Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! For some food ideas, check out my Summer (Ending) Recipes post.
I just spent a bit over two dollars on a hefty bunch of weeds at New Seasons, and I was happy to do it too. Purslane is commenly regarded as weed, but this high in nutrient plant is worth growing, foraging, or, as in my case, buying.
“…recent research findings confirm that purslane is also a rich source of fatty acids, vitamin E, and other key nutrients–making it a prime candidate as a new vegetable crop.” and
“Norman, at the agency’s Weed Science Laboratory; James A. Duke at the ARS National Germplasm Resources Laboratory in Beltsville; Artemis P. Simopoulos of The Center for Genetics, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C.; and scientist James E. Gillaspy of Austin, Texas, have confirmed that P. oleracea contains more of one omega-3 fatty acid—called alpha-linolenic acid–than any other green leafy vegetable yet studied.
Purslane can be eaten cooked or raw. In salads, it has a mild, nutty flavor and a crunchy texture much like bean sprouts. A 100-gram serving has about 300 to 400 milligrams of alpha-linolenic acid—10 times more than spinach, the researchers found”. Source
I kept coming across references to it in my reading, everything from animals grazing on it for rich in omega 3 meat (from Rebuild from Depression, A Nutrient Guide) to people gathering it and enjoying it on their tables.
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