“Raw Purslane is much used in salads, with oil, salt and vinegar. It cools the blood and causes appetite.” ~Gerard
It’s been a challenging year for gardeners. Heavy spring rain, a late frost and cool temperatures in August meant a much later start for many plants, setbacks and sodden soil.
If your squashes are loaded with powdery mildew, your tomatoes show no hint of ripening and the growth of your peppers hasn’t budged in weeks, take comfort, you are not alone. But instead of commiserating over what could have been, but wasn’t, I suggest you celebrate nature’s wild bounty instead. Rather than gloomily wandering up and down your rows lamenting the desultory Solanums, the flea beetle bitten Brassicas and the mildew-y melons, cast your eye between and under your struggling domesticated veg and keep a lookout for those resilient, hardy weeds that cheerfully thrive in less than ideal conditions. Chickweed, amaranth and lambsquarter’s will gladly accompany you from field to plate and you can forget about the spinach and lettuce that bolted weeks ago.
One of my favourite plants that grows in garden beds and sidewalk cracks alike is purslane (Portulaca oleracea). It is a low growing, sprawling thing with smooth, reddish, prostrate stems.

The plant is native to North Africa but naturalized in North America where it is considered invasive in some areas. Varieties are cultivated in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Mexico.
Purslane is tasty! Tart, crunchy and juicy it can be eaten raw, pickled and cooked. It goes nicely with scrambled eggs, potato salad and as an addition to any garden salad. In Greece a dish called andrakla is prepared by frying purslane with feta, tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano and olive oil. The plant is mucilaginous and the resulting, slippery, slime-y, gooeyness might be off-putting to some, but that same mucilage makes for a great soup thickener. Aside from mucilage, the plant contains some pretty amazing constituents, making it a spectacular superfood that would rival the latest alternative health-food fad. Move over goji berries!
The tart flavour is due to high concentrations oxalic acid and malic acid. The malic acid is interestingly, at its highest amount at night and early morning. Throughout the day the malic acid is converted to glucose, so you can time your harvest for a more tart or sweet taste depending on your preferences.
According to Southwest herbalist John Slattery, Purslane is also high in “norepinephrine, potassium salt, calcium, magnesium, iron, dopamine, catecol, pyrocatechol, and DOPA, antioxidant vitamins a-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, b-carotene, vitamin C, and glutathione, betalain, betacyanins, and betaxanthins; the amino acids: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cystine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, and valine; essential fatty acids (EFAs) EPA, DHA, ALA.” Phew! That’s a lot of ‘ols’, ‘ines’ and ‘ins’!
It is the content of essential fatty acids that really make this plant shine. EFA’s cannot be produced by the body, so we must get them from external sources such as fish and grass-fed meat, which isn’t very helpful if you are a vegetarian. EFA’s are important for regulating inflammation in the body, maintaining immune functions and supporting brain, nervous system and female reproductive health.
Purslane just so happens to be bursting with EFAs. 100 grams of fresh leaves can contain between 300 to 400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid, which is an Omega-3 fatty acid. This is very beneficial, because most people tend to have an over abundance of Omega-6 fatty acids in their diet. Too much Omega-6 and too little Omega-3, contributes to increased inflammation, arthritis and even certain cancers.
There is a constituent in this wonder-weed to be aware of and that is oxalic acid. Oxalic acid in large amounts for prolonged periods of time can lead to the formation of kidney stones and interfere with calcium absorption. Cooking purslane in water will leach out some of the oxalic acid. As long as long your kidneys are not compromised and you are generally healthy, oxalic acid is relatively harmless in a reasonably diverse diet.
The plant has a history of medicinal use as well, especially topically for sores, boils, insect bites and bee stings. In Taiwan it was traditionally used for digestive disorders and for supporting the liver. In A Modern Herbal, Grieves writes that it was used for strangury, coughs, shortness of breath, hot agues and “all pains in the head proceeding from the heat, want of sleep or the frenzy.” From Culpepper we learn that “the herb if placed under the tongue assuayeth thirst. Applied to the gout, it easeth pains thereof, and helps the hardness of sinews, if it come not of the cramp, or a cold cause.” Purslane even had uses in the supernatural realm as an anti-magic herb, where it was spread around the bed to protect the sleeper from evil spirits.
Gather the leaves and stems at any point in the growing season, though before going to seed is best. The tender tips are choice if the plant is abundant and you prefer to be choosy. You’ll want to give it a good washing, as it grows low to the ground and is often covered with grit. Don’t confuse it with the toxic look-alike hairy-stemmed spurge (Euphorbia vermiculata).

