Winter purslane, also known as Indian lettuce, spring beauty, or miner's lettuce, is now in season, states the Rhineland Association of Fruit and Vegetable Farmers in Bonn.
The rarely grown vegetable is mostly used for salads, the tender leaves and stems are cut closely to the ground. If the crops aren't cut too deep they can produce more leaves for harvest.
Photo: Margret Klose
Winter purslane tastes similar to Lamb’s lettuce. It can resist temperatures below zero, and so the harvest can continue after a cold spell. The origin of the plant is Northern America, and because the seeds need temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius to sprout, they are planted around September. It is clearly a real winter vegetable.
The leaves and stems are mainly used in salads but they can be cooked too, just like spinach. Consumption of winter purslane can be recommended quite highly, the leaves contain vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and iron.
Just as to other vegetables that can be used in a salad, winter purslane should be eaten as fresh as possible. Wrapped in a damp cloth or in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator the vegetable remains fresh for a few days. It is not possible to store winter purslane for a long time; therefore it is recommendable to buy exact amounts if possible.
