Gardening time is upon us! Planting, tilling, composting, and of course, pulling up weeds, are all part of a gardener’s life. But don’t throw away the edible weeds! We at Raw Mom are happy to have a post from “The Orginial Raw Mom” and edible weed expert, Victoria Boutenko, about a common weed: purslane.
Green Smoothie from Purslane by Victoria Boutenko.
Purslane has a slightly sour and salty taste and is eaten throughout America, Europe, and Asia. The stems, leaves and flower buds are all edible.
Purslane contains more omega-3 fatty acids (mostly alpha-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant. Purslane has 0.01 mg/g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This is an extraordinary amount of EPA for land based vegetable sources. EPA is an Omega-3 fatty acid normally found mostly in fish and flax seeds. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, and some vitamin B, as well as dietary minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron.
100 grams of fresh purslane leaves (about 1 cup) contain 300 to 400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid. One cup of leaves contains 90 mg of calcium, 561 mg of
potassium, and more than 2,000 IUs of vitamin A. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea
Purslane Mango Smoothie
- 1 bunch (or 3 cups) purslane,
- leaves, stems, and flowers
- 1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced
- 3 cups water
Blend well
Yields: 1 quart (liter) of pleasant, not too sweet smoothie.
Some of the best foods for you are found right in your backyard. Purslane, nettles, dandelion, lambsquarters, and more, are all available to you and free! Share your favorite wild edible smoothies with us!