Purslane Information

[Guest guest]

Not always easy to find. I started to incorportate this into my diet. 

DM

 

Purslane Information

 

# Common in our yards but little known in the North American kitchen, purslane

is both delicious and exceptionally nutritious. Common purslane (Portulaca

oleracea)--also known as duckweed, fatweed, pursley, pussley, verdolagas and

wild portulaca--is the most frequently reported " weed " species in the world. It

can grow anywhere that has at least a two-month growing season.

# Until recently, most research on purslane has focused on its eradication. A

frequently overlooked approach to controlling this weed is to eat it! Purslane

is so surprisingly tasty, North Carolina market gardener Patryk Battle says, " I

have rarely had anybody not buy purslane after they've tried it.. "

# Purslane is somewhat crunchy and has a slight lemony taste. Some people liken

it to watercress or spinach, and it can substitute for spinach in many recipes.

Young, raw leaves and stems are tender and are good in salads and sandwiches.

They can also be lightly steamed or stir-fried. Purslane's high level of pectin

(known to lower cholesterol) thickens soups and stews.

# Battle also uses purslane in pesto. He throws basil and purslane (upper stems

and all) into a blender or food processor, adds a small amount of olive oil,

garlic, pine nuts and enough hot water to get a good consistency. Because it's

so juicy; purslane helps create a low-fat pesto without too much oil.

# A NUTRIENT-RICH WEED

# Purslane may be a common plant, but it is uncommonly good for you. It tops the

list of plants high in vitamin E and an essential omega-3 fatty acid called

alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Purslane provides six times more vitamin E than

spinach and seven times more beta carotene than carrots. It's also rich in

vitamin C, magnesium, riboflavin, potassium and phosphorus.

# Omega-3s are a class of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. Your body

cannot manufacture essential fatty acids, so you must get them from food.

Unfortunately, the typical American diet contains too few omega-3s, a shortage

that is linked to a barrage of illnesses including heart disease, cancer and

Alzheimer's disease.

# ALA is most commonly found in plants and grass-fed meat and eggs. Dr. Artemis

Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, says purslane is one of the richest

known plant sources of ALA: It contains 15 times the amount found in most

iceberg lettuce.

# In addition to ALA, other omega-3s include eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and

docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids mostly found in aquatic plants and animals,

especially oily fish. Nutritionists now think all forms of omega-3s need to be

plentiful in our diets.

# Plants such as purslane may be part of the missing link to better nutrition.

Ethnobiologists--scientists who study the relation between primitive human

societies and the plants in their environment--believe that the plants humans

ate long ago provided a greater proportion of nutrients than the plants we

consume today. They estimate, for instance, that humans 40,000 to 10,000 years

ago consumed an average of 390 milligrams per day of vitamin C from wild plants

and fruits. In contrast, the average American today consumes just 88 milligrams

of vitamin C per day. One cup of cooked purslane has 25 milligrams (20 percent

of the recommended daily intake) of vitamin C.

# WILD AND CULTIVATED

# Purslane is an annual that thrives in rich soil and prefers recently turned

soils. Its leaves are smooth, thick and paddle-shaped. Depending on the variety,

the leaves may grow from one-half to 2 inches long. Wild purslane grows

horizontally and forms flat, circular mats up to 16 inches across. Its round,

thick stems radiate from the plant's center and are often reddish at the base.

About mid-July, purslane develops tiny, yellow flowers about a quarter of an

inch across that usually open only in full sunlight.

# After a week or so, the yellow flowers give way to small, dark, pointed seed

capsules that, when mature, break open and release an abundance of tiny, black

seeds, each about the size of a grain of sand. Under ideal conditions, a single

purslane plant can produce up to 200,000 seeds!

# Because it is susceptible to frost, purslane does not emerge until the soil is

quite warm. In most U.S. climates, it can be sown starting in May. Plant the

seeds in shallow trenches 4 to 6 inches apart, then cover them lightly with

about a quarter inch of soil. Keep the planted seeds moist until all the plants

have sprouted. After the plants are about 1 inch tall, they won't need much

attention. Plants will be ready for harvesting in four to six weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I'll look for some since it's this good for us.

 

Brad

 

, D M <deranged_millionaire

wrote:

>

> Not always easy to find. I started to incorportate this into my

diet. 

> DM

>  

> Purslane Information

[Guest guest]

        That's fascinating information about this common " weed " plant!

       

        Is there by chance a link where one might view a picture of it?  I THINK

I have purslane growing around my yard, but I am skittish about pulling it up to

eat--until I know it really IS the edible plant and not something else!  (Other

edible weeds I can recognize, but this one I'm not sure of!)  THANKS for all the

info about purslane!

 

--Laura B., in Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I got some seeds for " Garden Purslane " from Territorial Seeds and have

been growing some alongside Georgia collards and some Strawberry

spinach. I very much like the plant in looks and taste (succulent and

lettuce-like). Though not as nutritious as some other green leaf

veggies, it does have the omega 3 fatty acids and grows heartily in

warm weather. Unfortunately the leaves seem to have been (recently)

very vulnerable to some kind of fly-strike or plant virus and last

week about half of the leaves on my purslane plants withered. Still I

pinched off the withered leaves and the plants have since more than

doubled in size, most now looking almost better than ever(!). Do you

suppose it developed a resistance? Pictures of the plant are included

in my links and it has a floppy, viney, sprawling character.

 

Slim

 

 

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

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20g1.html

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm

 

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/959/s

 

, D M

<deranged_millionaire wrote:

>

> Not always easy to find. I started to incorportate this into my diet.

> DM

> ....