Edible Weeds: Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
As Summer gets underway, Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) or 'Pigweed' as it is also known, is growing just about everywhere, with no help at all from us. Its spreading habit and thick leaves and succulent, red/brown stems make Purslane easy to identify as it pops out from foot paths, sidewalks and gardens.
Purslane is a highly nutritious plant with high levesl of Omega- 3 fatty acid, ALA (alpha linoleic acid), potassium, calcium, magnesium and carotene.
Purslane has been used as a salad vegetable around the world and does well as a green veggie in other dishes. It also makes for an interesting ferment - that's a good way to use up the thicker stalks. Just cover them in lightly salted water for three to five days until bubbles start to form, then leave until it suits your taste.
Beside eating it as a vegetable, local Aboriginal folk use it as a binding agent when making cakes of Acacia seed flour. Its mucilagenous nature makes it an excellent binding agent at a time when water is scarce. I was listening to Neville Bonney speak about just that the other day.
I cheat a bit when I grow Purslane. Even though one plant can produce around 250, 000 seeds (you can eat them too!), it’s much easier to find a wild one, dig it up and transplant it into your garden. A little water for a day or so and away you go!
Purslane has some other great uses for the homesteader or permaculturalist beside food for ourselves. It is much loved by pigs (hence one of its nicknames) and chickens. They go crazy for it and it does good things for them, giving the yolks a brighter yellow colour.
Nutritious, tasty and free, demanding no attention and giving so much - what more can we ask?
This is @originalwork. The pics were taken by yours truly.
There is an index of Edible Weeds posts that I've done here on Steemit.
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Thanks, never knew this was an edible plant. I always wonder when I hear something is edible if that means I should eat it 😁.
I had a friend who I was foraging for mushrooms with who knew everything about them. I kept asking if every mushroom I saw was edible. He finally said, just because a mushroom is edible, it doesn't mean you should eat it. I think he mean because some of them taste terrible.
I know you said these were tasty though.
Thats so true. Just because something is edible doesnt mean that it tastes good. On the same note, theres a saying amongst foragers 'everything is edible...ONCE!'
No worries. Theres plenty more to come!
Great post thats why i upvoted you and follow you.hope same from you
Thanks for such a quick response
Thankyou, I never realised it was edible and have always just used it for chook feed. Cockatiels love it too.
Always interesting to find out about new useful plants and things.
I now use it as a lettuce replacement when I'm struggling to grow lettuce in the heat.
Probably better than the lettuce...
Very interesting article. I have been pulling it up and throwing it away for years.
It seems that most people have. I reckon if everyone who has thrown some away used some, supermarkets would be out of business!
I'm going to try it :)
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I have this growing in some unattended pots in my yard. I had looked it up and saw it was edible but was never brave enough to try it because I didn't really know how to use it. So I can put the leaves in a salad? Or both the leaves and stems? Can you (should you?) saute it? And I love the idea of doing a ferment with it! Also great to know the seeds are edible as well. I'll be following :)
Do everything you mentioned to it. Its a very versatile plant.