I was first introduced to purslane by a Chinese friend of mine who gave it to me in a steamed dumpling with pork. Yum. He dries it and uses it as a green in dumplings during the winter. He has told me that if you want to dry it that it has to be blanched briefly. This is my favorite green. I'm glad you did it!
Sauté onion till translucent in olive oil or butter. Add a little crushed red pepper, salt. Chop and add purslane. Finish with a little chicken broth, till bright green and tender. Put on hot corn tortilla with mild farmers cheese(queso fresco) roll it up and enjoy. It called Verdalagas, in Spanish. Delicious.
Well, Deane, I tried some yesterday using the military method for determining edibility. First, I washed what I clipped to rid it of any chemicals. Next I placed a leaf in my mouth and held it there without chewing for 10 minutes, no ill effects. Next I chewed some and held for 5 minutes without swallowing, no ill effects. Finally I swallowed it and had no ill effects. I followed the same procedure for the stems as well. It's been 24 hours so far so I guess it passes the Dick Deuerling method.
Some times I feel like the last expert in the slide rule must have felt. It was a tool that put us on the moon and now worthless. Most folks view foraging as bizarre at best, dangerous at worse. They also trust agriculture to feed them.
I know some people that only forage at Publix. If purslane was in the ground behind the store, they wouldn't touch it. Yank it up and put it in the produce isle and they'll drop a couple of bucks for it. I'm old enough to have been in the slide rule club in HS. (The slider on a rule is a cursor, the same as that arrow/bar that moves around your screen.)
I totally agree with you but the more we learn to identity and forage the more secure I feel walking around and trying new stuff. Last year I foraged wild plums and mulberries and folks on the nearby bike paths must have thought I was crazy. No one would try the mulberries, pin cherries, wild plums or June berries I picked all around me... More for me I guess!
What a great plant to know about. One of the most nutritious and it's been under my feet all along. You have educated me so, sorry less for you:-) It's amazing that the plant is not cultivated here in the U.S. especially with all of our health fads. We fortify our orange juice but hey, lets ignore one of the most nutritious plants we have. 5 stars and one of my favorite videos that you have made! Thanks Green Deane.
while I have a darn time growing moss roses - portulaca grandiflora - my weed variety does AMAZINGLY well. Just had a salad with purslane in, it grows every where, but best in my flower pots LOL I love my weeds! free food and often healthier than the cultivated "food". You Sir are the best ! Because I was tired of weeding my garden a few years ago I looked the stuff up. Found Eat the Weeds and am so happy since! Less weeding more food.
I love your videos. People dont realize that foraged greens are probably more nutritious than the groceries we buy. I have the stuff growing all over my yard and eat it on a regular basis
On many purslane the blossoms stay open for only a few hours, usually right after the morning sun hits them. Then they close. So you may have to look at them several times to catch them in blossom. There are some spurges that resemble purslane but they have white sap. Purslane seeds tiny black things about the size of the eye of a needle, and edible.
Purslane! I have fond memories of picking bunches of this stuff in our family farm in Egypt, and bringing it home for my mother to cook in the traditional manner. This video is so nostalgic for me, thank you for posting about this delicious little plant!
Dave Canterbury mentioned your channel in one of his recent videos so I decided to check it out. This video is the first I watched. I recognized the plant as one of the most prolific "weeds" in my flower bed. I've pulled the stuff out and thrown away garbage bags full of it but, no more! I just tried some and it really is crispy and delicious. From now on it goes in my salad.
Mine was taking over parts of my yard and my invading my neighbors yard, thanks to me, so I just sprayed the crap out of it. I definitely won’t be eating any now 😩
@@stefswatchinyoutubeagain4769 it’s taken over my yard and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t eat and share all of it if I could. I’m seeing it almost everywhere in the city. It’s just spread like wild fire. Had never seen it here before. Trying not to use herbicide… but I’m losing the battle
If you let it spread out a little, its super easy to pull up because the big ones will beat out the small ones and it has shallow roots. Pull it out of places you dont want it, eat some, compost the rest. Then let the ones that ARE where they belong grow some. He kept talking about pickles, easiest way in the world it to strip fat juicy stems of their leaves off into a soup, cut them the height of your pickle jar and drop them into the liquid left over after you finish off the last store bought pickle. Try one at 24 hours, 3 days, a week and a month. Then you will know your preferences. Absolutely the same thought as pickled asparagus.
I have been using this for years as a decorative addition to hanging baskets and my cement planters. Thrilled to find out earlier this year on this video - it is a great food. I just now ate some. It is very tasty raw... and it is young so it sounds like it will even get better. So yummy so grateful, thank you.
I wish you still made videos. I've just recently stumbled upon your channel and absolutely love the content! Everyone has videos of foraging wild food more North. You, in Florida and me in southern Louisiana, have a lot of the same plants. I can't find any other channels that are specific to our region.
I was thinking about producing youtube videos on the subject of edible wild plants, but after I discovered Green Deane's I realized mine would be superfluous at best. This is a superb series.