Edited for correction: Oops! I’m pretty sure the plant pictured above is actually spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata). Same genus.  Different species.  Euphorbia vermiculata is, well, not spotted and looks like this.
It’s very easy to tell apart though. For one thing, spurge has hairy stems, while the stems of purslane are smooth. Spurge is also much less succulent than purslane and the leaves are opposite rather than alternate. Finally, breaking the stem of spurge will reveal a white latex, which is not present in purslane.

A recipe from The Weeder’s Digest:
Purslane à la française
1 chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large bunch chopped purslane
250 ml veg or chicken stock
100g peas
100g snap or snow peas
100g broad beans
1 handful fresh, chopped mint leaves
Fry the onion in oil until soft. Add the purslane and stir until just wilted. Pour in the stock, add the other vegetables and simmer until everything is tender. Toss in mint just before serving.
References:
http://www.desertortoisebotanicals.com/verdolagas-purslane/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea
Edible Wild Plants, John Kallas
A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve
The Weeder’s Digest, Gail Harland
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, Nicolas Culpeper
Image of purslane flower and seeds: Wikicommons

Foraging is similar to farming in that both forager and farmer live by the seasons and follow the weather. You will find them both with slightly furrowed brow, checking the forecast first thing in the morning, looking at the radar and tracking the projected path of systems across their region. They will be the ones to shush a conversation when the weather comes on the radio. Catching a weather report on the news will likely be one of the last things they do before going to bed at night. Their eyes are constantly turned to the sky observing cloud patterns and wind directions.
Almost all decisions are made based on the weather. There are tasks that can only happen when the sun shines (make hay, anyone?) and some things that never get done. I reserve housework and bookkeeping for rainy days. (You can imagine the state my home and books get into during a drought!) In the summer, all dishes sit in the sink until the sun goes down. I’m loathe to spend a moment more than I have to on indoor tasks when the weather is perfect for gathering.
In foraging and wildcrafting, timing is everything. Roots are gathered in the spring and fall, many greens are best in the early spring while they are still tender and sweet. Leaves and flowers for medicine are harvested mid-morning of a dry day, after the dew has evaporated, but before the sun gets too high for volatile oils to dissipate. At any given time there may well be a feast in the fields and forests, but if you don’t get your timing right you’ll end up with a tough, bitter, dry, wormy or even potentially toxic mouthful. Blech.
Each plant and indeed multiple parts of plants have their own season and weather window for when they are at their peak and perfect for harvesting. Sometimes that window is large and forgiving allowing for a long season of harvest that can last for weeks or months. Other windows are vanishingly small and narrow. A stretch of rainy days or a two day trip out of town and you are out of luck and waiting until next year before you have the chance to try again.

The deliciously sour and tart berries of Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) have a surprisingly small harvest window. While it’s true that the bright red berries begin to ripen in mid-July and often persist long into the winter, the peak harvest time lasts a week or two at the most.
Gather them too early, before the berries have turned completely red and they will be dry and tasteless. Pick them after a day of steady rain and they will be washed out and tasteless. Leave it too long and little worms will move into the clusters and where there are worms, worm poo there will be. Around here I have found the best time to gather sumac is late July to early August. Yesterday morning I went out ahead of the rain to harvest, and it will likely be the last sumac of the year for me; the worms have begun to take up their residence.
Get your timing right and sumac is a wonderful, wild edible and medicinal plant to get to know. A prolific, pioneer shrub native to Northeastern North America, I love gathering, drying and using Staghorn sumac berries for medicine, in the kitchen as a seasoning and for making a sweet and sour drink often called Sumacade.
Sumacade is cooling, tart and thirst-quenching the way lemonade is, but, well, without the lemons. Rich in minerals, organic acids (especially malic and citric), antioxidant phenols, flavonols, tannins and anthocyans, the drink is as nutritive as it is refreshing.
Once you have collected your perfectly ripe, un-rained upon, worm-free clusters, making the drink is quite simple. Fill your chosen vessel with the clusters and cover with cool/room temperature water. Avoiding boiling hot water is key, as heat will extract too much of the tannins, which will result in a bitter unpleasant taste.

