This has turned out to be my year for taking full advantage of wild things—starting with nettles in April, then moving into garlic mustard, dandelions, amaranth, lamb’s quarters and mulberries. Today I’ve just come in from yet another delightful breakfast from the small patch of wild black raspberries at the top of my lane.

But this month’s topic is that hardy and ubiquitous summer succulent, purslane, which led Henry David Thoreau to write: “I have made a satisfactory dinner off a dish of purslane which I gathered and boiled. Yet men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve, not from want of necessaries, but for want of luxuries.”

When my brother Henry first started selling purslane at the Evanston market 18 years ago, it wasn’t yet the darling of chefs, so our Mexican, Indian and Greek customers snapped it up. Other people would do a double-take, and say, “Isn’t that a weed?”

Well, yes. Yet it’s strange how something so nutritious and delicious, a staple of so many cuisines, could come to be known as a weed.

Purslane originated in India, and is reputed to have been Gandhi’s favorite food. Now it is “cosmopolitan,” meaning it grows all around the world—probably in your lawn or garden. Part of the reason for its evolutionary success is that a single plant can produce more than 52,000 seeds, and those seeds can survive for up to 30 years. To weed-phobic industrial agriculture, this is a nightmare. But to those who know nature’s bounty, it is a great gift, guaranteeing us nutritious free food long after peak-oil causes industrial agriculture to die.

Purslane is common, but it is uncommonly good for you. It tops the list of plants high in vitamin E and an essential omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of, The Omega Diet, says purslane is the richest known plant source of ALA. In addition, purslane provides six times more vitamin E than spinach and seven times more beta carotene than carrots. It’s also rich in vitamin C, magnesium, riboflavin, potassium and phosphorus.
 
Purslane is wonderful raw in salads or on a sandwich (in place of lettuce or pickles), or sauteed as a side dish. In addition to the crispy texture you would expect from a succulent, purslane also has a slightly lemony flavor.

Purslane salad

1. 4 cups purslane
2. 2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
3. Coarse sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
4. Strained juice of 1 small lemon, or to taste
5. 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste

Rinse the purslane and break or cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Rinse the salad greens (if you’re using them) and pat dry. Combine the purslane, greens and scallions in a salad bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss with a wooden spoon and fork, add salt, pepper and/or lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately.

Purslane with cheese (Verdolaga Con Queso)

1. 4 cups purslane, washed
2. 1 Tb olive oil
3. 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Gently boil the purslane in salted water for about two minutes or until tender. Drain the water and chop the purslane into smaller pieces. Put the purslane in a frying pan with the olive oil, and shred the jack cheese over it. Keep the purslane in the pan just until the cheese melts. Serve warm.

Purslane and eggs (Verdolaga Con Huevos)

1. 2 cups purslane, with stems, washed and diced
2. 6 eggs
3. 1 cup diced onion
4. Butter

Put the diced onion and purslane in a heated and buttered cast-iron skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and cook omelet-style. Serve with tomato slices on the side.