Saturday, November 14, 2015

Foraging: Identifying and Eating Purslane (avoid poisonous spurge!)



Purslane: abundant, tasty, very nutritious, and pretty easy to identify--with just a couple pointers!




Purslane, (latin name: Portulaca oleracea), is a wonderful, edible "weed". It's tasty, versatile, highly nutritious, easy to find, grows everywhere and is relatively easy to identify. It's not native to North America, and so is generally considered to be an invasive weed. For those of you with an interest in sustainable eating, choosing invasive species for your meals is one of the most sustainable, locavore options. There's even a word for it: invasivore!

Purslane does have one dangerous look-a-like: the potentially deadly spurges. (Euphorbia varieties). I find that they really don't look that much alike, and there is one tried and true way to tell them apart--making purslane a good plant for even a novice forager. 

With that in mind, I'd like to tell you everything I know about purslane, including how to identify it, how to not confuse it with spurge, flavor profile and some basic cooking tips. 



Purslane quick history

Purslane has spread throughout all of the Old World, (Europe, North Africa, and Asia). I have heard conflicting accounts wether it originated in India, the Middle East, or the Far East. It't eaten fairly frequently through out it's range, especially in the Indian subcontinent. With European imperialism, purslane spread to Australia and North and South America, and it's eaten there too (especially Mexico)--just strangely not in the U.S. or Canada in the modern day. It was apparently eaten in parts of the US as recently as WWII.

Purslane can be found most anywhere, as can adapt itself to a variety of climates, from arid to damp, hot to cold, and sun to shade. (Not including Antartica and other uninhabitable places, like parts of Canada and Russia. :P  Just kidding!). It's a succulent, and can adapt itself to environments that experience the extremes of seasonal monsoons and months-long droughts.



Identifying Purslane: Portulaca oleracea*

The leaves have a slight thickness to them, and a slight waxy feeling
to the touch. Compare with the papery-thinness of spurge below.
  1. Purslane grows low along the ground, generally under 3". Occasionally it will create a bunch or cluster, which can grow about 6" high. It grows from a central taproot, so all the branches of an individual plant will come together at the same place. 
  2. Purslane is a succulent. Both stalk and leaves have a thick, fleshy feeling to them. The leaves are not as thick as in most decorative succulents, but they are thicker than spurge. Think the thickness of kid leather. (See close-up pic). 
  3. Stems can be red or green with a reddish tinge. Leaves are a bright green.
  4. Leaves grow out from the stalk in a "star", of four leaves. Sometimes 2 of these leaves will form before the others, but most times you see the leaves on a plant they will be in groups of 4--often 2 large and 2 small. This looks very similar to a whorled leaf configuration.
    See pic.
    The four-leaf "star" like growth of purslane
  5. Purslane leaf edges are smooth, not serrated. (They don't have jagged or toothy edges)
  6. Purslane stems are smooth and hairless. 

  7. Most importantly: if you break the stem of purslane, there is NO sticky white liquid (called latex), Purslane may be a little sticky, but it will be clear, not white. However, small the latex on small spurge plants can be very hard to notice and/or dry up quickly, so make sure to use ALL identification points.






*As always you should never accept anything you read on the internet without verifying it for yourself with either a local expert or several publications. Colors can vary from monitor to monitor, and images are not as clear as in printed materials. Personally, before I eat anything I verify it with at least 3 reliable sources. I have found this to be a remarkably good way of ensuring my safety when foraging. 


Spurge (probably creeping spurge). Note the delicate thinness of the leaves,
and also how the leaves come off the stem in opposite pairs. 

