In the market, buy fresh and healthy-looking purslane; look carefully for mold, yellow or dark spots as they indicate inferior quality. Leaves are used in salads or pickled like cucumbers. So yummy we have to remind ourselves to leave some for others. Why the plant was named after that is unknown. It makes an excellent addition to salads (just be sure to rinse any sand off before eating! The leaves are edible, with a sweet, slightly lemony or peppery flavor. By the end of the study, researchers had grown a total of 187 plants, only losing two plants, which demonstrates their exceptional survival. I was nibbling on it down in the Caribbean. The average edible portion from the plants ranged … It is the east coast but one the west coast you have Sesuvium verrucosum which is edible (a different related species of sea purslane.). Purslane has yellow flowers that occur singly or in small terminal clusters. Often these days it’s found in Asians markets. It's SESUVIUM PORTULACASTRUM, and it's a member of the Aizoaceae, sometimes known as the Fig-Marigold Family. Sea purslane is delicious and nutritious. where does sea purslane grow? by Sanibel Sea School. ), or can be pickled, blanched, or sautéed. Note: Please be sure that you have identified edible plants correctly, as many plants may be toxic. Sea purslane will be found carpeting most salt marshes. Carpobrotus edulis is EVERYWHERE here–unfortunately, it seems to be taking over the habitat of the native seaside succulents… If you can’t beat it, eat it. Check Google for recipes! Wash fresh leaves and stem in clean cold running water in order toremove any sand and insecticide/fungicide residues. These flowers open up for a few hours during bright sunny mornings. As for Pennsylvania, it was found in Philadelphia county there in 1865, and presumed to still be thereabouts. Read on to learn more: Suggested preparations:Simple is best when cooking with sea purslane. Add a few leaves to your dinner salad as a crunchy topping, or enjoy it lightly sautéed in butter or your favorite cooking oil with a pinch of pepper and a squeeze of lemon on top. thanks. Purslane can be kept in th… This is a very tasty plant. As that family is defined now, about 96% of its ±2500 species in 130 genera are endemic to arid or semi-arid parts of southern Africa. In some places, the smashed leaves have also been applied to wounds caused by venomous fish. Sesuvium portulacastrum - Sea Purslane, Sea Pickle, Shoreline Seapurslane. The word Sesuvium comes from the country of the Sesuvii, which was a Gallic tribe mentioned by Caesar. I wondered if it was the same plant and got the following results: the red steams (definitely the Sesuvium Portulacastrum) were over the sand like a carpet in rhizomes with pink leaves and had pink 5-petal blossoms, but the other plant that had green and yellow stems and leaves were not on rhizomes but forming a woody steam growing vertically. That said, raw, to me, it has a slightly bitter after taste, but not as strong as a raw yucca blossom. Check Google for recipes! The providers of this website accept no liability for the use or misuse of information contained in this website. IDENTIFICATION: Herbaceous perennial, thick, fleshy leaves narrow to slender obovate on succulent, reddish-green stems, branching regularly forming dense low-growing stands. It has pink, star-shaped flowers, but it's the edible leaves which are most commonly collected by foragers, and used for cooking. Leaves and tender stems are edible. Eaten raw, the leaves proffer a salty and slightly bitter or acidic flavour with a crunchy succulent texture — great for pickling! Go for organic produce whenever feasible. A high salt tolerance and an ability to adapt to changes in soil moisture make this plant well suited for life by the sea. Sea Purslane leaves are a good source of vitamin C and rich in the naturally occurring steroid, ecdysterone. ENVIRONMENT: Along coastlines, grows on the ocean side of dunes to the high tide mark. Thank you for having Sea Purslane in the Newsletter. The word Sesuvium comes from the country of the Sesuvii, which was a Gallic tribe mentioned by Caesar. Happy foraging! We forage this in the bahamas. METHOD OF PREPARATION: Raw, pickled, cooked in two changes of water or more to reduce saltiness. Cooked it looses that distraction. It can be eaten as a cooked vegetable and is great to use in salads, soups, stews or any dish you wish to sprinkle it over. Carpobrotus edulis has edible fruit and leaves. Raw, they are a delicious though somewhat salty snack. Pink flowers sometimes bloom during the day. It is also antibacterial, antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic and febrifuge. We recommend carrying a field guide or doing some research online, so that you are sure you have properly identified the plants – if you’re not 100% sure, don’t eat it - ask an expert! One of the best-kept secrets of sea purslane is that it is a rich source of ecdysterone. They also make great pickles. After removing from water, mop it with a soft cloth to remove any moisture in them before storing inthe refrigerator. Why … This edible plant is not only delicious (when prepared properly), it is also native to Sanibel and plays an important role in Florida’s coastal ecosystem. The stems were eaten raw or pickled, or cooked in two or more changes of water to reduce its saltiness. They're matt green, with a plump, fleshy texture, and a sea-salt taste. In fact Sesuvium was originally put in the same genus as purslane but then got it own genus. It is a nice, salty, trail-side nibble. Sea purslane is not related to any other purslane you will read about. The lowly sea purslane forms an important and primary function in dune creation. I sautee the leaves with butter, worchestershire, and garlic and we can’t get enough. This is, far and away, my family’s favorite wild edible. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Disclaimer: Information contained on this website is strictly and categorically intended as a reference to be used in conjunction with experts in your area. Locals call it “sea pickle”. On the west coast of the United States (and the salty desert southwest interior) your edible sea purslane is Sesuvium verrucosum. Haven’t heard of ecdysterone? All rights reserved. I finally got some late last year and planted it in my Great South Florida Food Forest Project. But next time you venture through the dunes, look down and you’ll probably spot a patch or two of beautiful sea purslane. Sea purslane plays an important role in helping to stabilize dunes, and is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture to be planted as part of coastal dune restoration projects. Sand-carrying wind hits the plant, slows slightly and drops the sand it is carrying. They have no petals, but sepals – which are are green on the outside; pink-to-purplish on […] Once established, it is drought tolerant. Copyright 2007-2018 – This web page is the property of Green Deane, LLC. This is a prostrate, succulent herbaceous plant of dunes and beaches along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic Coast. It looks like garden purslane on steriods growing in sand. I’ve never found it too be salty. Carpobrotus edulis has edible fruit and leaves but it is a native of South Africa. It’s an important chemical for molting insects and crustaceans. The connection, I believe, is that they all have succulent, mostly oval-elliptical leaves. Five-petaled flowers, small, showy pink, year round, Each flower opens for just a few hours each day. Sounds good but without a botanical name I could not say. But, in humans it is reported to enhance athletic performance. I love to eat this kind of weeds so yummy and delicious, in our place here in the Philippines, we call this “ngalog” one of the best exotic food. Sea purslane is completely edible and has a unique, salty flavor and a crunchy texture. ), or can be pickled, blanched, or sautéed. It is a native of South Africa found nauralized in some California coastal counties, and a few counties in Florida. Sea purslane is a British sea vegetable. Finally we can forage something here on this island. It may be tough and tenacious, but purslane is not just a weed; it is also edible. That helps build the dune and in time bring in other plants. That should make foragers out of jocks. In addition to succulent stems and leaves, its yellow flower buds are also favored, especially in salads. July 24, 2018 I’m going to have to plant it here in N. FL and see how it does. Thank you for the information! No need to add salt! When fully open, each flower is about .5 cm(¼") across, consisting of five petals, two green sepals, numerous yellow stamens, and several pistils that appear together in the centre of the flower.
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