Each year, as the heat of summer mounts, an insidious invader hidden barely beneath the earth’s surface, breaks forth from its long slumber and creeps its way to the surface. Once it has broken free, it spreads its red and green tendrils across the surface of every inch of exposed ground, choking the life from all growing things in its path. By the time this unfathomed menace imposes itself on your notice, it is too late to stop it. Hundreds of tiny pods bearing thousand of tiny seeds are poised to erupt and sow themselves to the wind, bringing untold misery to everyone you know and love. You are all now condemned to battle this monstrous minion of mayhem to the end of your short, mortal life. \nOr something like that. But probably not.

It’s amazing how worked up some people get over “invasive” weeds. I mean, pulling weeds is definitely not my favorite passtime, but there are definitely worse things. And in the case of purslane, there is a decided upshot. The best way to keep this “weed” in check is to eat it.

Actually, purslane (also known as verdolagas) is the most beneficial inader I’ve yet encountered, and probably the best tasting. It has more beta-carotene than spinich, contains more omega-3 fatty acid than any other leafy vegetable, and is high in potassium and magnesium as well. And at 15 calories per cup, you get a lot of nutrition without the need to work it off.

Medicinally, its leaves are used to treat bites and stings on the skin, as well as diarrhea, hemorrhoids, postpartum bleeding, and intestinal bleeding. One article even recommended it to counter depression.

With all those reasons, I decided I’d better get a move on and see how many ways I could find to add purslane to my diet. All right, that’s not the whole truth. Actually, I just got a nasty-gram from my home owners association telling me that I need to remove my glorious patch of purslane from in front of my house or risk a fine. But I just choose to see that as serendipity, giving me ample excuse to finally do the research and experimentation needed to add a new super-food to my diet. So thank you, Ms. Code Enforcement, small time despot, for helping me to see the light. (About why I should eat purslane, not about why I should remove all of the weeds from the gravel strip in front of my house. I still disagree with you about that one.)

So, after “fixing” the weed problem out front, I have a fridge full of wild, edible greens (anybody want some). I’ve tried a few recipes already, and I’ll be trying more over the next few days. (I can’t let those weeds go bad!) So I’ve decided to turn this topic into a series proclaiming the many culinary virtues of the humble purslane. Stick around if you want actual recipes for how to eat your weeds.