Winter purslane is very rich in vitamins. Winter purslane is also known as miner's lettuce and Indian lettuce. This juicy, fresh vegetable has little, light green till dark green leaves on little short stems. Can be eaten raw in salads or cabbage salad and as mashed potato stew or briefly cooked. Hardy annual. Height: 30-60 cm.
Outdoor sowing: beginning of august - september
Sowing depth: shallow
Germinationtemp.: 15 - 20°C
Germination: 3 - 7 days
Sowing distance in rows: 20 cm
Plant distance: 5 - 10 cm
Plant position: sunny with half shade
Days till harvest: 30 - 35
Sow outdoors from the beginning of august. Sow on a sunny plot with shade in moist, loose and well-drained soil. Sow in rows approx 20 cm apart. Don't cover the seeds but press them gently in the soil or rake them in. Keep moist and weedfree. Germination starts, after a couple of days.
You can harvest the leaves approx. 4 - 5 weeks after sowing. The plants are approx. 10 - 15 cm in size. Pick the young leaves and leave the harts of the plants with the roots to grow on. Winter purslane can witstand some frost.
The leaves can be kept for approx. 2 days in the fridge. Wrap them in a damp tea-towel. It's better to pick them and eat them on the same day. Cook this vegetable briefly or treat winter purslane as spinach. Can also be eaten raw in salads or used in mashed potato stew.