![[Photo: Portulaca oleracea growing in a crack in the sidewalk.]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbcQQ61XnlGh6DhPfQkhCkevPl3DMDemU2wnFBdMK2Q_aWDk_BlO1H8ycwftU1gXjhsGbISapHP5McK-oqHb1UAsdRITNmyrg_DhSg8INeJpE5c6q1U8fmU17WgA8uBnrfsBztyiaMK86/s1600-h/Portulaca+oleracea.JPG)
Portulaca oleracea, known in English as "common purslane", "wild portulaca", "verdolaga", "pigweed", "little hogweed", "pursley", or "pusley", and in French as pourpier potager or pourpier gras, is a succulent annual probably native to Eurasia. It's easy to identify because let's face it, how many succulents volunteer in Toronto gardens?
Purslane is a common weed here in Toronto, and can produce surprisingly lush growth in only the smallest amount of soil, e.g. in a sidewalk crack. The leaves are not only edible, they are fairly tasty and contain more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable. So next time you're weeding, why not save and wash the purslane? You can eat it raw or cooked; try some of these recipes!
Here are lists of all the plants mentioned in this blog.
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Thanks for the link to the recipes. Most of them require quite the haul of purslane (4-6 cups), but the Chopped Arabic Salad sounds great and needs only one cup. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chopped-Arabic-Salad-109458
Wow! I did not know that portulaca was edible.
ReplyDeleteIt is a common and beautiful plant on the sidewalks of Montreal. Only recently I tasted it. Very pleasant and tasty greenery! If you know when it flowers, morning? noon? When the barometric pressure is low? Tell me! I'm tryng to photograph the flowers! I've even gone at night...you never know...I did notice though that the leaves fold along the stems at night! Like a prayer plant. So my midnight stroll was not a total waste of time!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen flowers on purslane myself, though obviously it is reproducing somehow! That's very interesting about the leaves folding up—I'll have to take my own midnight stroll...
ReplyDeletethanks for the tip, judging by the profusion of purslane in the driveway, we are ready for a feast.
ReplyDeleteActually, purslane has a very high amount of healthy, omega-3 fatty acids...probably the highest of any green vegetable. And it is present in the stems and leaves which is extrodinary as it is most commonly found in seeds, algae (seaweed) and fish oil. I'll include the wiki link here but I've read it elsewhere too.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea