Pigweed by Any Other Name - Eat It & Wear It!

My garden is not so prolific this year. Perhaps because I didn't plant much, but it is always a joy to harvest the first meal. It is perfection & always makes me smile. Today I harvested purslane, my first ever crop of green shiso & mint - to chop and use in my home made yogurt. Sometimes I add chopped cucumber to this and a smidgeon of salt. It is delicious and refreshing and cools down peppery hot foods. I served this with a spicy beef kabob.

Purslane - I first heard this word in English literature novels while an English major oh so long ago. Henry David Thoreau mentions this as a meal source in Walden Pond. I learned to eat this vegetable in the Middle East, where it is sold in the markets. No one was calling it pigweed! (Inside joke if you are Moslem). Let me tell you some purslane history.

Purslane was found in the 7th century BC Samian Heraion site in Greece. It is used in China as medicine. In Kerala, India, it is used to make a dish known as thoran. In France is it considered a delicacy. In Japan it is one of the 7 herbs used in a ritual New Year's dish. It is eaten widely in Europe, Asia, Mexico, North Africa and the Middle East. In 2003 Brian Jones got a patent on topical mixture for treating facial lines and deep wrinkles. Maybe I should be wearing this instead of eating it?

It tastes delicious - especially raw in a salad though it is also used in soups and sauces. And it is a good antioxidant source, contains vitamins A, B and C, plus has more omega 3 fatty acids than any other vegetable. A dozen or so years ago there was some talk of this as the new super food.

The point I really want to make is that pigweed (portulaca oleracea) is considered a weed by most people in the United States. This is not to be confused with pigweed (amaranthus retroflexus) - which grows upright and is also considered an invasive weed. Purslane is a small, low growing, succulent type plant. If you want to see this before you check out your own backyard, search the internet using the Latin name - portulaca oleracea. You may see some yellow flowers, though mine has never lasted in the garden long enough to produce any flowers. I have never intentionally grown purslane. One year I had lots of it - and ate it all. The leaves, stems, buds and flowers are all good eating. This year I only had one volunteer in a pot…I'm thinking of touring the local fields to find a new supply. And while I'm chopping up a salad, I may as well throw some in the blender to slather on my face.