But! Know Deane that you are appreciated and your efforts are recognized for the time-honored traditions they attempt to further and support! You are actively doing your part in your way and we see that, and we thank you. I personally have learned so much from you, you've given me a deeper perspective into my surroundings and you've inspired me to get as "Green" as I can! In everything I do! You are a valuable resource! :)
Thankfully, I have this wonderful plant naturally occurring at my home in NY. I subscribed to your channel when I acquired water hyacinth for my goldfish pond and came across your video on them. I thought then that I found a needle in the YT haystack, so I knew you would have covered this gem too! The water hyacinths are now part of my aquaponic vegetable gardening and the purslane is part of my diet. Bravo brother, nice work. Deane, you empower people, thank you for your many contributions.
I love your videos, I keep finding out these weeds that have been growing in the garden every year are actually quite good. After doing more research on Purslane, I even found that its beneficial to other garden plants as its deep roots bring up water to them.
There is a patch of purslane near my house that catches the runoff from a cajun restaurant's dumpster. It reeks to high heaven during crawfish season, but the plant grows as large as any rose bush with leaves the size of nickles! Probably not safe to eat, but I'm often astounded by the tenacity of this plant.
I have been snacking on Purslane since I discovered it in my garden. It thrives better than my tomatoes cucumbers or peppers and requires no maintenance whatsoever. I think I will make this a permanent plant in my garden. Like you say, "More Food For Me!"
Like the ornamental pink portulaca at wal-mart. I collected seed from the large, upright purslane, and it's now all over the garden. But I don't mind. Some of the paddle-shaped leaves are the size of my thumb. It's really a great vegetable.
Purslane is very pretty in hanging baskets planted by themselves. I have surprised many people when they realize what it is... I just love them, I plant 3 to a pot sandyish soil but lots of liquid fertilizer. I wont be adding the fertilizer any more! I love your videos. I gather lots. Learning more here. Thanks xoxo
I harvest some every year,and I take the time at least once a year to collect and save the seeds.A little tedious but just half a teaspoon of seeds will grow a large patch. Always grow it as ground cover between veggies,free meal every time I weed.
Well, they are quite difference. Purlane tends to be a smooth leaf, thick with little or no central vein or lateral veins. The Kummerowia as a very distinct center rib and very distinct veins running off the central rib. Comparatively one looks smooth and fleshy, the other ridged and rough, sometimes even partially folded in the middle. The purslane leaf does not fold.
Green Deane, thank you so much! Thanks to you, I identified some purslane today and intend to do with it exactly what you have done: transplant it, let it re-seed, and eat it!
Bought it? At a garden store for landscaping? First, theyu put a lot of stuff on those kinds of plants so that is one issue. And while those cultvars might be edible I do not know of anyone who has tried them. They've always been on my list of things to explore.
I am not a luddite but I have some reservations about GMO. DNA strands are like standing dominoes with junctures. Change one domino and a different cascade of traits can happen. I know two yams. They are similar. One vine twists clockwise, one vine counterclockwise. One is toxic the other is not. Did the gene that changed the direction of twist also cause a DNA cascade that also included creating toxins? Do gene insertions cause changes we don't know about or look for but which can harm us?
Thanks for writing... I have found wild purslane preferable to commercial strains. We would have to know what they are selling, a commercial cultivar or a wild one.
Everything with the plant seemed identical to the one you have there except for the size of the flower, so I wasn't horribly worried. My only concern was unknown allergies, but I seem to have passed the test. I'd put the taste of this one to be similar to salted watermelon once you get a little close to the rind. I bought this because for the life of me I couldn't find it in the wild. Just my luck, I find a wild one in the garden center's parking lot on the way out. It's being seeded as we speak
I work in lawn care and horticulture and never knew of one trait of purslane- it will not die if left on the ground after picking it. I would be going down a flower bed, sweating like mad, picking this stuff and just leaving it on the ground to die. All I was doing is allowing it to continue to flower and produce seed. Apparently, the watery pith in the stems will keep it alive long enough to re-seed itself. You can come back and it would still be there, going to flower after pulling it.
I've always been amazed at how many people are annoyed by "weeds" and how none of them realize that you can eat so many of them. Purslane is great, so are dandelions and lambs quarters. When some one comes to my store to try and kill them, bitching about the fact that most pesticides/herbicides have been banned, I suggest that they eat the weeds. Afterall it's free food and it's good for you as long as chemicals haven't been used on them.
The USDA map, which can be very wrong, says it does not grow in Alaska. However, it grows in British Columbia so I suspect it is in Alaska, too, as plants don't pay attention to borders.
Purslane is a heat-lover. It grows in WA, but not on our coasts because the summers don't stay above 90°. I doubt it can live in AK-too far North to fry. Lol
Deane, Like the gentleman from Mexico said, in Spanish it's called "Verdolagas". My dad is Native American (Apache, New Mexico) and my mom is Spanish. He taught her to Saute Purslane with Onions & canned Corned Beef,..... delish! That was many years ago, but to this day, if I find it growing wild I will pick it. Treat it like you would Spinach. I just discovered your site and will subscribe and follow your knowledgeable advice. SanJoseBob.
Thanks for the video! I have been yanking this weed out of my garden pots (here in France), unaware that it is an edible plant! Tomorrow morning I will check for the yellow flowers -- otherwise, I am sure this is the same plant. I just checked the seed pods which are identical, as is the red stem and the "paddle" leaves. Off to read the comments here, which seem to be full of great tips! Merci beaucoup.
