Seasonal Recipe: Wild Velvet – Purslane Pesto on Sweet Potato

Today’s harvested ingredient: purslane!

Purslane is one of the few wild greens that remain vibrant and edible throughout the hot summer drought, when most other greens have withered. It’s often mistaken for a weed, but it’s one of the most nutritious wild plants around, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and perfect for summer cooking.

Its Latin name comes from portula, meaning “small door,” referring to its flower capsules. It grows horizontally, with reddish stems and succulent, light green leaves. In summer, small yellow flowers begin to appear, edible, beautiful, and flavorful.

You can eat the whole aerial part of the plant, raw or cooked. It pairs well with olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes. The taste is slightly bitter yet pleasant, blending easily into salads, soups, omelettes, ravioli fillings, and even pesto.

Even its tiny seeds are edible once dried, great in bread dough or sprinkled on salads, just like linseeds.

Where purslane grows

You’ll find purslane in areas with deep, moist soils and some human disturbance, like cultivated fields, orchards, garden pots, road edges, and valley beds. It thrives in places irrigated during the summer.

A Note on Harvesting Purslane

Purslane is resilient, but like all wild plants, it thrives best when treated with care. When foraging, cut just above a leaf joint, leaving part of the plant behind to regrow and continue feeding pollinators and people alike.