Poisonous Spurges: Euphorbia varieties

  1. The spurges also grow low along the ground, generally under 3", and they too can grow higher. They also grow out of a central point. 
  2. Spurges are not succulents, leaves are thinner. If you look at this spurge image, the leaves are almost paper-thin. Not all varieties are this delicate, but none are as thick as those of purslane.
  3. Stems can be red or green with a reddish tinge. Leaves are a rich green in most varieties. 
  4. Leaves grow parallel to each other on the stem in pairs. (2s). These leaves will always be opposite each other on the stem, unless they are growing at the junction of a branch. (Then the 2 leaves and the branch will come off the stem evenly spaced--like the spokes in a wheel). But there will never be more than 2 leaves at the same point on the stem. 
  5. Every spurge I know of has serrated, indented or toothed leaves. However, sometimes these serrations are very small, and the teeth can also be small and widely spaced--appearing smoother. 
  6. Most (but not all) spurges have hairy stems. Some also have hairy leaves.
  7. Most importantly: if you break the stem of a spurge, it will ooze a sticky white liquid, called latex.
Because of leaf pairings, spurge tends to grow more horizontal than
purslane. A flatter flat, if you will.
Euphobia is a pretty big genus, including poinsettias, which are also poisonous. Just as poinsettia can become a problem for house pets, spurges have caused deaths among sheep. If you have spurge in your yard, I would try pulling it out if you have young children or pets who go out unescorted. 

Sustainability

Purslane is a non-native species in the Americas. (To be completely fair, there may be native varieties, but they have interbred and/or died out from competition with the ones brought over from the new world). Purslane is commonly considered to be an invasive species, but it's not. . .sort of. Invasive generally implies that the plant is doing active harm to the native environment/species. Eating, or just plain old destroying, invasive species is generally considered to be beneficial.

However purslane has been here so long that it's pretty much done whatever damage it's going to do. Like dandelion, it's very possible that purslane wiped out native species when it arrived, but the settlers weren't keeping track, so we really have no idea.

Eating a bunch of purslane, even wiping out a local patch or two isn't going to do any damage to your environment. (Provided you don't use chemicals, of course). Of course, I don't recommend eating something till you wipe it out, because then you don't have anymore. And, in my opinion, purslane is a very pretty plant, as well as a tasty one. And, given that it can and will grow everywhere, and spreads quickly and well, you can use it for a nice ground cover in areas you are having difficulty getting anything to grow. Purslane will grow from cuttings, so if you want to get rid of it, don't compost, and dig it up before it goes to seed. Kept in check, however purslane is apparently a good companion plant for gardens, and helps retain soil moisture.

Eating Purslane

Purslane is a great vegetable for anyone: forager, gardener or freegan. Unlike some wild plants which are bitter (and need to be boiled) or tough and stringy (and do best in a food processor), purslane has excellent flavor and texture, and can be prepared raw or cooked. The leaves, flowers and stems are all edible, (I have never heard of anyone eating the roots--so I would avoid them).

Raw, they have an juicy, crunchy texture. I would call it closest to celery, but without the stringiness. The flavor is somewhat sour, but with a tartness. Unlike lemony sorrel knotweed, I would call it a "green apple" flavor--but with a mellow grassy note. Many people describe the flavor as being somewhat salty, like a mild seaweed. I haven't found this, but I haven't gotten to eat purslane that much. Where I used to live, it was often only found by roadsides and parking lots--areas where you would risk ingesting dangerous chemicals. Use purslane raw in salads, on sandwiches, or on a foraged Crudités board, paired with a lambsquarters dip, a knotweed salsa, or garlic mustard horseradish!

When cooked, purslane looses much of it's unique texture, becoming soft like cooked spinach. If you cook it lightly, however, it makes an excellent substitute for pasta--like a thick spaghetti or an udon noodle. Purslane is naturally vegan and gluten free, but has mucilaginous aspect: like okra, purslane will release a sticky liquid when cooked. This "mucilage" can be used to thicken soups and stews, but if using purslane as a pasta substitute, you will need to rinse the veggie thoroughly and may need multiple changes of boiling water. Cooking purslane also removes much of the sour apple flavor, making it taste more like a spinach or other cooked pot-herb.

Other cultures around the world use purslane in baked goods, including semi-sweet applications. I haven't, but I'll let you know if I try.

Purslane in flower
Nutrition

I rarely get to talk about nutrition in wild plants, because the studies just haven't been done. But purslane has a long history of consumption, throughout the world, and we know a lot about what it has to offer.

