To be honest, I had never even heard of purslane before reading James Duke’s book The Green Pharmacy.  While reading that book for the Level 2200 assignment, I noticed the frequent mention of purslane and its amazing qualities and uses.  I got more and more interested and wanted to learn more, and thus the choice of Purslane for this thesis paper.   

 

As of this month, April 2006, I have almost no personal experience with purslane.  In a few more months, I will have a lot more!  My husband recently planted some purslane seeds in small pots, which are under a light in the garage.  We are still waiting for our weather to warm up, and for a very long rainy season to come to an end.  Purslane likes bright sunlight.

 

Among some weeds sprouting on a little hill in our front yard, there are some young sprouts with red stems that appear to be purslane.  We will be watching them!

 

I recently called Horizon Herbs in Williams, Oregon, and ordered 2 grams of Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) seeds (about 6,000 seeds!).  I asked if they could send me a plant, but they will not have any until summer.

                       

I plan to experiment with the seeds in several ways:

1)      Plant some for greens in the garden

2)      Try sprouting some in the kitchen in a sprouting jar

3)      Try eating the seeds as a breakfast cereal as recommended by “Wildman” Steve Brill.

 

My whole family is looking forward to trying fresh purslane.

 

Since my teenaged daughter and I went to hear Victoria Boutenko (author of The Raw Family and Green For Life) speak in Portland, Oregon, on April 1, 2006, we have been making “Green Smoothies” every day and really like them!   We will definitely try adding fresh purslane to our smoothies as soon as it is available.

 

James Duke’s book had a profound effect on me.  He states that fresh purslane can be hard to come by if you don’t grow it yourself, and that if you have a garden, you might consider planting some.  We will be doing just that.   In a book called The Kitchen Garden, author Sylvia Thompson informs us that purslane makes a fine living mulch, preserving water and cooling roots of larger plants in hot weather, and is particularly good with tall plants such as corn and beans.

 

In an online article called “Edible Landscaping With Purslane”, David Beaulieu calls Purslane the “Culinary Delight of Edible Landscaping.”  In his description of purslane, he says “The only thing keeping purslane from its rightful place in edible landscaping is an outdated logic that says ‘Purslane is a weed; therefore, it must be eradicated from my landscape!’.  When you taste the ‘weed’ purslane in cooking recipes, and familiarize yourself with the research concerning its nutritional benefits, you might re-think that logic.  Instead of fighting it as a weed, you may begin to find it eminently logical to treat it as an herb of edible landscaping.” (29)

 

As I have gone through these courses in the Master Herbalist program, I have gained an awakening appreciation for the plants and weeds that are so filled with the nutrients our bodies need.  The amazing plants and herbs are all around us, if only we could see them with understanding eyes.  Most all this information has been new to me, and there is so much more to learn.

 

In closing this Section, I would like to quote from Herbs and Old Time Remedies by Joseph VanSeters.  In his discussion of the herb Purslane, he asks some thought-provoking questions:  “What would happen to us if the supermarket ran out of food?  Where would we go?  What would we do?  Would we recognize purslane, or many other ‘poor man’s foods’ that are growing wild, or would we starve?” (30)

 

I am glad to have had this introduction to this amazing plant called Purslane.  I look forward to growing purslane in a garden, recognizing it growing wild, eating it in salads, putting it in Green Smoothies, and sharing all I learn about it with my family.  As I learn to recognize and appreciate plants like purslane, I can help other people become aware of them too.