Just made my first Purslane cultivation plot via transplanting some random one's in the yard....have yet to eat more than a taste. Mine happens to be the low to the ground type perhaps due to 'ducking the mower blades' selection process, it's apparently very drought tolerant based on some of the dry locations I find it doing well.
Oh wow, when i was a kid (in ohio) we had to weed the garden and this was one of those 'weeds' my brother and me called it rubber plant. Had no idea of its name or value. I dont think they grow here in Alaska tho or at least i havent seen any??
I love this plant! On our farm it is quite common. When I'm walking my dog, I always grab a handful for a snack. I've never really prepared it, but may do so. Thanks for putting this video together Deane :)
Purlsane is by far my favorite wild edible (to date), and is also the first one I ever identified in my garden. I've kind of let it go out there and it grows all over the place, but some of the leaves have white spots on them, fungal infections surely since it's been raining so much this year in New Jersey... so I'm ending up picking off 1/2 to 1/4th of the leaves on every plant I harvest. But still my favorite though.
Mr. Deane, I greatly enjoy all your videos and thank you for the information they provide. On this particular video though, I was wondering as to how exactly a person would go about pickleing the purslane? Thank you kindly and I look forward to your next video.
Probably a spruge. White sap is a huge warning sign to leave it alone. If I didn't mention it on my video I did on my site. There are some edible plants with white sap but very few.
I finally had been able to gather up enough Purslane to steam. I steamed a big pot of it a few days ago and it was great. It tastes a lot like spinach.
I have purslane growing around my huse and I love going outside in the morning to look at the flowers but they have redish purple flowers instead of yellow
I've been pulling up a pink purse lane from my herb bed. Is it edible as well? It looks just like the yellow. And what about chickweed that grows everywhere in spring?
I just plant the root right in the yard. I also cut the top of the weed to eat and leave the roots and a little bit of the stem. It grows back and I can harvest it again.
Sir, i believe we have quite a large patch of purslane growing wild in our backyard. As we live in Eastern Iowa, we are coming on to the cold winter. Is there a way to keep this through the winter? Can it grow in a container inside our house? Can we freeze it? As we make lots of Mexican food, this may be a great "find". Thank you.
Thanks for writing.... on the garden web there are a lot of forums where one can ask questions, and here. Legumes range from toxic to edible from the garden. And some folks are allergic to even the edible ones. Legumes were not considered human food in the distant past. They are not well-represent in mesolithic middens. Cooking does not get rid of toxicity in that family. It is NOT a family to experiment with. Make sure it is edible or leave it alone.
Great editing! ( keeps the info coming at brain speed ...... few others do.) Great delivery and content. Thanks for sharing your gifts. I must subscribe.
I love your enthusiasm for weeds, it hurts me how so many people kill these noble nutritious greens. Would you share the names of nurseries that sell medicinal plants (weeds) ? Since there are so many varieties of the same plant, I want to make sure I get the right ones. Thank you for your labor of love.
And it doesn't look like prostrate knotweed. Another think I noticed is late the leaves are shaped like purslane leaves and are as big as purslane leaves, but are only about as thick as clover or wood sorrel leaves. So they weren't very fleshy.
I forgot all about this...but the other morning I woke early and looked in on my plants...there was my purslane with those elusive blossoms open! WOWEE! I only ate 1 leaf because they're pretty small plants, just getting started...Not Bad! :-P Lotsa Love, Deane~~
@jimjamerman My first answer is no. Then I would recommend Edible Plants of North America by Elias and Dykeman (2008 edition or later, that's important.) Then with few drawings Edible Plants of the Gulf South by Charles Allen.
Purslane is definitely in full swing here in the DC area right now. I've noticed some people use multicolour flowering purslane for decorum. Is it the same as the purslane in your video and thus also edible?
That's good advice, and what I would have likely done anyhow. The more I learn, the more I have an affinity for those little edible weeds that find their way into my yard. The lubbers are a marching force this time of year and the only thing I've done is relocate them from my favorite plants since they are easy enough to spot. Also, thanks for doing what you do. I've found it near impossible to find any good books for Florida plant ID and you've really removed a lot of the head scratching.
Thank you! I found one of these wild, planted it at home in hopes of having it next season. But then I noticed the leaves would close for the evening and open for midday and wondered if I didn't have the right plant. Now I know!
Those are questions I wrestle with too that you pose in the middle of you video. I guess more Purslane for me. I enjoy a slight lemon and salty flavor from Purslane (raw). Yummmers!!! TY
One of the weeds I tend to overlook and never bother looking up; who knew it was edible? Thanks! Any tips on areas that one could eat the weeds from without worrying about vehicle emissions and such?
