Health Benefits From A Weed

[Nyboy]

 

[digitS']

I appreciate the captioning and even the auto captioning wasn't bad for the "purse lon" .

It must love the way I garden! Each year, there seems to be more of it. It matures early and seeds must fall before I can get to it and, I bet, survive for several years in the soil.

The flavor may indicate the concentration of minerals but it's okay, raw - and nibbled on as "just desserts." However, for a plant that grows right against the soil surface, it needs a fair amount of sunlight and that location helps with suppression of this weed! Mostly, it's in the dahlias and when those plants finally are tall enuf, the purslane is finished. Howsomeever ... disposal needs to be done in a conscientious manner! I once left a purslane plant

• sitting upside down
• in the full sun
• on concrete block.

After 3 summer weeks, it had more-or-less righted itself and was blooming!!!

Maybe I will "consider" drying some (after electrocution or something ) and seeing what I think of it as an herb tea. Shoot. I like and drink catnip - weed that it is!

Steve

 

[Nyboy]

Steve have you tried it cooked ?

 

[thistlebloom]

I put it in our green smoothies. I like that it doesn't require anything from me to grow, but it has so much to offer.
I only pick it from my garden areas, don't want to be eating something that the animals or I have been walking on.

 

[digitS']

Cooked?

I believe so. It would have been some long time ago.

Purslane isn't the best tasting weed. I mean, some people would probably think that about lamb's quarters or pigweed ... dang, I wish those had better names! Eating Purslane almost sounds "profitable." Maybe something you'd get from the salad bar at a high-end restaurant .

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I like the taste of it raw, and has a little crunch to it when washed and chilled.

Did you know that lambs quarters were used regularly as food until sometime in the 1600's when lettuce was cultivated and became popular? Don't quote me, I may have the date wrong, just going off my swiss cheese memory.
Lambs quarters are another really nutrient dense food, they grow as weeds here too so they get picked and tossed in the smoothies. Actually "smoothie" is not an accurate term for the blended drink I make every day. It's actually just a liquefied salad, made with enough water to blend it and drink.

 

[Carol Dee]

WOW We grow that by the wheel barrow full In our garden. Tough to get rid of. If it breaks off when I attempt to pull out it grows right back. Or drop some in the row and it will be growing full tilt in no time at all. Easy to spread on it's own or accidently. Guess we'll have to try eating it! Like they say if life hands you lemons , make lemonaid! (If life hands you purselane, make salad! )

 

[bobm]

In the Western States there is a weed that hitched a ride in a shipment of wheat from Australia about 50 years ago that looks and acts almost identical to purselane called "puncture vine". If you step on one of it's seed while barefoot, you will learn the Irish Jig in 2 seconds flat and be a pro dancer and curse like a drunken sailer. If you drive your bike over the plant, you will instantly have a dozen flats . If you walk on them with your tennis shoes, you will have to stop and remove dozens of the spiked bomb seeds from the soles. All in all a very NASTY weed that we always kill , maim and destroy on sight using chemical warfare as pulling or hoeing it is a total waste of time and energy as it regrows from root ends and ever ripening seeds even from the dead plant.

 

[thistlebloom]

Seems like it would be pretty easy to tell the difference then.
When in doubt, step on it!

 

[Nyboy]