I picked up some purslane at the farmer’s market this weekend. Perhaps you are now saying to yourself, “what on earth is purslane?” Purslane is a succulent that is found most commonly in Mexican, Greek, and Middle Eastern cooking. It is a low-growing, creeping plant with small paddle-shaped green leaves and a thick reddish stem. It kind of looks like a jade plant but with much thinner leaves. Purslane is often used raw in salads, but it can be cooked as well. The leaves are tender and have a refreshing lemony flavor. The stems are edible too but are best when they are young and slender.

For all you gardeners out there, it is worth pointing out that purslane takes very little effort to grow. If you have a sunny spot in your garden, plant some purslane, and it will practically take care of itself. But, you might just want to check and see if you already have some growing first. Purslane is listed as one of the top ten most troublesome and pervasive weeds worldwide. People have been pulling it out of their gardens for years without ever knowing what a wonderful vegetable it can be. Purslane is slowly starting to shed its bad reputation, however. Word is getting out that purslane is rich in vitamins and antioxidants and also contains more of the potentially heart-protecting omega 3 fatty acids than any other leafy green vegetable.

My mom bought some purslane last week at her farmer’s market and used it to make Grilled Zucchini Salad with Purslane and Tomato so I decided to follow suit. I washed the purslane in several changes of water, and then I picked off the leaves and dried them in my salad spinner. Next, I grilled some zucchini and tomatoes on my little grill pan (which is producing better, more authentic-looking grill marks every time I use it!) The recipe doesn’t call for grilling the tomatoes, but I wanted to take some of the raw edge off. Once the grilled vegetables were cool, I tossed them together with the purslane in a lemon-shallot-parsley vinaigrette. The tart flavor of the purslane went really nicely with the smoky zucchini and sweet tomatoes. This was a really delicious change of pace from a standard lettuce salad. And, there is something mildly thrilling about eating a succulent!