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Sea Purslane Sesuvium Portulacastrum Seeds
Packet of 100+ home grown seeds!
You will often see this called akulikuli, dampalit, pigface, pig face, sea asparagus, seaside asparagus, sea-purslane, sea purslane, seaside purslane, seaside purslane, sea side purslane, shoreline sea-purslane, shoreline seapurslane, or even the old synonum Trianthema portulacastrum var hillebrandii.
It is an Aussie native plant, but is also found all around the world, Africa, Asia, North and South America.
Pretty much you name an unfrozen coastal area it this fella is found there.
Not only is it found there, it is nearly always used as a vegetable food crop due to the productivity, nutrition and extreme hardiness of the plant.
It can handle salt spray, wind, occasional flooding, even king tide saltwater inundations and poor dry sandy soils with ease.
High in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin c and for this reason it was used as a food source for traveling sailors and explorers pretty much everywhere.
It’s also prized by fishermen who use the juice to relieve the pain and swelling of stingray, fish, and sea urchin stings.
Considered an antidote for many venomous fish by different cultures all around the world but for me it did bugger all when I got hit by a “Happy moment”(Rabbit fish/Black trevally).
I’m now told that really hot water is the go for those spiky bastards?
Very very easy to grow plant BUT, heavy clay soil, frost, and/or constantly wet feet and poor drainage will reliably kill it every time.
It needs a well draining soil mix, and a warm sunny position, and in those conditions it will absolutely thrive.
Do that and it will provide you a steady supply of shiny succulent leaves and stems to eat raw, cooked or pickled.
It will also fill in bare spots in the garden and steady supply of pretty pink flowers throughout the year.
Oh yeah, nearly forgot, Sea Purslane Pickles!
This is my basic recipe and it’s just a very very dumbed down version of Atsarang Dampalit.
You can buy the commercial stuff in jars at the local Asian grocer but considering how cheap it is to make I just make my own bodgy version to suit my taste.
My recipe is just put 3 or 4 cups of Sesuvium portulacastrum leaves in a strainer.
Roughly squeeze and bruise them to remove some water help the vinegar and spices soak in.
Add 1 cup of finely sliced onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, capsicum, chilli, or whatever else you have in the cupboard and like the taste of.
Things like green tomatoes(that the bloody king parrots picked early!), kale, broccoli and cauliflower stems and root all work great too and it’s a good way to use up those crunchy vegie off cuts.
Boil one cup of your favourite vinegar, a couple tablespoons of salt and 1/4 cup sugar and as soon as it’s dissolved just mix the whole lot together.
You can then store it in jars and it’s great eaten as a side dish with simple meat, fried fish, rice or lentil dishes.
Great stuff!
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
