rose is also Purslane. It surprised me because it has an elongated leaf structure similar to Rosemary. Common Purslane has a leaf structure shaped more like a rain drop with the stem end being pointed and the outer end being rounder. I guess both are edible.

Ted

[chalstonsc]

I understand purslane is incredibly healthy as well as tasty. Never knew what DarJones explained, especially re: drought hardiness....Anyone have any seeds of the Mediterranean stuff they can spare for a SASE?

[Fusion_power]

Please note from the link above that you can change the flavor of purslane by picking in the morning (tart lemon) or late in the evening (mild lemon).

Chalston, Purslane is not very well adapted here in the deep south. We can grow it but it does best in microclimates like on the north side of a house, etc.

DarJones

[babice]

Well, that's interesting. I have something that looks like that which comes up all the time and I'm always pulling it and tossing it. Will have to figure out if it's the purslane and try it for a salad if it is.

[chancethegardener]

Purslane is one of the most nutritious greens out there. It has a place in Turkish cuisine as well. I just love the taste. I recommend the golden purslane variety (Johnny's has it) which grows very well here. I have some genuine Turkish seeds that I can share later when I grow them. Here are couple of recipes for purslane:

Salad:
- Cut purslane into big pieces.
- Add plain yogurt (if you like you can add garlic) into a bowl and mix it with purslane (mix should have a thick consistency).
- Add olive oil and salt to your taste.
This salad would be extra refreshing if you keep it in the fridge for half an hour before eating it.

Purslane meal:
- Add olive oil in a deep pot (2-3 tbsp).
- After oil gets hot, slice a medium size white onion and stir onion pieces absorb the oil.
- Add 1/4 of a pound of ground beef and stir with onions (you can skip beef if you are vegetarian).
- Once beef chunks turn brown (but are still juicy-be careful not to burn them), slice a tomato in the pot and stir with onions.
- Add purslane and add water until vegetables are covered.
- Add salt and black pepper to your taste.
- When serving, I love mixing it with plain yogurt.

[salix]

Chalston, I have seeds of golden purslane (organic), but they are several years old. If you get no better offer, you can pm me with your address.