Next time you’re in Whole Foods check the produce section and chances are you’ll find purslane.  Yes, the exact same purslane that grows through the cracks in the sidewalk outside your house or in between the rows of tomatoes in your garden. The only difference is that the purslane in the store has been cleaned up and comes with a hefty price tag. Purslane is high in iron, vitamins A & C, and omega 3 fatty acids.


Native to India and the Middle East, purslane has spread around the world and in many places is cultivated as a food plant. Yet here, we pull it up as a weed. That may be changing...

Purslane is a succulent plant, with small, paddle-shaped leaves almost an inch long. It produces small yellow flowers in mid to late summer. Wild purslane usually grows flat, hugging the ground. Cultivated purslane, growing in richer soils, has an upright growth habit and may be six to eight inches tall.

If you don't want to pay for your purslane, look for this weed in dry, sunny spots. It's a common garden weed, and you can cultivate a crop by pinching off the top few inches of the plant on a regular basis. Regular pinching encourages branching which insures continued harvests throughout the season.

Purslane is an annual. If you'd like to keep it coming back, let the plant flower and set seed. At the end of the season, pull up the entire plant and use it as a cooked or pickled vegetable. Older plants are better cooked than raw.

Young, raw purslane is crunchy and slightly tart. It’s great in a salad or sandwich. Pinch the leaves in pairs, focusing on the youngest, most tender greens.

Purslane also makes a tasty pickle; the older, thicker stems stand up well to brine.

Cooked purslane tastes something like spinach, but the texture is quite different and it doesn’t reduce in volume like spinach does. It's slightly mucilaginous, but nothing like okra. Purslane is great in stir-fries, egg dishes, and casseroles. In soups and stews it adds substance and nutrition. My favorite way to enjoy cooked purslane is Purslane à la Grecque: sautéed with olive oil, feta, onions, and a few tomatoes for a delicious Mediterranean side dish.

Once you've tasted purslane, you may decide you want to grow your own. You can collect seed from existing plants (one plant can produce more than 100,000 seeds) or order it from a catalog. Plants can be harvested about six to eight weeks after planting.

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