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A Delicious Weed

One person's weed is another person's salad ingredient
(A bowl of freshly picked Verdolagas/Purslane)

This time of year you'll likely see what looks to be a small succulent spreading out as far as it can reach.  You'll even see it growing from cracks in the sidewalk - and it's name is Purslane (English) - or Verdolagas (Spanish).   

New Verdolagas growth May 28, 2021

For years I pulled and discarded this hardy intruder - until I was introduced to the many culinary uses by local gardener Nickie Irvine.  Having already moved dandelions over to the food/ingredient category, I was surprised to learn of so many culinary uses of this sidewalk dweller.  

When freshly picked or coming out of the refrigerator, Verdolagas has a pleasant crunch.  I like it best raw and added on top of salads - but there are many recipes, particularly in Latin American, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines, that use Verdolagas as an ingredient.  A short list of recipes can be found here.

If you have any interest in local plant foraging,  check out Philip B. Stark on Instagram (@philipbstark).  He's a professor of statistics at UC Berkeley and Principle Investigator for Berkeley Open Source Food (forage.berkeley.edu) and frequently posts about edible weeds and #urbanforaging.

Do you incorporate any other "weeds" in your diet?  Please share in the comments or email recipes@growsanmateo.org.


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