Verdolaga Portulaca oleracea
Verdolaga is a vegetable green used in many Latin American countries. It is also popular as a salad green in France and other European countries. It is believed to be native to Iran or India, although it was present in the New World at the time of European colonization.
Many farmers in the Northeast know it as the herbaceous weed, common purslane (also Portulaca oleracea). There are cultivated varieties that grow in a more upright fashion than the weed and are used for markets.
Purslane is valued for its high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids; it is considered to higher levels of this essential fatty acid than any other vegetable
There are farmers in Massachusetts that promote the growth of the weed common purslane and harvest them for ethnic markets. There are horticultural varieties which are larger and grow more upright than the wild species.
Verdolaga can be direct seeded or as a transplant. Trials at UMass used transplants with three – four plants in each plug. For production of the wild type, one farmer disks a field that is infected with common purslane to encourage uniform growth.
Two horticultural varieties, "Goldberg Golden Purslane" and “Gruner Red Purslane” are available from Johnny's Selected Seeds
It is an excellent source of Vitamin A (100 g provides 44% of RDA). Purslane is also a rich source of vitamin C, and some B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and carotenoids, as well as dietary minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and manganese.
Viva FreshPasta Purslane Summer Salad