You can also turn your sumacade into a concentrate very easily by repeatedly soaking more clusters in the same liquid, resulting in a super sour concentrate that can be frozen and used later, diluted into a drink, or in the kitchen in place of vinegar or lemon juice. In Germany, sumac is called Essigbaum, meaning ‘vinegar tree’.
Depending on how much time and space I have, I will either freeze whole clusters or dry the berries by removing them with a fork and dehydrating them.
Now go and check the weather and ask yourself, “Is today a good day for gathering sumac?”  If it is, make haste, the window is closing!
*Caution: Those with severe allergies to cashews, mangoes, poison oak and poison ivy should avoid using sumac.

To stand in a large patch of blooming milkweed on a hot summer’s day, breathing in the sweet, candy-like scent, closing your eyes and surrendering to the moment, is to be transported to a dreamy, swoony kind of place. I highly recommend it.
If you’re not into dreamy and swoony that’s ok. Milkweed pleases the palate just as much as the sniffer. With at least four different edible parts throughout the growing season, milkweed gives generously to the cooking pot for many months. Right now it’s all about the unopened flower buds.*

Gather one or two flower clusters per plant, leaving enough for other creatures, for the plant to produce yummy pods that you can come back and harvest later, and of course enough to go to seed so milkweed can continue to thrive. (It’s a highly noxious weed or precious species depending on whether you are talking to a farmer or a monarch butterfly loving conservationist. It’s a native plant, common and widespread, from which I harvest somewhat freely but conscientiously, carefully observing my harvest patches for overall health, signs of stress or declining population.) If you don’t want to get your fingers coated in the sticky, white latex, wear gloves. I don’t bother, because then I have to deal with sticky gloves. I’ll wash my hands far sooner than the gloves.
Once home, set the flowerbuds in a bowl of cold water to remove dust, dirt or critters. Now you have options. Steamed or boiled until tender they can be eaten as is, lightly seasoned or added to stir-fries, pasta dishes and the like. I’ve pickled them in the past, using the 3 Foragers’ recipe for Milkweed Flowerbud Capers. Very yum.
For the two plant walks I gave last week I opted for a quick and easy finger food that I knew was sure to please. I made milkweed fritters.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your milkweed flowerbuds. When water then returns to a boil start your timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off remove the milkweed into a bowl of icy cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and gently press out excess water. Spread on a clean towel to dry.

The important thing is, now you have crunchy, fluffy, tasty milkweed flowerbud fritters to impress your friends with! Dust with salt and pepper and serve forthwith.
*Not all milkweed species are edible and some are toxic. Stick with the Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.

I look forward to spruce tips and their citrusy flavour every spring. I’ve made syrup with them, infused them into salt and chopped them finely to add to salads. Some people pickle them. This year my favourite thing to do is blend them to use as a dip, dressing and sauce for fish.
Here’s what I do.
Gather a few handfuls of spruce tips and chop finely.

(A note on harvesting spruce tips: See the first picture of spruce tips at the top of the post? Notice how there are three tips growing at the end of the branch?  The centre tip is the growing tip, or the apical meristem.  Don’t harvest those growing tips of spruces, because that stunts the growth of the tree, something we want to avoid.  You can harvest the side tips, but not the centre, apical meristem, k?  Awesome!  Also, be sure to  taste test each new tree you gather from.  Some tips are more bitter or astringent than others.  Go for the really juicy, tart, lemony ones for the best results.)
Once you’ve chopped your spruce tips up, add them to a blender or food processor with a good quality oil (I used EVOO).  Salt and pepper to taste, maybe some garlic if you like, though I didn’t use any.  Next, add a splash of good quality vinegar.  I used some dandelion infused, organic apple cider vinegar and included a couple of spoonfuls of the dandelion flowers.

It also is delicious as a salad dressing or served with fish. I think it would go great with chicken. Basically, use this in any savoury dish where you would use lemon.  Play around and experiment!
But hurry. Most of the spruce tips around here are already too mature and tough to harvest and the window is quickly closing on the ones that are still at the right stage. Don’t worry if you miss them this year though. They’ll be back again next spring and I’m already looking forward to it!