Can you imagine going to a foreign place where spinach or Swiss chard, kale or even egg plant are growing wild,out of the side walks ,cracks of pavements or in abandoned lots and the locals say “those are weeds”!! Wow! Would you laugh or feel sorry for them? The” weeds” are stronger than the cultivated foods in our gardens.About five years ago my pastor started a community garden behind our church,receiving plants,commercial -grade raised beds, soil and organic compost from the city to start it.Out of that soil grow the hugest most healthy, heaviest Purslane I have ever seen! My Pastor didn’t know and didn’t believe me when I told him that’s FOOD😆 .We are both gardeners and now I’m eating my weeds more than ever before and trying to educate my brothers and sisters to eat those too ☘️🌱🌿🌾🌹🥗🌯🍲🌮🥙😁🙋🏾♀️.
Green Deane, is "rose moss" not the same as Portulaca? And are there plants that are similar in appearance to Purslane that could be harmful if ingested?
I always have way more of this plant than I can eat. There's something about it that tells my body quickly that I've had enough. Is there oxalic acid in it? Do you know of a way to process it so you can a lot of it? I've noticed others, too only can eat a little bit.
Green Deane says that he doesn't like commercially grown purslane. I've bought purslane from Lukas Nursery (Oviedo, FL) and I think it is very tasty in salads. (The worker thought I was joking (or crazy) when I told here I intended to eat it.) I mention it because maybe they have a unique, tasty variety. I will try the wild ones though -- maybe I don't know what I'm missing. It is just easier to buy the plants from Lukas' in the Spring.
Green Deane, on my run this morning I saw a plant very similar to purslane. The stems were smooth and the same red as purslane, only about an inch before the end of each stem it was a light green. The leaves were the same shape as purslane, and it was also low to the ground. The only other big difference is that the leaves of the plant I saw occured in 3s, and not in 5s. Do you know what this plant is? and if so, is it edible? I was going to uproot some for my garden tomorrow.
Hi Deane. As I wrote to you I have a large amount of purslane on my property if I have identified it correctly. I noticed that in cool shade when the sun is setting, or particularly after a heavy rain, at night I see the purslane standing up. Many of the end stems, even on large plants, are standing straight up and the leaves are folded up and in forming these little, folded, funnel-like shapes. Is this common for purslane and if so do you know what causes this to happen?
I dont know if you can answer this or not but my house was treated for termites and i want t eat the weeds in my garden. I never spray other then that and my front lawn is LOADED with dandilions and i think purslane. I was told by a spray company that I cannot eat anything 5ft from my house because it will be contamintated. Does this survive in pots? Or do you think it would be safe to eat it from other places in the garden?
hello dean i have a question i'm growing some dandelions in a pot if i dont pull the roots out will it regrow next season or will i have reseed the pot and thanx for the info on the purslane transplanting
Hi green dean...have a question,,,I live in ohio,and these pesky weeds grow very well,and I used to pull it up and throw it into my compost pile until I found out it's edible and is better that most if what I grow,,,but my question,,,my blood pressure is normal and wondering that if I eat this will it lower my blood pressure even lower in which I don't want,,,,what do you think?....and thank you for your knowledge in plants...love your channel.
You never used the word succulent. But for those watching this its a good way to tell purselane apart from other plants is often its the only bulbus leaf “weed” around if you dont live somewhere that cacti are common.
I bought some cultivated Purslane today. It has the yellow blossoms but they are a good bit bigger than what you have there. The blossoms are about 45mm wide with 5 petals and some have a 6 pointed star-like stigma and several anthers. I haven's tried this one yet because it's blossoms are bigger than the one you had there. Any thoughts on it's safety?
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I was first introduced to purslane by a Chinese friend of mine who gave it to me in a steamed dumpling with pork. Yum. He dries it and uses it as a green in dumplings during the winter. He has told me that if you want to dry it that it has to be blanched briefly. This is my favorite green. I'm glad you did it!
Sauté onion till translucent in olive oil or butter. Add a little crushed red pepper, salt. Chop and add purslane. Finish with a little chicken broth, till bright green and tender. Put on hot corn tortilla with mild farmers cheese(queso fresco) roll it up and enjoy. It called Verdalagas, in Spanish. Delicious.
I appreciate this. Thanks for sharing !)D
Well, Deane, I tried some yesterday using the military method for determining edibility.
First, I washed what I clipped to rid it of any chemicals. Next I placed a leaf in my mouth and held it there without chewing for 10 minutes, no ill effects. Next I chewed some and held for 5 minutes without swallowing, no ill effects. Finally I swallowed it and had no ill effects. I followed the same procedure for the stems as well. It's been 24 hours so far so I guess it passes the Dick Deuerling method.
Some times I feel like the last expert in the slide rule must have felt. It was a tool that put us on the moon and now worthless. Most folks view foraging as bizarre at best, dangerous at worse. They also trust agriculture to feed them.
Maybe so, but Slide Rules never became useless; just fell out of favor.
I know some people that only forage at Publix. If purslane was in the ground behind the store, they wouldn't touch it. Yank it up and put it in the produce isle and they'll drop a couple of bucks for it.
I'm old enough to have been in the slide rule club in HS. (The slider on a rule is a cursor, the same as that arrow/bar that moves around your screen.)
Now farmers are being paid to kill their crops, so we have food shortages...😳🤷♀️🙇♀️
Very informative. Much Blessings to you. Thanks for sharing, Lord-Jesus-Christ dot
I totally agree with you but the more we learn to identity and forage the more secure I feel walking around and trying new stuff. Last year I foraged wild plums and mulberries and folks on the nearby bike paths must have thought I was crazy. No one would try the mulberries, pin cherries, wild plums or June berries I picked all around me... More for me I guess!
