Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
Filed Under (Kitchen Remedies, Recipes) by Botanica West on 30-09-2008
Tagged Under : Portulaca oleracea, Purslane
Purslane Originated in India and was one of Ghandis favorite foods. It can be added to soups, stews or sautéed in garlic and olive oil for a delicate side dish. My favorite way to eat it is to simply add it to salads. Since it has a delicate texture and a slight tartness to it and marries well with balsamic vinegar.
Where I live in the San Bernardino Mountains, purslane always seems have lambs quarters growing next to it which taste a bit like spinach and complements this herb quite well. Mesclun salad greens can be substituted for wild greens.
Lambs quarters are the tall ones to the right.
2 cups purslane
4 cups asst greens or wild greens
2 ripe tomatoes cubed
½ red onion sliced thin
1 red pepper sliced
1/3 cup Virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Purslane is quite helpful medicinally in treating and/or preventing a wide range of circulatory conditions and others, including scurvy, cataracts, heart disease, asthma, cardia arrhythmia, depression, gingivitis, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis, as well as boosting the immune system. Rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as the minerals calcium and magnesium, and also omega-e oils, purslane offers both excellent nutrition and valuable medicinaly to mankind.
It can also be used externally as a poultice for festering wounds and ulcerations on the skin. Its as soothing as aloe vera but it helps to close the wound from the inside.
So don’t weed it , eat it! And make it a part of you edible landscape.
