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Purslane
| How we began harvesting Purslane... |
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Thanks to Marina, a longtime volunteer at the farm who lives
half the year in Greece when she is not helping us farm here, for suggesting and advocating for new things. One suggestion that Marina has made that I am experimenting with is wild-harvesting purslane. Purslane grows as a weed in our fields, and now [early summer] is the time of the season when it is young and tender and has not yet gone to seed. Purslane is reputed to be a very good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is good in salads, steamed or in soups and stews. Please let me know if you value the presence of purslane in the share. ---John Mitchell, Farm Manager (2003) |
Purslane is native to India and has long been harvested for food throughout the world. Purslane seeds have been found at various prehistoric sites such as Canyon de Chelly, Mesa Verde, and other Ancestral Puebloan sites. It was also cultivated in gardens in Europe for 2 thousand years before it was more or less forgotten in the 20th century.
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| photo by Kendra Michaud |
Nutritionally, purslane is it's own mini health food store providing iron, beta carotene, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and riboflavin. It is also a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids which have been in the news lately for their benefits to the heart and immune system.
Eat purslane raw in salads, on sandwiches, or in tacos. Add it to soups (it will thicken the broth slightly), bread stems of purslane and add to casseroles, or pickle purslane.
Stored loosely in a basket purslane will last at least a week in the refrigerater. For long term preservation purslane can be pickled and canned or briefly steamed and then frozen.
Recipes
| More Purslane Recipes |
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