Purslane-Kale Salad

There has been purslane at the farmers market recently. Purslane is in the same family as Miner’s lettuce – the Portulacaceae family which is also called the purslane family.

There is purslane that grows wild all over San Francisco in the cracks of the streets. If you are bicycling along and look down at a crack in the ground you’re likely to see purslane. Whether this is the same as the kind that is at the farmers market I am not sure.

According to the Wikipedia article:

Purslane contains more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid in particular[4]) than any other leafy vegetable plant. Research published by Artemis P. Simopoulos states that Purslane has 0.01 mg/g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This is an extraordinary amount of EPA for a land-based vegetable source. EPA is an Omega-3 fatty acid found mostly in fish, some algae, and flax seeds.[5] It also contains vitamins (mainly vitamin A, vitamin C, and some vitamin B and carotenoids), as well as dietary minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron. Also present are two types of betalain alkaloid pigments, the reddish betacyanins (visible in the coloration of the stems) and the yellow betaxanthins (noticeable in the flowers and in the slight yellowish cast of the leaves). Both of these pigment types are potent antioxidants and have been found to have antimutagenic properties in laboratory studies.[6]

Yes, this plant which grows in the cracks of the streets in San Francisco happens to be this ultra-extraordinary food source which is highly valuable. It can be considered among the best vegetables.

Recently I’ve been making kale-purslane salads and loving them. I use flax oil with it plus other things. The sharpness of kale seems to complement the mellow flavor of purslane perfectly.

Its so sad to me to see the wonderful abundance of Earth and all the things there are for us to enjoy and love, yet how this world is so badly mistreated and abused.

At least I can love and appreciate the beautiful things of this world even though I know that I will have to pass away from it, even though it is so sick and dying.

This weekend there are all kinds of “celebrations” occurring. The contrast between these “celebrations” and the catastrophes unfolding in our midst is just sickening.

If people could only do a little bit – people who always drive – 130 pound females in 1,500 pound vehicles – could make the effort to use a bicycle. If people could just stay near their homes and not go out and drive and pollute in these frenzies for their “celebrations” and instead tend to their neighborhoods, then perhaps there would actually be reasons to celebrate every now and then.

But, given the excess, the carelessness, and all the waste, to see such “celebrating” going on is just sickening.

Maybe one day it will actually be possible to let the purslane in all the cracks grow. After the vehicles have stopped and humans have burned up everything there is to burn, after the rains wash the toxins away, maybe then the purslane will be pure and nourishing and flourish.