Andrea

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm The present feature lauds the view of purslane that is now gaining in popularity, namely, that it represents edible landscaping at its best: it's free, and there's no work involved in growing it. The only thing keeping this herb from its rightful place in edible landscaping is an outdated logic that says, "This plant is a weed; therefore, it must be eradicated from my landscape!" When you taste the "weed," purslane in cooking recipes, and familiarize yourself with the research concerning its nutritional benefits, you might re-think that logic. Instead of fighting it as a weed, you may begin to find it eminently logical to treat it as an herb of edible landscaping. Purslane herb has turned some heads at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, no less, reports Usha Palaniswamy, Department of Plant Science, University of Connecticut. "Purslane is receiving much attention for cultivation by the United States Department of Agriculture as part of their effort to bring about a modification in the western diet with increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables." Purslane just happens to contain alpha-linolenic acid, one of the highly sought-after Omega-3 fatty acids. Why pay money for fish oil when you can grow your own Omega-3 fatty acids as part of your edible landscaping? Especially when it takes little effort to grow purslane, since it does grow like a weed. No, purslane (Portulaca olearacea) isn't yet another of those leafy "rabbit-foods" that only a Ewell Gibbons could love. Purslane is more than merely edible landscaping -- it is a culinary delight! In fact, it is a succulent herb. Keep that word in mind. For "succulent" provides a hint both to the weed's identification and the potential of this edible landscaping component for cooking recipes. Purslane's stem is round and smooth, and it trails along the ground like a small vine. Young plants have a green stem, but, with maturity, stems take on reddish tints. Purslane has small, oblong, green leaves, which form clusters. The leaves resemble small wedges and, like the stem, are juicy. Has that description of purslane whetted your taste buds yet for purslane cooking recipes? Edible Landscaping Harvest: Picking and Using Purslane In order to preserve purslane's juiciness for eating, harvest this delight of your edible landscaping in the morning or evening, when you won't have to compete with intense sunlight. Purslane can either be used raw in salads or sauteed as a side dish. In addition to the crispy texture you would expect from a succulent, purslane also has an interesting peppery flavor.

A video on identifying purslane

THANK YOU!!!

Bummer, the recipe isn't in my book - mine is from 2008. Guess I'll see if they have the new ones at Wal-Mart next time I make the trek. Thanks Violet!

They turned out pretty good! I did cheat and boiled a few extra garlic cloves in the vinegar. We love garlic! I have a lot of red onions from the garden and since they don't keep well, I tried this recipe. We love red onions on our green salads and with the vinegar on the onions, you just need to add a splash of olive oil and you've got a ready made dressing! I won't fill the cabinet wih these but I'll probably make at least one more batch. They'll come in handy when I'm out of fresh reds.

LOL - I get annoyed when too many two-legged snails infest my garden! Seems to happen a lot when the berries are ripe!

6 1/2 pints of vinegared red onions last night 2 batches of pepper jelly today.

From the Ball Book: Vinegared Red Onions (yield: 6 half-pints) 3 pounds red onions 4 cups red wine vinegar 1 clove garlic Peal onions. slice onions 1/4-inch thick; separate slices into rings. Bring vinegar and garlic to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add onion rings to vinegar. Simmer, covered 5 minutes. Discard garlic (I ate mine!) Pack hot onions into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Violet, do you have the recipe for the honeyed red onions? I tried finding it in both of my Ball books and couldn't locate it! The vinegared red onions came out fine. I think I should have diluted the red wine vinegar with something less potent because these are really strong! A little goes a long ways. I'm going to sneak them into dh's salad tonight and see if he notices a difference. If he likes them, I'll make 6 more 1/2 pints, otherwise, I think I'm done with these for the year!

THANKS, Violet! So vinegar doesn't expire? YAY! Very good to know.

If you open the lemon juice, you'll probably find that it has turned a funky color. Lemon juice doesn't seem to last for me. As for the vinegar, I would probably use it to clean with and buy fresh to can with. When I can, I like to have fresh ingredients since I'll probably be storing the canned foods for up to 2 years. I don't know if it loses it's acidity or not, but why risk your families safety?

I use jar rings or kitchen towels. Both work fine!

Thanks Violet! I will Trudy. I have a bunch of red onions that I need to do something with too! I wish they stored better. I'm not sure why I planted so many but I'll give this recipe a try. If the onions don't mush up, I think they'll be nice over green salads during the winter.

Violet, when making a recipe with vinegar, is it okay to swap out some of the expensive vinegar with regular vinegar? I'm going to try the vinegar red onion slices in the Ball Book but it calls for 4 cups of red wine vinegar, which is pretty pricey. I was wondering if I could swap out half of the red wine vinegar with regular or apple cider vinegar? It should be safe as long as it's 5% acidity, correct?

Looks beautiful, Dee! 12 pints of salsa & 9 half pints of green and red peppers

LOVE this! And yes, our "unmentionables" always go on the middle line surrounded by sheets and towels. I guess I'm tacky though, I am guilty of leaving the clothespins on the line! LOL

Thanks all! I hit the big 46 today. No cake but we did have a special dinner.

I'm glad you posted this! I had no idea this could happen. I'm ashamed to admit, that there have been more than a few times when I've finished the last batch of whatever and then went off to bed . . . Luckily, no harm has come to us but I'll make sure and take care in the future. Thanks for opening up this can of worms. This is how we learn.

It's good to see you again, Mother!

Ooooh, this sounds interesting! We're going camping in a few weeks. Do you have a link?

Okay, had dd make these. This recipe makes a LOT but it didn't seem to matter because one week later, they are all GONE! My family inhaled these. Thanks again!

Wow, you guys garden? I'm impressed! Me? No, I don't garden. What?!? Are you telling me that bushy plant over there is an herb? Get outta here, really?!? I had no idea! Well, I'm still not eating it. Did you know it has spiders, praying mantis, and other bugs crawling in it? Eeewwwwww. No, I buy all of my food from the clean grocery store, thank you very much.

Ghost - it can take up to 2 weeks for preserves to set. Be patient. ******** 22 - half pints of apricot jam

Just took out a batch of kale and now have another batch of seasoned tomatoes drying. The verdict is still out on the "kale chips". I did them plain with no salt or olive oil and I think they'll be fine as a seasoning but not as a snack. I may reconstitute them in the morning when I soak mushrooms for scrambled eggs and see how they turn out in that. In any event, they'll work great as an added layer of flavor in soups and broths. I have a bit more kale to dehydrate, so I'll try that seasoned and see what the family thinks when the tomatoes come out.

AH - I also dehydrate my own mushrooms. They reconstitute easily and while they're a bit chewy if I haven't allowed enough time to let them soak, my family still eats them just fine. I use them in scrambled eggs, soups, and stir-frys. I don't steam them first, I just put them straight onto the dehydrator trays and let them go. It doesn't take long - usually only 6-8 hours on my Wal-Mart Nesco dehydrator.