Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Purslane - Portulaca oleracea

When hot weather hits this common weed is all over the garden. Not so many people know that this delicious edible plant is a perfect source of vitamin C and has other useful properties. May be it sounds strange but this post is about eating weeds.



In Georgian it's called danduri. Harvest this delight of your edible landscaping in the morning.



Purslane with vinegar (from Sulakvelidze).

Remove big stems and roots from the purslane and wash in a salad spinner. Bring salted water to boiling point and cook purslane for 7-10 min. Drain through a colander. Mix with chopped garlic and vinegar according to your taste.
Serve when it's cooled.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Summer Savory

You won't find this herb in any supermarket. The only place where you can always buy it - Union Square Farmers Market in NY. It's sold potted, so you can use top of the branches to spice lamb and beans in any form. It's funny but Germans call this herb Bohnenkraut which literally means 'herb for green beans'. Many people use dried and grounded summer savory as a replacement of black pepper if they are allergic to it.

Since I moved to rural area I grow herbs to use fresh in a spring/summer/fall seasons or dry in winter.


Here is the Satureja hortensis - It plays an important role in Georgian cuisine and is called qondari.

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