What a great plant to know about. One of the most nutritious and it's been under my feet all along. You have educated me so, sorry less for you:-) It's amazing that the plant is not cultivated here in the U.S. especially with all of our health fads. We fortify our orange juice but hey, lets ignore one of the most nutritious plants we have. 5 stars and one of my favorite videos that you have made! Thanks Green Deane.
while I have a darn time growing moss roses - portulaca grandiflora - my weed variety does AMAZINGLY well. Just had a salad with purslane in, it grows every where, but best in my flower pots LOL I love my weeds! free food and often healthier than the cultivated "food".
You Sir are the best ! Because I was tired of weeding my garden a few years ago I looked the stuff up. Found Eat the Weeds and am so happy since! Less weeding more food.
I love your videos. People dont realize that foraged greens are probably more nutritious than the groceries we buy. I have the stuff growing all over my yard and eat it on a regular basis
On many purslane the blossoms stay open for only a few hours, usually right after the morning sun hits them. Then they close. So you may have to look at them several times to catch them in blossom. There are some spurges that resemble purslane but they have white sap. Purslane seeds tiny black things about the size of the eye of a needle, and edible.
Love this guy’s presentation. Laidback,calming and informative and all the questions I have are already in his presentation. Thanks Green Bean!!
Purslane! I have fond memories of picking bunches of this stuff in our family farm in Egypt, and bringing it home for my mother to cook in the traditional manner. This video is so nostalgic for me, thank you for posting about this delicious little plant!
I knew an old Italian organic gardener (back in the early 80s) who said "you have to let the bugs have some of them. "
Dave Canterbury mentioned your channel in one of his recent videos so I decided to check it out. This video is the first I watched. I recognized the plant as one of the most prolific "weeds" in my flower bed. I've pulled the stuff out and thrown away garbage bags full of it but, no more! I just tried some and it really is crispy and delicious. From now on it goes in my salad.
Mine was taking over parts of my yard and my invading my neighbors yard, thanks to me, so I just sprayed the crap out of it. I definitely won’t be eating any now 😩
@@stefswatchinyoutubeagain4769 it’s taken over my yard and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t eat and share all of it if I could. I’m seeing it almost everywhere in the city. It’s just spread like wild fire. Had never seen it here before. Trying not to use herbicide… but I’m losing the battle
If you let it spread out a little, its super easy to pull up because the big ones will beat out the small ones and it has shallow roots. Pull it out of places you dont want it, eat some, compost the rest. Then let the ones that ARE where they belong grow some. He kept talking about pickles, easiest way in the world it to strip fat juicy stems of their leaves off into a soup, cut them the height of your pickle jar and drop them into the liquid left over after you finish off the last store bought pickle. Try one at 24 hours, 3 days, a week and a month. Then you will know your preferences. Absolutely the same thought as pickled asparagus.
I have been using this for years as a decorative addition to hanging baskets and my cement planters. Thrilled to find out earlier this year on this video - it is a great food. I just now ate some. It is very tasty raw... and it is young so it sounds like it will even get better. So yummy so grateful, thank you.
I read your article on Hawthorn. I am here to tell you that I have consumed (ate) hundreds of hawthorn berries and lived to tell you about it. :-)
My grandma used to grow this and cook for us when we visited as I loved it😍😊
I wish you still made videos. I've just recently stumbled upon your channel and absolutely love the content! Everyone has videos of foraging wild food more North. You, in Florida and me in southern Louisiana, have a lot of the same plants. I can't find any other channels that are specific to our region.
I was thinking about producing youtube videos on the subject of edible wild plants, but after I discovered Green Deane's I realized mine would be superfluous at best. This is a superb series.
Different people appeal to different people.
If you live in a different area. It's a huge subject are you a good cook a good weed cooking show or your own niche.
I just tried it for the first time. DELICIOUS!!! I'm blessed to have bunches in my garden.
But! Know Deane that you are appreciated and your efforts are recognized for the time-honored traditions they attempt to further and support! You are actively doing your part in your way and we see that, and we thank you. I personally have learned so much from you, you've given me a deeper perspective into my surroundings and you've inspired me to get as "Green" as I can! In everything I do! You are a valuable resource! :)
Score! I've been interested in purslane for years. Thanks for the very thorough video. Subscribed!
Thankfully, I have this wonderful plant naturally occurring at my home in NY.
I subscribed to your channel when I acquired water hyacinth for my goldfish pond and came across your video on them. I thought then that I found a needle in the YT haystack, so I knew you would have covered this gem too! The water hyacinths are now part of my aquaponic vegetable gardening and the purslane is part of my diet. Bravo brother, nice work.
Deane, you empower people, thank you for your many contributions.
I love your videos, I keep finding out these weeds that have been growing in the garden every year are actually quite good.
After doing more research on Purslane, I even found that its beneficial to other garden plants as its deep roots bring up water to them.
I would love to see you cooking this and the other weeds you find.
There is a patch of purslane near my house that catches the runoff from a cajun restaurant's dumpster. It reeks to high heaven during crawfish season, but the plant grows as large as any rose bush with leaves the size of nickles!
