Purslane: An Edible Weed

It was two weeks ago that I was going around the house pulling weeds and throwing them into my green, yard waste trash bin. I took a flat head screwdriver and removed a whole patch in the cracks of my driveway. I had no idea until last week that I was losing a valuable,healthy green. My edible weed that was now a part of my $30 a week organic vegetable and fruit box went into the trash. What a waste!

Purslane is also known as pigsweed and verdolaga. It is grown in Indian subcontinent as well as Europe. Its leaves and yellow flower buds are edible.  

Photo by Fleur D. my purslane from my CSA box.

This weed just popped up in my driveway on numerous occassions and I simply uprooted it and tossed it. According to my CSA, Inland Empire CSA, purslane is a weed that is a “source of protein,Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids of any leafy plant.”

Upon researching this edible weed, I thought,wow. It is also rich in dietary fiber, an excellent source of Vitamin A, B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and carotenoids and it grows in my driveway. No planting or watering. I simply have to harvest it. If you interested in the mineral content of puslane, it contains iron, magnesium,calcium, potassium, and manganese. I could not believe what I was discovering.

According to Nutrition-and-you.com,” Purslane or ”Pusley” has more omega-3 fatty acids than in some of fish oils.” For just “100 grams of fresh purslane leaves provides about 350 mg of α-linolenic acid” so that would be about 1 cup of leaves. 

Purslane also contains “two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish beta-cyanins and the yellow beta-xanthins. Both of these pigment types are potent anti-oxidants and have been found to have anti-mutagenic properties in laboratory studies. [Proc. West. Pharmacol. Soc. 45: 101-103 (2002)]” according to Nutrition-and-you.com. Here’s my proof, I didn’t make it up. Purslane is a tasty little leaf. I ate it raw after washing it under cold water. It had a salty pepper taste. I can’t wait to try it in my stir fry. I had it in my green smoothie,but only a few leaves. I will try more soon now that I know I need about 1 cup. 

Quick note : Make sure to eat within 3-4 days after you get it. Wilting means a decrease in the nutrition so don’t wait. 

For more information on this Exotic weed :

 http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Purslane.html

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/purslane.html

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