Purslane/Portulaca oleracea

We grow "improved" (larger leaves, upright habit) varieties of this as a summer salad vegetable 
here in our Oakland garden. These need more water than the wild form, which grows as a summer "weed" in parts of the Bay Area in sidewalks and vacant lots. My mother gathered the wild type and taught me to recognize it, having learned about it from our Mexican-American neighbors in San Jose. I have seen the wild type being gathered by both Mexican American and Asian-American people in my neighborhood recently, and it can be bought at some of the farmer's markets sold by same. But I've never seen the improved types sold here.

I'd love to get a recipe for a soup or stew using purslane. Anybody willing to send me one?

Best wishes,

Deborah Lindsay
Oakland, California

--- On Mon, 8/11/08, Brian Ottway <ottways@eircom.net> wrote:

> From: Brian Ottway <ottways@eircom.net>
> Subject: Fw: Challenge: create a list of low water edibles
> To: "mediterranean plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
> Date: Monday, August 11, 2008, 11:56 AM
> Hi Cali,
> 
> re: Portulaca
> 
> Your garden experience is much the same as mine - it grows
> well  in my irrigated vegetable patch - but generally not
> much elswhere. However, here it also grows wild poking up
> between rocks and also in town through gaps between calcadas
> (paving cobbles) used on the pavements - both situations
> where it cannot be getting any water. I have dug up a few of
> these plants and they have a rather succulent long root
> (almost a taproot). However the ones in my garden have have
> a more branched less fleshy root system. Perhaps the
> irrigation is encouraging the plants to produce shallow
> roots, whilst in drier habitats it roots more deeply? The
> natural crevice habitat may provide more humidity for seed
> germination and initial growth of the seedlings?
> 
> The wild plants are certainly getting by without any rain,
> we have had only one short shower in 72 days!
> 
> Ciao
> BrianO
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Cali Doxiadis 
>   To: ottways@eircom.net ; medit-plants@ucdavis.edu ;
> TalkingPoints@plantsoup.com 
>   Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 6:28 PM
>   Subject: Re: Challenge: create a list of low water
> edibles
> 
> 
>   Brian,
>   My experience with Portulaca is that it needs a lot of
> water. The only part of my garden where it appears regulary
> a a (welcome) weed is the annual bed which gets regular
> summer irrigation.
>   Cali Doxiadis
>   Corfu, Greece
>     ----- Original Message ----- 
>     From: Brian Ottway 
>     To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu ;
> TalkingPoints@plantsoup.com 
>     Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 4:40 PM
>     Subject: Re: Challenge: create a list of low water
> edibles
> 
> 
>     Nan, 
> 
>     You are getting a great response! Every time I think of
> sitting down and replying, I see someone else has come up
> with one of "my" suggestions - last one to bite
> the dust was Carissa!
> 
>     So just three additional suggestions that I can think
> of as I sit here:
> 
>     1. Ceratonia siliqua - the carob tree. One of the
> toughest trees I know.
> 
>     2. Hottentot Fig - Carpobrotus edulis. An introduced
> and rather invasive weed here in Portugal.
> 
>     3. Another weed - purslane- Portulaca oleracea. Used a
> lot here in soups and stews. I also use it in salads. An
> excellent source of polyunsaturates.
> 
>     Better send these off now before someone gets in ahead
> of me!
> 
>     Boa Sorte,
> 
>     BrianO
>       ----- Original Message ----- 
>       From: N Sterman 
>       To: medit plants forum 
>       Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2008 6:48 AM
>       Subject: Challenge: create a list of low water
> edibles
> 
> 
>       Hi all 
> 
> 
>       I've been asked several times lately about low
> water plants that are edible or make edible fruits.  I
> thought it might be fun if we made this a group project.  
> 
> 
>       So far, my list includes:
> 
> 
>       Fruiting plants:
>       Fig
>       Grape
>       Pomegranate
>       Olive
>       Pitajaya
>       Pineapple guava – feijoa
> 
> 
>       Herbs
>       Bay
>       Rosemary
>       Oregano
>       Sage
>       Fennel (though invasive in Southern California)
> 
> 
>       What can you add?
> 
> 
>       Nan
> 
> 
> 
>       *****************************************
>       Nan Sterman  Plant Soup, Inc. TM    
>       TalkingPoints@PlantSoup.Com          
>       PO Box 231034   
>       Encinitas, CA 92023
> 
> 
>       Order your personalized copy of the all new
> California Gardener's Guide vol II at www.PlantSoup.Com 
> 
> 
>       Watch A Growing Passion now on YouTube!  
>       Search for all five segments, starting at
> http://youtube.com/watch?v=4bpTdXY3cG8
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