Purslane

Purslane is considered a weed here in the U.S. but this year it is the ONLY weed I ALLOW in the vegetable garden. That’s right. I allow this weed to grow freely anywhere it wants. Purslane has been eaten in Mexico and Europe for years where it is not considered a weed and the gold miners in California at the turn of the century ate it as well. Hence it is called Miner’s lettuce also.

What most people don’t know is that it tastes good too. I took a bite of it in the garden and it has a sort of lemony taste and was very juicy as it is a succulent. One of my friends told me their mother use to saute it with a little garlic, salt and red chili pepper flakes and eat it with her pinto beans. Now that sounds tasty enough! I also heard people mix it in their salads which I can imagine also as I liked the taste of it raw. And best of all, it has the highest Omega-3 amino acids of any vegetable, in fact higher than salmon! What a great way to get our Omega -3’s! So pull this weed out and eat it. But if you grow it, pull it out before it reseeds itself or grow it in an area you don’t care about.