Celebrating the start of purslane season

So excited that purslane season is finally here. We celebrated with a yummy smothered purslane and potato breakfast burrito. 

Purslane season officially begins at our house after the second monsoon downpour. But my story doesn't start there. I am always on the look out for purslane to relocate into my yard. (Why does everyone get purslane before we do?) So I planted some I found in front of The Loft Cinema. But I guess I really jumped the gun this year. Before it could spread, it was eaten by the critters in our sun burnt, barren desert food forest. (Honestly, I'm glad they found something to eat.) 

But did that stop me?  More recently I planted a few sturdy purslane that already had some little yellow flowers. Since they were about to go to seed, I hoped that they would spit them out. And spit they did!  Check out the baby purslane that spouted round the mother plant! Once the monsoon rain started they spread like crazy! 

Purslane seeds get caught in the gravel

Success! See them sprouting along our gravel path.

I usually try to plant them near something I am already watering. But in my enthusiasm to get them going, I have been known to water them with rainwater from my cistern. Yep. I water my weeds! 

Here I am harvesting some for a celebratory brunch. They are best harvested in the morning before they wilt in the hot July sun. Notice that I leave some of the branches intact so it will grow back! 

Next I rinse them off  3 or 4 times. The little black seeds fall to the bottom of the bowl. I pour the seeds and water where I want some more purslane to grow.

Full confession. I was anxious for the horse purslane to start growing in our shallow basin, so I had planted one in the middle of said basin - that was immediately eaten by a hungry critter. But I needn't have worried. After a couple of big rains the horse purslane came back on its own. I am looking forward to it becoming living mulch! 

Here I am taking a pic of the first horse purslane growing along our gravel path and in the remaining poppy stem mulch. 

Back to what you all are waiting for... I chopped the purslane stems and leaves and sautéed them with some onion then added them to some home fries and scrambled eggs. Seasoned with garlic salt. Yum!  You can also add green chilis. But we were all about celebrating the purslane today. Wrap it up in your favorite tortilla. 

We cooked some more purslane in half a small can of green chili sauce and doled it out on our burritos!

 

Dan likes a lot of green chili sauce

Cheers to the start of purslane season!  I hope you enjoy one of our favorite purslane recipes. 

You can find that recipe and another favorite recipe here. 

UPDATE June 14: Baby purslane is starting to get big! 

Check out the horse purslane coming back in our rainwater basin. Soon to be living mulch!

The start of living mulch to nourish our basin! 

Horse purslane spreading at last on July 30th! 

#lovemyrainbasin