Purselane, Anyone?

This past weekend made me wonder if perhaps I had missed Autumn altogether!

With rain and temperatures in the 40's...

it was too raw to work outside.

So, instead, we helped one of our boys - Andy - move into his new city apartment.

Just a quick note on that....

it is quite cool, urban, and in a part of the city that is being re-developed.

(Very different from our life on the farm!)

Sunday, late afternoon, I stopped by the garden for some fresh produce.

We are still eating from the garden thanks to a second planting of cool weather crops.

We have broccoli,

cabbage,

carrots, parsnips and parsley root (like parsnips) still to harvest.

Peppers continue to thrive,

but tomatoes are finished....just too cold out for them.

I thought I would share a little secret with you!

Next time you are in your garden weeding,

look for this plant.

It is called Purselane and it is commonly thought of as a weed.

It is edible, however, and quite an amazing green.

I have heard it called one of the most nutritious vegetables that no one eats.

It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, high in vitamins A, C, and some B's. 

It's a superfood disguised as a common weed!

Its leaves and stems can be eaten raw in salads, or on sandwiches,

and it can be cooked in soups, or substituted for spinach in recipes.

To identify it, you will notice that the plant grows from a single central source,

and its red, succulent stems grow out from that source like the spokes of a wheel.

Its succulent green leaves are about the size of a small paper clip.

When you break open the stem, the juices are clear.

If you pick something that looks like this plant, but has white, milky fluid,

it is spurge, an impostor and not edible.

I have been picking this green from my garden boxes and eating it...

and it is quite tasty!

Finally, after the whole summer is over,

my hyacinth beans are blooming and bearing fruit.

These, however, are not edible...just lovely and colorful!

No visit to the garden ever happens without the antics of at least

one or two of our barn kitties.

This time it was Leo and TomTom.

They were playing a rather energetic game of tag amongst the garden boxes.

And just like small children, their attention span is quite short,

and they are easily distracted by....

well, just about anything!

So, here is what the arena construction site looks like today...

Hopefully, after a week of sitting, this equipment will become more than just

a chicken playground!