Recently I saw a beautiful flowering plant at Target’s garden center and recognize the leaves right away. Growing up , I remember seeing these plants grow all over our backyard.  Except these had more colorful and pretty flowers.

Photo of “Purslane:  Portulaca Umbraticola”.

My dad was the one who first told me these are edible herbs.  They are really a succulent herb as the leaves are fleshy.  Dad said purslane are great for joint health too.  I also remember my dad and I collecting the purslane from the yard. We gave them to mom to wash and she prepared them for dinner. We had steamed purslane with grilled meat and hot sauce.  I thought the purslane was a bit slimy (but not strange slime). It was actually very good.  It had a lemony-tart taste and the leaves were fleshy.  But since then, I really haven’t had any purslane at all.

This is the type of purslane we had for dinner. They are considered to be weeds.  Photo from Calfora.net

Purslane is known throughout most of the world as both a beneficial and tasty plant.  And it can be eaten raw too.  But in the U.S., they consider it a weed and appropriately named it “pigweed” or “hogweed”.  I think that is just too bad!  In California, they also consider it an invasive plant.  I really don’t think it’s a problem, as you can always pull them out once it gets out of control.  And it’s not full of spike or has strange smells either.  Just bring on some hungry goats to clear them out!

Other great thing that made me want this plant is that it’s drought resistant (great for water conservation).  It doesn’t mind bad soil and can proliferate on it’s own very fast.  The plant propagate via stems and seeds.

As for it’s nutritious value, purslane is the richest source of Omega-3 fatty acids of any green vegetable.   Similar to that found in fish oils.  Purslane is also high in magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium.  I think this is a great plant to eat if all other greens are difficult (or too expensive) to find.

It is advised that once picked, purslane doesn’t stay perky for long. Just keep the stems immersed in cold water and place it in a cool place.  Just remember to use it within a day or two. I have yet to try this particular purslane on my salad yet.  The leaves all look the same, but they have different flowers.  All the flowers come in variation of bright yellow, orange, and hot pink.  I think it’s one happy looking flower!

I found my purslane at Target Garden Center for $2.99.  I decided to purchase the plant as it reminded me of my dad.  He would be happy to know that there are other varieties of Purslane, beside the ones people think are weed.  And in memory of my father, I will have to try some of these purslane soon.

The NY Times has a recipe for “Russian Potato Salad With Dill and Purslane”.