Winter Purslaine

Winter Purslane, AKA Claytonia, Miners Lettuce or Indian Lettuce, is a nutritious cold hardy salad green with succulent leaves.  It’s often used raw in salads or cooked like spinach in dishes like soups.

The leaves are mild and succulent, kind of like juicy lettuce with a hint of spinach.

It was famously eaten by California gold miners during the gold rush to avoid scurvy during the winter season.

It is a vigorous cool season plant that can be grown all year round in mild climates like Ireland.

It is sometimes noted that the plant “shoots out” seeds and thus can self seed in surprising places. However, the roots are very shallow making it easy to remove unwanted plants.

Some notes on harvest

• Use as cut-and-come-again: Snip leaves/rosettes 2–5 cm above base starting 4–6 weeks after sowing. It regrows multiple times and is quite productive.
• Pick young, green leaves for best flavour.
• Flowers are edible too. They are sweet and pretty in salads.
• Harvest through winter/early spring; it may slow in very cold snaps but bounces back.
• In summer heat it can bolt or become bitter. Shade helps to extend the season.