Home > Relish Austin > Archives > 2009 > September > 25 > Entry
Weed-like purslane packs an Omega-3 punch
At a Friday afternoon visit to the Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market last week, I came upon a vendor selling this beautiful green plant. I hadn’t noticed purslane before, but I struck up a conversation with the farmer, Erika Bradshaw of Bradshaw Farm, who told me about the incredible amount of Omega-3 fatty acids found in purslane.
Apparently, purslane contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant, and it can be used as eaten raw as a garnish or in a salad or added to a stir-fry, soup or any number of other dishes, even bread.
I added a few handfuls of purslane to a soup I made last week — served it with a slice of that homemade Addie’s Quick Bucket Bread that held up nicely in the freezer — to celebrate the return of fall.
You can imagine my surprise when today I spotted purslane on top of a dish by Jeffrey’s executive chef Deegan McClung, who is helping me with a story about pork belly I’m working on for next week. He used it as a garnish on top of pork belly, crab and moi fish served on a bed of charred poblano peppers, long beans and hearts of palm.
If you’re salivating at the sight of that dish, it’s available as a special tonight at Jeffrey’s.
Just goes to show that a weed as common as purslane isn’t always what it seems.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Cooking, Eating locally
Comments
Austinites love to be heard, and we're giving you a bullhorn. We just ask that you keep things civil. Leave out the personal attacks. Do not use profanity, ethnic or racial slurs, or take shots at anyone's sexual orientation or religion. If you can't be nice, we reserve the right to remove your material and ban users who violate our Visitor's agreement. Click here to report comment abuse.
By wackyjer
September 27, 2009 12:15 PM | Link to this
Thanks for recognizing this great little plant. For the past two years I’ve been cultivating bunches of it in wide shallow pots that let its succulent branches stretch out and keep its roots close to the surface. Once it finds a spot it likes it is very low maintenance. Every other morning I harvest it, but usually can’t resist eating it right there in the garden. I find that it can have a different taste depending on what time of the day it’s harvested - tangier in the morning, sweeter in the afternoon.