From the Tucson CSA website:

“I learned that a man may use as simple a diet as the animals, and yet retain health and strength. I have made a satisfactory dinner off a dish of purslane which I gathered in my corn field,”

wrote Henry David Thoreau in Walden,

“yet men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve, not for want of necessities, but for want of luxuries.”

Purslane is native to the Americas where it once was one of the most important wild plant foods of Native Americans. Nowadays, Westerners consider it as an invasive weed. Yet, its mild and nutritious characteristics are valued by many cultures. Look for it at farmers’ markets or ethnic groceries - or harvest it from your garden! Here and in Mexico purslane is also known as verdolagas.

Purslane is currently acclaimed for not one, but two starring attractions: the rediscovery of its cooking possibilities –its tinker-toy eye appeal, crisp texture and lightly tangy taste– and the scientific discovery of its healthful omega-3 fatty acids. If this weren’t enough, it has above average values of beta-carotene and vitamin C and provides all of these goodies with only 15 calories in a 100-gram portion (as compared with 76 in a boiled potato). Purslane lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as makes the blood less likely to form clots. But long before these scientific finding, purslane was eaten as treatment for arthritis, inflammation and heart disease and to promote general good health.

Purslane has succulent, fleshy leaves and stems with a delicate and tangy flavor. Both stems and leaves are eaten. Purslane is harvested when young, before the stems turn woody. It is used as an herb for seasoning, as fresh green to be served in salads (sprigs of purslane are perfect for salads or tucked into sandwiches or tacos). It can be chopped and folded into mayonnaise-based salads such as egg, tuna, or potato. Cooked purslane is delicious too. It can be sautéed or cooked into soups.

Even more about purslane…also from the Tucson CSA website:

More About Verdolagas (Purslane)

www.westonaprice.org

Although purslane is rarely seen on our own tables today, this pretty herb has a long and interesting history. English medieval cooks and gardeners loved purslane. The ancient Greeks made a bread flour from purslane seeds and pickled its fleshy stems; Greek country cooks now serve purslane as a salad herb, either alone or with other khorta (wild greens). On Mexican tables, the hot, peppery bite of cooked purslane is enjoyed with eggs and pork, while Chinese cooks value its sharp flavor and slightly slippery quality with noodles.

Closer to home, the FDA lists purslane as a pervasive weed (the 7th worst, worldwide) but to those of us who love its earthy, slightly acidic flavor and crisp, succulent stems and leaves, the word ‘weed’ hardly seems fair. Purslane is simple to grow and there are several varieties available to the gardener - the two best culinary ones are both summer herbs: portulaca oleracea (green purslane) and portulaca sativa (golden purslane).

Medieval herbalists describe purslane as ‘cold,’ meaning that it was considered a cure for a ‘burning’ (or malfunctioning) heart and liver. Greeks call it a ‘bloodcleansing’ herb. In Mexico, purslane is considered good for diabetics. Recent research has confirmed that purslane is one of the best vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as carotenes and vitamin C.

Clusters of its young, fresh leaves are a perfect foil to ‘sweet’ vegetables such as new potatoes, beets, fava beans and garbanzo beans, and juicy vegetables such as cucumber and tomatoes. Or, simply sprinkle the leaves generously with coarse sea salt, lemon juice and olive oil and serve with fish, grills, or omelets. My neighbor on Crete used to add handfuls of purslane sprigs to the juices in the roasting pan, once he had removed the roast for carving. After a few minutes of swishing, the greens would wilt and the sauce would acquire a sharper flavor and pleasantly gelatinous character.

Rosemary Barron, author of Flavors of Greece, Grub

Street, London, 2000

Storage and Preparation

Storage:
Best if used fresh. But, if you must store it, wrap purslane in a moist paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.

Preparation:
Wash. Remove larger stems. Some recipes use leaves only. Purslane can be substituted for spinach or wild greens in lasagnas, filled pastas, and tarts/quiches.

Recipes

August Medley (doesn’t have to be August to make this - you can make this now in July)

Honey Dijon Purslane and Red Potato Salad

Verdolagas Salad

Mexican Purslane Stuffing

For more recipes, check out:

the Tucson CSA website www.tucsoncsa.org

or just google recipes and see what looks good!!