Purslane is a nutritional powerhouse. Vegetarians and vegans especially will be excited to know that purslane has more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant. It's protein and iron concentrations are higher than in any cultivated vegetable--including kale. Purslane has more magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin E than kale as well. In a calorie to calorie comparison, it has more potassium than a banana. In addition there are some B vitamins, a good amount of vitamin C, a fair amount of calcium, and a smattering of those micronutrients people say we should get more of. . .(but generally don't tell us how!) All nutritional data has been gathered from the Wikipedia page. 




Note of caution

Purslane has oxalates in it, similar to Japanese knotweed and wood sorrel. As we've mentioned before, many veggies you can buy in the store have oxalic acid, including spinach and rhubarb. People with kidney problems and/or rheumatoid arthritis should avoid these foods. The sick, the elderly, the very young and women who are pregnant or nursing should also avoid wild plants on general principle. 

75 comments:

  1. I've been seeing purslane all over my yard and I'm glad I cam across this - super helpful info! Thanks!

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    1. Great! I'm so glad it was helpful for you. Are you going to try some?

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  2. Any advantages on eating this plant for diabetics type 2.

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    1. I've got to be honest: I'm not familiar with using purslane to control diabetes, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. I did a quick google search, and it looks promising.

      Purslane is such an incredible nutritional powerhouse. And when your body gets the nutrition it needs, naturally it's going to be able to heal itself better. The modern diet often contains nutritional deficits, not only in vitamins and minerals, but also in micronutrients. We are just starting to understand the role micronutrients play in helping with blood sugar, but my guess is the impact is high.

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    2. Eat bitter melon, you can find it in many as asain stores or online, it practically reverses diabetes.

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    3. Eat bitter melon, you can find it in many as asain stores or online, it practically reverses diabetes.

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  3. This article you have written is absolutely excellent! I can't thank you enough for all your information! Will be utilizing my new found knowledge to better my family myself and others.

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    1. Great!I'm so glad it's helped you

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    2. All i can say is amazing. Its growing like wildfires in my garden i have dedicated a large slave for growing. My blood pressure and blood sugars are down. I just can't believe this. I have peripheral neuropathy that is progressive and debilitating, this miracle weed had nearly stopped the progression and i don't know if I'm crazy but i feel that my naturopathy is reversing. Thank you for this info. I plan to share this with my friends family and anyone with these conditions. Also i have been taking Ambien because i don't sleep, i no longer take anything to help me sleep and i just can't believe it.

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    3. How long had you been eating Purslane before noticing your blood pressure and blood sugar were down?

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  4. Thanks, this is awesome. Since we're growing a garden again this summer, this stuff is popping up everywhere the soaker hose goes, and I was wondering if it was the same thing I saw at the farmers market for $3 a bag. I just nibbled some, and it will definitely be going in my salad tonight.

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    1. There's nothing in the world quite like food that is (A) free and (B) effortless to grow!

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  5. How much would a person have to consume to really reap any benefits?

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    1. Odd question, the same could be asked for any vegetable, I guess. I would recommend eating a portion size, similar to the size you would eat any other vegetable as a side dish, or in a salad, every other day.

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  6. I've got a ton of this stuff coming up in my front garden. What's your favorite way to prepare it?

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    1. To be honest, minced and tossed in a salad. Or if you have enough of it, pureed and used sauces and marinades

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  7. Is Spurge the stuff that has sand burrs? Looks like it.

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    1. Not sure, I don't know what the sand burrs are

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    2. No. I let it grow as a ground cover and it never grew any sand burrs.

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  8. Thank you so much for this post! What I've thought was purslane growing everywhere in our yard is actually spurge. I was planning on picking it this morning to dry until I read this article last night.

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  9. Great blog! If you're concerned about oxalate content of purslane, combine with yoghurt.
    Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157509000842

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    1. Yes! Any source of calcium works actually. The reason here is that calcium binds to oxalates in the gut and thus passes out via elimination. Otherwise, it is absorbed via the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and it ends up in your kidneys where it combines with excess calcium to form calcium oxalate kidney stones.

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  10. does edible purslane get a flower?

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    1. yes it does, small five-petaled yellow ones. They are small and generally found in clusters of 2-3, though they may also be singular. They petals have a notch at the end, and sometimes that notch is quite deep, other times quite shallow. They bloom off the ends of the plant.

