Purslane-Pea Microgreen Pesto
Purslane is a weed to some but a nutritious, edible plant to those in the know! This plant is known as one of the most nutritious plants on the planet, providing high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a boatload of minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients. Add microgreens to pesto with purslane and you have super-powered nutrients.
We eat purslane all through summer, cooked in a variety of ways, or raw in salads, sandwiches, and smoothies. It is also the subject of many of our creative new recipes. The whole plant is edible: leaves, stalks, flowers, and seeds.
We grow it in our outdoor garden boxes where it happily fills in all the spare ground. This serves multiple purposes: acts as a groundcover to retain water in the hot sun, keeps the chickens from digging in the dirt, and is a limitless supply of nutrients as it quickly fills in any that we harvest.
Foraging for purslane is possible in most states. It grows in many different environments and is easily overlooked. However, as there are look-alikes, be sure to confirm the identity of your purslane before consuming. Some varieties of purslane are sold in garden centers with different colored flowers. All purslanes are edible, whether container grown or wild.
Here is a microgreen recipe to get you started with purslane. Loosely based on an Argentinian chimichurri with pesto overtones, I have christened it Purslane-Pea Microgreen Pesto
Purslane Pea Microgreen Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped pea microgreens (chop before measuring)
- 1 cup chopped purslane stems and leaves (chop before measuring)
- 2 tblsp fresh marjoram (or 1 tblsp fresh oregano)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup extra-virgen olive oil
- 2 tblsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth
Notes