Soak the corn in the husk in water. Roast on your barbecue until cooked. Cook a little longer than sweet corn. Season with salt pepper butter or whatever and enjoy!!

This recipe is from Tonia’s mom:

Elote blanco
Water
Salt

Cut the raw corn off the cob and put in a hot dry skillet. Cook until toasty brown color. Add salt that has been mixed with water to season.

I can’t wait to try it!!

Pulp from a watermelon
1 can of frozen limade concentrate
2 cups pinapple juice (optional)

Put watermelon pulp in blender and blend until smooth. Strain through strainer into a pitcher or punchbowl. Add limade, mix and serve over crushed ice.

Made it this weekend, and it was a hit!

• looking for great people to help us by working farmers markets on weekends. looking 4 folks who are interested in doing this long term… #
• Anyone interested in going to a screening of food inc. in Scottsdale in late July? Maybe food and talk after? #
• Oh boy! We have lots and lots of Corn (Elote Blanco), Melons and Tomatoes. If anyone is interested in special ordering a whole lot… #
• …we have a lot…let us know #
• http://yfrog.com/114xyj sugar baby mmmmmmmn #

• http://yfrog.com/114xyj sugar baby mmmmmmmn #

Here is a sampling of a few melons that I have tried.  I have created a photo guide to help identify what you have in your shares.  You might have one that isn’t featured above.  If so, check out the Johnny’s Seeds website to see if you can identify what you have.  www.johnnyseeds.com

Before we discuss the different melon varieties, I think it’s important to know how to handle your little beauties once you get them home.

HANDLING

Watermelons do not ripen any further once they have been picked.  Those guys can go straight into the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them.  Other melons, however, can ripen on your countertop once you bring them home.  If you don’t  happen to already smell a sweet aroma wafting from the melon, let it hang out a bit until you do.  That is when you want to eat it and at that point, stick it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.  If you notice a bruise or cut or you have cut the melon open, keep it in the refrigerator just to prevent it from getting any further damage.  No longer than a week though, just to be food safe.  Hopefully, you’ll have eaten it by then!

WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

Melons are great just eaten straight up. But here’s a little list of a few fun things to do:

Squeeze of lime

Squeeze of lime and chile powder

Hollow out a half of a melon and stuff with your favorite vanilla ice cream or sherbert

Add it cubed up to your salads

Freeze the cubed melon and whizz up in your food processor with a little apple juice.  Quick homemade sorbet.

What ideas do you have?

DESCRIPTIONS OF MELONS PICTURED ABOVE

Okay, now onto the descriptions of the melons that you see above:

Sun Jewel - Asian variety.  White flesh, crunchy and sweet.  Love this one.

Athena - Such a pretty cantaloupe.  Nice and thick sweet orange flesh.  Mine got a little bruised on the way home and it didn’t affect the taste at all.  Awesome! This gal holds up well.

Honey Pearl - White on the inside, smooth white skin on the outside.  This one is super sweet too.  Sort of has an asian pear quality about it.

Casaba Melon - Not as sweet as the others.  Great fresh flavor.  If you make the sorbet with this one, I would add an additional sweetener.  This would be great as a summer punch with something minty, Casaba mojito anyone?

Snow Leopard - White with green stripes.  Wonderful sweet and flavorful.  Flesh is pure white.  Gorgeous.

Crimson Sweet - Big pretty watermelon.  Light green and dark green stripes.  Not many seeds and really sweet.  Another great one to make a party punch out of.  Or a sorbet.  Yum.

Honey Yellow - Really juicy and sweet honeydew.  This is a great one.  What am I saying?  You really can’t go wrong with any of them.

http://yfrog.com/114xyj sugar baby mmmmmmmn

I’m emailing a blog post (from my phone) that will automatically be twittered… Let’s
see if this works. Clicking send *now*

I just saw that there was a thread going on at chow.com that had some info that we were not at the Downtown Market and that our 40th st and Southern farm is open…NOPE…can’t be further from the truth. Check out my post about Market Updates.  We are at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market.  We are not open at 40th St and Southern.  Check in periodically to keep updated on our happenings.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/627573

So, check out my reply at the bottom.

We’re alive. And kicking.