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  11. I have what very much looks like Purslane in my garden, but it has a pink tiny flower....can this be it. ??

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    1. It COULD be.

      There are varieties of purslane that have pink flowers, but they generally look a bit different from the yellow-flowered variety I've identified here.

      For one thing, they have leaves that end in a point, instead of the rounded one I've shown here.

      Please do not use this post to identify pink-flowered purslane, it is too different to use these features.

      Pink-flowered purslane is also a North American native and therefore not an invasive species. So if you do identify it, and decide to eat it, please harvest it sustainably.

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    2. maybe scarlet pimpernel!

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  12. Hi there and thank you for this wonderful post. Just a thought about the omega 3 oils in purslane, Omega 3 oils are very fragile and heat sensitive, so to get the nutritional advantage of eating the oils it's best to not cook purslane and just eat it raw. Cheers

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  13. I'm in missouMi and found some by a greenhouse I'm working in. Wiped a leave in my shirt after wetting it with water, it's got an interesting taste. Your description of the plant is very detailed (excellent job) I will try this on my family without them knowing.

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  14. thank you for this info! Do you have some ideas for how to preserve it for use in the cold months?

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    1. You can freeze it, either cooked or raw. However if you freeze it raw, you will probably need to cook it when you defrost, as it looses a lot of the crispness that makes it good for saladas

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  15. Saw a recipe somewhere for pickling purslane.

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    1. Yes! Because of its crunchy texture, purslane takes to pickling very well. You can try both vinegar and lacto-fermented pickles.

      I have a whole bunch of purslane recipes I've gathered from all over the web on my Pinterest board, check it out here:
      https://www.pinterest.com/foragedfoodie/forage-purslane/

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  16. This is the most awful weed I have ever seen in West Texas

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    1. Purslane? Or spurge? If it's purslane you hate, you know what they say "If you can't beat it, eat it!"

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  17. Hey,thank you very much. I've got a big patch of spurge growing up between my kale and amaranth pots, and you're article helped me figure out what it was.

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    1. Glad to help! If you have room, you might want to keep (some) of the spurge growing, as it can be used topically in a lotion or salve. But you definitely want to keep it under control, as it can get out of hand and take over very quickly

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  18. Thank you for your very helpful information and pictures. I have purslane everywhere in my garden, choking out my plants. Have dug it up as a weed in the past but will be using it for salads instead. It tolerates summer heat way better than lettuce, spinach or kale so is a perfect substitute this time of year.

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    1. Awesome! It loves the hot weather, being an invasive from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Purslane is one of the few plants I can find even in the Texas summer

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  19. I'm growing purslane in my yard. THANK YOU for writing this EXCELLENT post! You've just saved me hours of putting together Purslane info. Now, I'll just post this link in FB. :)

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  20. Raw purslane makes a tasty and colorful addition to potato or macaroni salad.

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  21. Thanks for this great article. I liked that you gave 5 points by which to identify the plant.

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    1. so glad it was helpful. I try to do all my guides as step by step

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  24. I purchase a Purslane plant from Lowes. it has flowers. I purchased it because I want to start eating some because of the Omega 3's. A friend from Colorado told me about it and how it grows there but when I sent him a picture, he was concerned about the fact that it flowers. it's labeled Purslane Trailing Annual. What do you think? thank you! Cathy

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    1. Purslane does have flowers, on whike plants they are extremely tiny, but cultivated varieties have been selectively bred for larger blooms.

      However, I can't guarantee that Lowes was accurate with what they are selling you

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  25. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  26. Hi HenoftheWood! It's been a while since I posted (RumAndChupacabras September 19, 2018 at 1:23 PM) but I still check in every time I get a 'new reply' email notification. Sorry to see that spammers are plaguing this post. Hope you and yours are safe and well!

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    1. The bots are never ending. I just locked down comments to mid-tier security. I didn't want to do it, but its insane.


      We are well, I hope you are as well!