Probably not safe to eat, but I'm often astounded by the tenacity of this plant.
I have been snacking on Purslane since I discovered it in my garden. It thrives better than my tomatoes cucumbers or peppers and requires no maintenance whatsoever. I think I will make this a permanent plant in my garden. Like you say, "More Food For Me!"
This one I pick all the time.
There are some upright forms that grow around my yard. There are also smaller, redder plants.
I’ve heard of purslane before but not as much as you just shared. Thank you!
Like the ornamental pink portulaca at wal-mart.
I collected seed from the large, upright purslane, and it's now all over the garden. But I don't mind. Some of the paddle-shaped leaves are the size of my thumb. It's really a great vegetable.
Purslane is very pretty in hanging baskets planted by themselves. I have surprised many people when they realize what it is... I just love them, I plant 3 to a pot sandyish soil but lots of liquid fertilizer. I wont be adding the fertilizer any more! I love your videos. I gather lots. Learning more here. Thanks xoxo
I harvest some every year,and I take the time at least once a year to collect and save the seeds.A little tedious but just half a teaspoon of seeds will grow a large patch. Always grow it as ground cover between veggies,free meal every time I weed.
Well, they are quite difference. Purlane tends to be a smooth leaf, thick with little or no central vein or lateral veins. The Kummerowia as a very distinct center rib and very distinct veins running off the central rib. Comparatively one looks smooth and fleshy, the other ridged and rough, sometimes even partially folded in the middle. The purslane leaf does not fold.
Yeah I live in Northeast, Deanwood to be exact and I 'v found it in only one spot just off of Minnesota Ave.
Green Deane, thank you so much! Thanks to you, I identified some purslane today and intend to do with it exactly what you have done: transplant it, let it re-seed, and eat it!
@jimjamerman I have a ton of purslane growing between the cracks in my flagstone porch, it only gets 6 hours of direct sunlight. it's doing very well.
Bought it? At a garden store for landscaping? First, theyu put a lot of stuff on those kinds of plants so that is one issue. And while those cultvars might be edible I do not know of anyone who has tried them. They've always been on my list of things to explore.
This is awesome! I'm such a huge fan of Purslane, and I'm so glad I found you Green Dean! Eat the Weeds Indeed!
Green Dean is super awesome!
@permiepat Perhaps but I think it would be a chore. The plant is mostly water to start with. You won't end up with much.
I am not a luddite but I have some reservations about GMO. DNA strands are like standing dominoes with junctures. Change one domino and a different cascade of traits can happen. I know two yams. They are similar. One vine twists clockwise, one vine counterclockwise. One is toxic the other is not. Did the gene that changed the direction of twist also cause a DNA cascade that also included creating toxins? Do gene insertions cause changes we don't know about or look for but which can harm us?
Thanks for writing... I have found wild purslane preferable to commercial strains. We would have to know what they are selling, a commercial cultivar or a wild one.
It does have oxalic acid, 1,679 to 16,790 ppm. The more ammonium in the soil the less oxalic acid.
Everything with the plant seemed identical to the one you have there except for the size of the flower, so I wasn't horribly worried. My only concern was unknown allergies, but I seem to have passed the test.
I'd put the taste of this one to be similar to salted watermelon once you get a little close to the rind. I bought this because for the life of me I couldn't find it in the wild. Just my luck, I find a wild one in the garden center's parking lot on the way out. It's being seeded as we speak
Sounds good... it will do well in the spring and fall, goes a bit wilty in the summer.
I work in lawn care and horticulture and never knew of one trait of purslane- it will not die if left on the ground after picking it. I would be going down a flower bed, sweating like mad, picking this stuff and just leaving it on the ground to die. All I was doing is allowing it to continue to flower and produce seed. Apparently, the watery pith in the stems will keep it alive long enough to re-seed itself. You can come back and it would still be there, going to flower after pulling it.
I've always been amazed at how many people are annoyed by "weeds" and how none of them realize that you can eat so many of them. Purslane is great, so are dandelions and lambs quarters. When some one comes to my store to try and kill them, bitching about the fact that most pesticides/herbicides have been banned, I suggest that they eat the weeds. Afterall it's free food and it's good for you as long as chemicals haven't been used on them.
The USDA map, which can be very wrong, says it does not grow in Alaska. However, it grows in British Columbia so I suspect it is in Alaska, too, as plants don't pay attention to borders.
Purslane is a heat-lover. It grows in WA, but not on our coasts because the summers don't stay above 90°. I doubt it can live in AK-too far North to fry. Lol
Deane, Like the gentleman from Mexico said, in Spanish it's called "Verdolagas". My dad is Native American (Apache, New Mexico) and my mom is Spanish. He taught her to Saute
Purslane with Onions & canned Corned Beef,..... delish! That was many years ago, but to this day, if I find it growing wild I will pick it. Treat it like you would Spinach. I just discovered your site and will subscribe and follow your knowledgeable advice. SanJoseBob.
