Purslane is quite possibly the most nutritious of the "greens" you can eat. They have the most Omega-3 fatty acids and have high levels of calcium, potassium, protein, and loads of vitamin A. It's good cooked like spinach or raw in salads. It's quite tasty.
The last couple of years have been apparently exceptional growing seasons for this plant, at least if my yard is any indicator. My back yard has been just carpeted with this plant. I ate quite a bit of it this summer even though my wife won't. I'd have to cook it separately or add it to my salads "on the side." Of course, I snuck it in a few places here and there. I put a bag of it in my freezer and I also decided to do a very simple pickling. Since I didn't know how it would turn out, I only did one jar, but I suspect I'll have a few more jars in next year's refrigerator stores.
Some people make purslane "pickles" by pickling the stems. I figured I'd just do the whole thing, leaves and all. I simply cleaned it and chopped it into reasonable sized pieces and filled the jar with it and then filled the jar with Bragg organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (enough to cover the purslane completely) and then sealed it up and stuck it in the fridge. All you need to do is leave it a couple of weeks and it's ready to much on.
I think in my next batch I will add either a little bit of sugar or some agave nectar to give it just a little more sweetness but doing so is by no means a requirement.
Next summer you should look for some purslane in the yard and give it a try. I shouldn't have to say this, but if you spray poisons everywhere for no comprehensible reason then you might want to rethink your grazing strategies, but if not, give it a try. You'll discover a delicious, nutritious surprise.
