As spring gets closer, many people turn their thoughts towards their abandoned home garden from last year. Anyone who has attempted to maintain their own garden knows how difficult can be. One of the hardest parts is fighting back against the constant attack of weeds! What if one of the weeds that you were trying so hard to remove was actually a potential superfood?

Common backyard weed can be used as a healthy and delicious vegetable.

Purslane is a “weed” common to most of North America. Known as Little Hogweed, this hearty plant shows up in sidewalk cracks, backyards, and in your garden! While many people don’t know what it is and pull it up, it has a TON of potential benefits that may cause you to keep it around!

This vegetable can be used in many dishes as an additive or replacement!

Purslane has a crisp and citrusy flavor, similar to watercress. Because of its great flavor, it has a ton of uses in cooking. All parts of the plant found above ground are useful. Use it as a decorative addition to a salad…or even make a salad out of it! You can also use it in stir-fry, soups or just eaten plain! They add nice addition of acid to whatever dish you decide!

More than just a flavor boost, purslane is packed with nutrients!

While tasting good, this little vegetable is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the entire planet. Healthline, pulling data from the US Department of Agriculture, shows the nutrient stats of 100 grams of Purslane as containing:

• 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.

• It also contains small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3, folate, copper and phosphorus. ¹

This nutrient bomb comes in the package of a 16-calorie package. Maybe its time to add some to your diet!

Where do I find it?

Being common to North America (and many other parts of the world), many people can simply look for the fleshy leaves and red stems with yellow flowers. If you still can’t find any, this plant is incredibly hearty and any seeds bought online can grow in pretty much any garden at home.

There are a ton of ways to incorporate Purslane into your diet!

Coming from India and Persia, this vegetable has been used in some good cooking! Maybe as the season goes on and the inevitable weeding season comes to bare, we can use this tasty and nutritious plant to supplement our diet. It is now commonly used in Mediterranean cooking so the potential dished to pull inspiration from is always growing. Whether in a Greek salad, flavor additive, or soup, check out some ways you can use Purslane in cooking.

A life lesson in a common weed.

To close, maybe we can all take a life lesson from Purslane! Something that we commonly overlook and step over that can bring a ton of value to our lives. It seems to be an inspirational reminder to us, humans, in the value of things often ignored.

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Source: Healthline, Wild Foods Home Garden