Thanks for the video! I have been yanking this weed out of my garden pots (here in France), unaware that it is an edible plant! Tomorrow morning I will check for the yellow flowers -- otherwise, I am sure this is the same plant. I just checked the seed pods which are identical, as is the red stem and the "paddle" leaves. Off to read the comments here, which seem to be full of great tips! Merci beaucoup.
Just made my first Purslane cultivation plot via transplanting some random one's in the yard....have yet to eat more than a taste. Mine happens to be the low to the ground type perhaps due to 'ducking the mower blades' selection process, it's apparently very drought tolerant based on some of the dry locations I find it doing well.
Oh wow, when i was a kid (in ohio) we had to weed the garden and this was one of those 'weeds' my brother and me called it rubber plant. Had no idea of its name or value. I dont think they grow here in Alaska tho or at least i havent seen any??
Super cool video! Hope it lives thru the winter in Florida.
I love this plant! On our farm it is quite common. When I'm walking my dog, I always grab a handful for a snack. I've never really prepared it, but may do so. Thanks for putting this video together Deane :)
Purlsane is by far my favorite wild edible (to date), and is also the first one I ever identified in my garden. I've kind of let it go out there and it grows all over the place, but some of the leaves have white spots on them, fungal infections surely since it's been raining so much this year in New Jersey... so I'm ending up picking off 1/2 to 1/4th of the leaves on every plant I harvest. But still my favorite though.
No book yet but I do have regular classes in West Palm Beach
Mr. Deane, I greatly enjoy all your videos and thank you for the information they provide. On this particular video though, I was wondering as to how exactly a person would go about pickleing the purslane? Thank you kindly and I look forward to your next video.
Yep... I think I will do Pine next, but the last eight may take a while... time, season... et cetera
Probably a spruge. White sap is a huge warning sign to leave it alone. If I didn't mention it on my video I did on my site. There are some edible plants with white sap but very few.
I finally had been able to gather up enough Purslane to steam. I steamed a big pot of it a few days ago and it was great. It tastes a lot like spinach.
I have purslane growing around my huse and I love going outside in the morning to look at the flowers but they have redish purple flowers instead of yellow
I've been pulling up a pink purse lane from my herb bed. Is it edible as well? It looks just like the yellow. And what about chickweed that grows everywhere in spring?
I just plant the root right in the yard. I also cut the top of the weed to eat and leave the roots and a little bit of the stem. It grows back and I can harvest it again.
Good advice. My speciality is harvesting rather than growing.
Sir, i believe we have quite a large patch of purslane growing wild in our backyard. As we live in Eastern Iowa, we are coming on to the cold winter. Is there a way to keep this through the winter? Can it grow in a container inside our house? Can we freeze it? As we make lots of Mexican food, this may be a great "find". Thank you.
Thanks for writing.... on the garden web there are a lot of forums where one can ask questions, and here. Legumes range from toxic to edible from the garden. And some folks are allergic to even the edible ones. Legumes were not considered human food in the distant past. They are not well-represent in mesolithic middens. Cooking does not get rid of toxicity in that family. It is NOT a family to experiment with. Make sure it is edible or leave it alone.
mix it into your scrambled eggs :)
Putting it into a smoothie also works!
As it is mostly water, drying is not a prime option. It does, however, pickle well.
@AyumuHasegawa me thinks there are various kinds out there, here on the central plateau, the flowers are white with a pinkish tinge.
garlic olive oil lemon mix it eat raw
thank you kindly sir... i use it in green smoothies, but hadn't thought of transplanting others ppls weeds into my garden...
Great editing! ( keeps the info coming at brain speed ...... few others do.)
Great delivery and content. Thanks for sharing your gifts.
I must subscribe.
I love your enthusiasm for weeds, it hurts me how so many people kill these noble nutritious greens.
Would you share the names of nurseries that sell medicinal plants (weeds) ?
Since there are so many varieties of the same plant, I want to make sure I get the right ones.
Thank you for your labor of love.
And it doesn't look like prostrate knotweed. Another think I noticed is late the leaves are shaped like purslane leaves and are as big as purslane leaves, but are only about as thick as clover or wood sorrel leaves. So they weren't very fleshy.
I forgot all about this...but the other morning I woke early and looked in on my plants...there was my purslane with those elusive blossoms open! WOWEE! I only ate 1 leaf because they're pretty small plants, just getting started...Not Bad! :-P
Lotsa Love, Deane~~
@jimjamerman My first answer is no. Then I would recommend Edible Plants of North America by Elias and Dykeman (2008 edition or later, that's important.) Then with few drawings Edible Plants of the Gulf South by Charles Allen.
Purslane is definitely in full swing here in the DC area right now. I've noticed some people use multicolour flowering purslane for decorum. Is it the same as the purslane in your video and thus also edible?
That's good advice, and what I would have likely done anyhow. The more I learn, the more I have an affinity for those little edible weeds that find their way into my yard. The lubbers are a marching force this time of year and the only thing I've done is relocate them from my favorite plants since they are easy enough to spot. Also, thanks for doing what you do. I've found it near impossible to find any good books for Florida plant ID and you've really removed a lot of the head scratching.
Thank you! I found one of these wild, planted it at home in hopes of having it next season. But then I noticed the leaves would close for the evening and open for midday and wondered if I didn't have the right plant. Now I know!
