The purslane plant
As a herbal remedy.
Purslane had medicinal uses for a great many complaints, for example, easing dry coughs, assisting the pain of gout, even removing excessive heat in the forehead and temples, and soothing sore mouths and gums. Four hindres years ago, herbalist and writer John Gerard advised that purslane eaten in salads with oil and vinegar “cooled the blood and caused a good appetite.” Today it is known that purslane contains calcium, iron, and phosphorus, another good reason for eating this herb.
Herbal beauty experts would argue this herb work just as effectively on the inside as they do on the outside: they assist the working of bodily functions while also helping to clean the skin. Purslane leaves and buds arethe best for salad use. Fixed with other greens like rocket, hyssop, broom buds, and grapevine tendrils for a delicious, interesting, and very healthy salad.
Purslane is part of Portulaca genus and has a lot of soapy sap for a herb.For identification this plant has juicy leaves that are attached to short stems growing from a round, succulent, red stalk; the whole plant has a flattened look and growth. Tiny yellow purslane flowers cluster on the branches in mid-summer, opening only at noon. Each bloom is followed by a purslane seed case.
How to eat purslane.
Purslane was once an important salad and pot herb, and its culinary uses have recently been rediscovered. The smooth small leaves have a refreshing lemony tang — a pleasant surprise to crunch on when eating a mixture of salad greens. Gardeners appreciate purslane’s red stems and stalks for color in herbaceous borders, especially when grown together with the contrasting golden-leaved purslane, P. sativa. The latter is edible too, but is not as hardy as green purslane.
Growing Purslane
Purslane is eaten fresh and does not dry well. Sometimes thick stems of old mature plants are sliced and pickled for the winter store upboard. Gather 3 inches of leafy stems as you need them for salads, then when becoming bare cut the plant low and after a short time it will produce a some new leaves. After doing this once more, the original plant will be depleted , so it is wise to gow multiple crops planted weeks from each other to ensure a constant supply.
THe leaves and young stems, become an interesting ingredient to mix with other leafy greens. Purslane is the right herb to accompany rich food as the plant’s astringent properties help cleanse the palate. Older shoots were still cooked as a pot herb, and the pickled purslane were put into winter salads. This herb is an ingredient in some soups, in particular the French soup bonne femme, and it is also an central ingredient in the Arab salad fatoitsb. Add a few leaves to broths and to spinach while cooking. Thinly sliced brown bread sandwiches with cream cheese and a few purslane leaves have a peppy taste.
Purslane is a popular salad ingredient in Syria and Lebanon, and goes into raw vegetable salads in Greece and Cyprus; this succulent herb also features in a typical Armenian cucumber and yogurt salad.
Weeds in the garden you can eat in salads