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    2. It's unfortunate but I'm glad you did that. 😉

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  27. Can you recommend a good edible plant ID app. Wantvto start wild foraging more. What to find some purslane and more plant. Now that I know purslane has omega. Want to eat my nutrition, "food is medicine "

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    1. The only app I would recommend is the one created by "Wildman" Steve Brill and several other professional foragers.

      That said, I still recommend identifying new plants with at least 3 reliable sources.

      App info can be found here:
      https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/mobile-app

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  28. Great article, and very helpful for this gardener dealing with purslane trying to take over the garden. You may need to do a small edit to the article, however. You say that purslane came to the Americas from the New World. Only problem with that is that the Americas are the new world.

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    1. Oof! You are absolutely correct -- typo on my part.

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  29. Purslane is easy to cultivate if you can catch it in late summer/early fall. It should have dozens of little seeds. Just take a few springs and shake them over rough soil. In a year or two you should have it popping up all over. This works in SE Ct.

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    1. Nice! I really enjoy this plant and can't get enough of it.

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  30. I have purslane in WA State but I have never seen any flowers on it. Do some not produce flowers?

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    1. They should all produce flowers, but the flowers are very very tiny, you might have missed them

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  31. Oxalates are not a problem if consumed with foods with available calcium. Oxalates bind to calcium in the gut and pass through harmlessly. Oxalates can also bind to magnesium in the gut. If they go unbound to calcium or magnesium, they can be absorbed and end up in the kidneys where they can bind with excess calcium and create calcium oxalate stones (I don't know why they don't bind to excess magnesium in the kidneys, but they don't). Proper hydration and consumption of enough citrate (e.g., calcium citrate or magnesium citrate supplements twice daily or a diet rich in calcium, magnesium, and citrate) can prevent stone formation as well. Hydration dilutes the concentrations of all components in the blood, reducing the chances of stones precipitating out in the kidneys. Citrate in urine binds calcium so calcium cannot bind with phosphate or oxalate to produce stones. Thus, purslane should not be avoided by persons with kidney issues, but just treated carefully and consumed in the context of a kidney-healthy diet with a proper balance of calcium, magnesium, and citrate.

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  32. I was upset when my husband pulled the “weeds” telling him it was purslane. Thanks to you I know it was really spurge. You and he have saved us some misery. Thinking I will just buy some seeds and spread it out on a hillside out back. Of all the varieties I see, I am wondering which is best? Thank you for writing this article.

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    1. Hi RedTree --

      Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. Your comment had been flagged by the spam filter. I'm very glad you didn't try any spurge though!

      I would look for the more original purslane, if you can find the seeds. The cultivars are largely chosen for florals, and aren't really as tasty, and possibly not as nutritious.

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  33. I loved your well done and thorough post on purslane vs spurge identification. I am a very appreciative novice with foraging. Awesome 👌 !!!

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  34. My family is from Vietnam. My mom told us that there wss a year of famine
    So by the grace of God or higher authority will allow purslane to start growing all of a sudden. No one knows where the seed comes from. It just grows so the poor can have something to eat. This is why when I see purslane growing, I'm starting to worry about the economy. I think the seed comes from our water system. I just watered my garden like regular and it grows out of nowhere. I eat it raw because I'm a salad shooter plus I boiled it and dip with the shrimp paste sauce that
    I added sugar and lime to it. Dip n eat with rice yum. Vietnamese called it rau sam.
    I grew up eating it boiled all my life until I read that the Americans are eating it raw.
    I tried it raw n it's a fresh taste like eating bitter melon without the bitter part.
    So fresh you can taste the unique texture of the mighty purslane.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your family's story! I actually have a raw recipe that I will be publishing in just a few minutes or so!

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  35. I take some diuretics (water pills) to stop fluid buildup. This in turn, gives me gout. :( So I take something for that. So the oxalate causes issues, but from my understanding and via Google, if you boil veggies that have oxalates, it will remove about 75% of it. It also stated that if you have calcium with it, it will bind together in the stomach so it will not be absorbed as much in the body. I have some in my yard, so I am thinking about trying it.

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    1. it wouldn't surprise me if boiling removes some oxalates (though I don't know for sure), but purslane also gets very soggy very quickly and anything more than a very quick blanch will often ruin it.

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