@Brian Shaw yep, mine tend to fold upward and close a couple hours before sunset. It's quite neat.
Those are questions I wrestle with too that you pose in the middle of you video. I guess more Purslane for me. I enjoy a slight lemon and salty flavor from Purslane (raw). Yummmers!!! TY
I absolutely love your work and your videos!! Thank you so much :D
One of the weeds I tend to overlook and never bother looking up; who knew it was edible? Thanks! Any tips on areas that one could eat the weeds from without worrying about vehicle emissions and such?
Can you imagine going to a foreign place where spinach or Swiss chard, kale or even egg plant are growing wild,out of the side walks ,cracks of pavements or in abandoned lots and the locals say “those are weeds”!! Wow! Would you laugh or feel sorry for them? The” weeds” are stronger than the cultivated foods in our gardens.About five years ago my pastor started a community garden behind our church,receiving plants,commercial -grade raised beds, soil and organic compost from the city to start it.Out of that soil grow the hugest most healthy, heaviest Purslane I have ever seen! My Pastor didn’t know and didn’t believe me when I told him that’s FOOD😆 .We are both gardeners and now I’m eating my weeds more than ever before and trying to educate my brothers and sisters to eat those too ☘️🌱🌿🌾🌹🥗🌯🍲🌮🥙😁🙋🏾♀️.
Take the plant when you find it, turn it upside down and shake it onto a paper plate. There will be a lot of tiny black seeds. Super easy to grow.
Green Deane, is "rose moss" not the same as Portulaca? And are there plants that are similar in appearance to Purslane that could be harmful if ingested?
Why is the purselane at your home red stemmed but by the road is not?
Hi, what is a plant that seems to meet this description but the leaves aren't smooth--they are a little hairy. Thank you for your videos.
What kind of vitamin this good for.
I always have way more of this plant than I can eat. There's something about it that tells my body quickly that I've had enough. Is there oxalic acid in it? Do you know of a way to process it so you can a lot of it? I've noticed others, too only can eat a little bit.
Green Deane says that he doesn't like commercially grown purslane. I've bought purslane from Lukas Nursery (Oviedo, FL) and I think it is very tasty in salads. (The worker thought I was joking (or crazy) when I told here I intended to eat it.) I mention it because maybe they have a unique, tasty variety. I will try the wild ones though -- maybe I don't know what I'm missing. It is just easier to buy the plants from Lukas' in the Spring.
Green Deane, on my run this morning I saw a plant very similar to purslane. The stems were smooth and the same red as purslane, only about an inch before the end of each stem it was a light green. The leaves were the same shape as purslane, and it was also low to the ground. The only other big difference is that the leaves of the plant I saw occured in 3s, and not in 5s. Do you know what this plant is? and if so, is it edible? I was going to uproot some for my garden tomorrow.
Thank you so much. Enjoy all your videos.
I have moss rose that grows here, they have red flowers. is that the same thing?
Hi Deane. As I wrote to you I have a large amount of purslane on my property if I have identified it correctly. I noticed that in cool shade when the sun is setting, or particularly after a heavy rain, at night I see the purslane standing up. Many of the end stems, even on large plants, are standing straight up and the leaves are folded up and in forming these little, folded, funnel-like shapes. Is this common for purslane and if so do you know what causes this to happen?
I dont know if you can answer this or not but my house was treated for termites and i want t eat the weeds in my garden. I never spray other then that and my front lawn is LOADED with dandilions and i think purslane. I was told by a spray company that I cannot eat anything 5ft from my house because it will be contamintated. Does this survive in pots? Or do you think it would be safe to eat it from other places in the garden?
I steam this and serve it with a wild rice blend. It's also good in a salad with cucumbers and tomatoes with a vinaigrette.
hello dean i have a question i'm growing some dandelions in a pot if i dont pull the roots out will it regrow next season or will i have reseed the pot and thanx for the info on the purslane transplanting
I purchased some purslane at Home Depot in several different colors. Is this edible?
Hi green dean...have a question,,,I live in ohio,and these pesky weeds grow very well,and I used to pull it up and throw it into my compost pile until I found out it's edible and is better that most if what I grow,,,but my question,,,my blood pressure is normal and wondering that if I eat this will it lower my blood pressure even lower in which I don't want,,,,what do you think?....and thank you for your knowledge in plants...love your channel.
hey dean
I have looked all over to find some of this. no luck so far.
Any hints?
MUDDy
It's a succulent, so it grows in places that are dry.
In my case, it's growing from cracks in my driveway -- rather luxuriously, I might add.
You never used the word succulent. But for those watching this its a good way to tell purselane apart from other plants is often its the only bulbus leaf “weed” around if you dont live somewhere that cacti are common.
I bought some cultivated Purslane today. It has the yellow blossoms but they are a good bit bigger than what you have there. The blossoms are about 45mm wide with 5 petals and some have a 6 pointed star-like stigma and several anthers. I haven's tried this one yet because it's blossoms are bigger than the one you had there. Any thoughts on it's safety?
...and sandspur is edible when young. I use it like wheatgrass, to make juice.
I never knew that's what they were called. My family likes to fry it with chopped beef and pepper, add some salt and it taste amazing. :)