Every now and then, I do a little piece highlighting one of the edible plants that grow nearby, often without us even realizing it. There are so many things that we classify as weeds that, in reality, are completely edible, often very healthy, and surprisingly delicious. And the best part is, because they’re weeds, you don’t have to do anything to take care of them. It’s quite fun to go out and gather a salad consisting of nothing that you actually planted.
Today’s weed is purslane, a low-growing succulent. If you think that it looks like that portulaca that you plant for flowers, you’re right: it’s a member of the same family. It will radiate outward along the ground for a foot or more if you let it. The reddish stem is covered with fat, fleshy, rounded leaves, and the flowers do resemble the ornamental portulaca’s, though they’re much more inconspicuous.