AT LOCAL FARMER’S MARKETS
Cooking demos:
4 – 8 p.m. Thursday, June 11. Chefs Sarah Dodge of The Preserving Place or Philip Meeker of Bright Seed demonstrate dishes using market produce. East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, Atlanta. http://www.farmeav.com/
10 a.m. Saturday, June 13. Chef Zeb Stevenson of Watershed. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17. Chef Kate Christian of Three Squares Kitchen. Decatur Farmers Market, Decatur. http://decaturfarmersmarket.com/wordpress/
Many markets offer chef demos on an occasional or regular basis. Check your market’s website or Facebook page for more information.
FOR SALE
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, beets,blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, cucumbers, endive, English peas, escarole, fennel, garlic, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, onions, peaches, pecans, potatoes, purslane, radicchio, radishes, spinach, spring onions, sugar snap peas, summer squash, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips
From local reports
For many farmers and gardeners, common purslane is an annual weed, something to be pulled up and composted. But in many countries, it’s prized as an edible plant. The University of Illinois Extension Service publication “Purslane – Weed It or Eat It?” explains the opposing points of view.
On Burge Organic Farm in Mansfield, about an hour east of Atlanta on I-20, purslane makes its appearance in hoop houses, dry areas and the farm’s lower fields. Josh Plymale, the farm’s manager, says when the temperatures rise to the 80s, the purslane begins to appear. But because the hoop houses intensify the heat, the purslane can quickly “burn up” in metro Atlanta’s warm days of early May. In other farm locations that don’t gather so much heat, the purslane will grow from May to late August.
Plymale will be bringing purslane to market around mid-June. The tender, succulent leaves draw attention to the farm’s booths at the Saturday morning Morningside and Peachtree Road farmers markets. “If you consider how much time it takes to harvest it, it’s probably not worth the investment, but it’s fun to have something new to offer our customers, so we harvest it when we can,” says Plymale.
His girlfriend Jessica Legendre, who worked at Serenbe Farm and occasionally joins Plymale at the markets, noted that purslane has long been sought by foragers, who recognize it as an excellent plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. The leaves are a little bit crunchy with a tart flavor. Plymale and Legendre enjoy it in salads, and others use it as they would spinach in stir-fries or steamed.
Purslane at Burge Organic has paddle-shaped leaves that are about a half-inch long, arranged along dark green stems. Where purslane is prized as a green, cultivated varieties are grown with leaves as long as two inches.
Purslane, sold under its other name of verdolaga, is available year round at markets like the Buford Highway Farmers Market. The cultivated plant not only has larger leaves, but grows more upright with its bright green leaves arranged along thick stems that are easy to harvest and bundle.
Purslane is native to eastern Asia and has long been valued in countries with hot, dry growing conditions where its succulence is a welcome addition to salads.
Purslane Salad (Salata Fattoush)
Margot Alfie’s grandparents emigrated from Syria to Mexico at the beginning of the last century. “My parents and I were born in Mexico. Therefore we are Mexican, Syrian and also Jewish. Growing up in a Middle Eastern Mexican home, I developed a very unique culinary taste. Sometimes we had a Syrian meal, sometimes a Mexican meal, but sometimes we had an absolutely delicious fusion of the two!”
She turned her own brand of fusion cooking into a business, Cooking with Margot. A portion of her earnings are donated to Israel through the Jewish National Fund.
Alfie’s Purslane Salad uses a Middle Eastern spice called sumac and another, zaatar, for the pita triangles she suggests as an accompaniment. These spices are becoming more widely available at local grocery stores with a broad international selection, but can always be found at stores that carry Arabic groceries or the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
1 head lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
5 cups purslane leaves, leaves torn from stems, stems discarded
5 small cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into quarters
1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves
1 cup roughly chopped fresh spearmint leaves
1 small red onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
3 tablespoons sumac
2 tablespoons garlic red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon allspice
Kosher salt
Optional: Kalamata olives for garnish
In a large serving bowl, toss together lettuce, purslane, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, mint and onion slices.
In a medium bowl, make dressing: Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, sumac, vinegar and allspice. Taste for seasoning.
Drizzle dressing over salad and toss. Garnish with olives if desired. Serve immediately. Serves: 12
Per serving: 118 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 2 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium.
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