Purslane
Portulaca oleracea

Location
Desert garden.

Description
Purslane, also known as pusley, is a fast growing annual herb that spreads low to the ground. It has smooth, fleshy stems that are green with a reddish purple hue and leaves that are alternate and opposite in arrangement. The leaves are approximately 1-2” long and half that in width, broadest at the rounded tip. Flowers are a pale yellow that bloom at the tips of the branches and are quite small (Elias 1982).

Comments
Harvesting times for purslane vary: young leafy tips are from June-September, while larger stems (especially if they are to be used for pickling) are best if harvested mid-Summer (Elias 1982).

Jae – "Raw purslane doesn’t taste much like anything at all. I’ve had it on multiple occasions and considered adding it to a salad, but have found the leaves to be bitter if anything. The fleshiness of the shoots could make for a wonderful potherb, but it isn’t something I have tried yet."

Culinary ideas for purslane from “Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants” include: pickled stems, raw shoots for salads, and cooked young plants as potherb with butter and salt.

References
Elias TS, Dykeman PA. Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Outdoor Life Books, New York, 1982.