One of my favorite vegetables is purslane. It’s easy to find almost anywhere in North America, and it has so many health benefits to offer. Often considered a “weed” species, this plant is easy to find, and grows vigorously!

Portulaca oleracea or “purslane” (sometimes called “little hogweed”) is a succulent that is really easy to find and works well in a variety of recipes. This is a great plant for the aspiring forager to start with!

Plant Profile

Scientific Name: Portulaca oleracea

Native Range: Everywhere in North America other than the most northern parts of Canada!

Preferred Habitat: Typically, anywhere with disturbed soil, and on the edges of sidewalks, driveways, fields, and trails. I also see it growing as a “weed” in my garden.

Key Identifiers: Purslane has thick succulent-like, green, leaves, and a salmon pink to deeper pink stem. When it goes to seed, the flowers are tiny and yellow.

Nutrition (Per 100g):

• Calories: 16

• Vitamin A (from beta-carotene): 26% of the DV.

• Vitamin C: 35% of the DV.

• Magnesium: 17% of the DV.

• Manganese: 15% of the DV.

• Potassium: 14% of the DV.

• Iron: 11% of the DV.

• Calcium: 7% of the RDI.

• High in Antioxidants

• High in Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Toxic Look-Alikes: Spotted Spurge is the only plant that could be mistaken for purslane. Once you see the differences, it’s pretty easy to differentiate the two. Spurge grows similarly, but it has thin, non-succulent leaves, and I usually see a small red spot in the middle of them. While spurge isn’t a good idea to eat, it has a very low severity in terms of toxic effects.

So, purslane is a great vegetable. The nutrition facts listed above make it one of the most nutrient dense plants on the planet, but how do you eat it?

Purslane is best eaten fresh in salads or on sandwiches, made into sauces or pesto, or cooked in stir fry, soups, grilled, or however you’d eat most greens or asparagus. The best part is, it’s free.

While there aren’t many cultivated varieties available (to my knowledge) there is at least one I could find from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds with particularly large leaves.