I am thinking of maybe growing a ground cover around my potted plants and Purslane which grows wild is an ideal plant for this purpose. You can find Purslane growing in the cracks on driveways and sidewalks. It is a ubiquitous weed and edible. It is delicious and has very high nutrition value with more Omega-3 fatty acids than most other vegetables! It is related to spinach and is added to salads at some upscale restaurants. Purslane is a low growing plant with small thick green leaves and thick red stems. Do not confuse Purslane with Spurge, a poisonous weed that looks very similar and has thin wirery stem and milky sap. Purslane has clear sap and is succulent.

You probably have this plant growing in your yard!


I am thinking about planting this in my garden as a relacement for spinach in the spring, summer, and fall.

You are welcome to all of my purslane. I have sprayed it, kicked it, pulled it, dug it, and cursed it. It is a pest in my greenhouse. It is a VERY invasive plant that spreads everywhere. I have heard that Mexicans eat it, and I have tasted it, and can attest that it has almost no taste. If any upscale restaurant ever served it to my table, I would look for another place to eat. - Millet (866 -)

The purslane here has a citrus like flavor. It is an excellant addition to a salad. I am going to plant this in my garden next year.
One serving of perslane will give you all the vitamen E for a day,more Omega 3 fatty acids than any other vegetable, rich source for Vitamin A,magnesium and calcium! It can help prevent heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It is a superfood!

Perslane is the best tasting vegetable IMHO.

Well there ya go....
All my life I've been running fruit orchards and nurseries and to think all I had to do to pay the bills is grow weeds!

It is also an Australian Aboriginal"bushfood", the common species, Portulaca oleracea was also an important source of edible seed. Another species P.intraterranea"large pigweed" has an edible taproot. Some garden seed catalogs used to carry golden purslane as an ornamental edible, along with other improved selections.

All these years I have pulled weeds like Purslane without knowing these plants may have health benefit. Do not eat too much Purslane though because it does have some oxalic acid which may be a problem for some people. You can get most important nutrients from other vegetables besides Purslane and I certainly would not eat Purslane growing near streets or other areas where it may be sprayed with herbicide.

You certainly don't have to plant it here. It is all over my yard. The problem here when it comes to eating it would be the sand which would get pounded into the leaves when it rains. I have to grow my lettuce in containers for that reason.

Well, I have an open mind and the thought of eating pigweed never occurred to me. I will give it taste and if it taste as good as you say then my roundup bill will certainly be reduced.
Millet is so right about it loving a greenhouse.
Karl

Tri
It's not so bad and i did not spit it out. I am cajun so you know we will try almost anything. I will never cultivate it but i now have a different view of this stuff.
Karl

I love the flavor of Purslane! It has a tangy citrus like flavor.

This is a picture of our weed garden i mean purslane (Portulaca) garden!

(click on the photo to make it larger.)