There it was, in a neglected corner of the polytunnel, quietly growing away in all its glory: winter purslane! I couldn't believe my luck. This astonishing winter green, with white flowers growing out of the centre of each leaf, is one of my favourite salad leaves. And can indeed often be found in inconspicuous places like greenhouse or polytunnel edges.
Both the leaves and flowers are edible. When you pop a leaf into your mouth, you'll experience a somewhat unique crunchy texture before it simply melts away, leaving behind a sweet and subtly earthy taste.
Fun fact: Winter purslane is also called miner's lettuce, apparently because it was eaten in large quantities during the US-American gold rush in order to prevent scurvy - it's really high in Vitamin C.
Personally, I enjoy the texture of this adorable plant way too much to do anything with it other than eat it raw in a salad. It does have pesto potential if that's your bag, but for me... it's crunchy salad all the way!
Both the leaves and flowers are edible. When you pop a leaf into your mouth, you'll experience a somewhat unique crunchy texture before it simply melts away, leaving behind a sweet and subtly earthy taste.
Winter purslane interspersed with parsley
Fun fact: Winter purslane is also called miner's lettuce, apparently because it was eaten in large quantities during the US-American gold rush in order to prevent scurvy - it's really high in Vitamin C.
Personally, I enjoy the texture of this adorable plant way too much to do anything with it other than eat it raw in a salad. It does have pesto potential if that's your bag, but for me... it's crunchy salad all the way!
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