Selling weeds at the farmers market: Purslane

After multiple attempts with low success at hawking purslane at the farmers market, we may have found a good strategy. Sample it next to sunflower sprouts, which have a similar texture and shape. Some people prefer the less sophisticated purslane (high in OM-3's), and its a good conversation piece with gardeners who often don't know it is a good deep rooted companion for some other plants. We also sell amaranth with a little success and the help of one or two customers who buy us out of it for a discount at the end of some markets.

thank you for sharing

i think if something isnt selling too well than giving customers the oppurtunity to sample them is an effective way to get some sales, maybe even using the item of question in a recipe and allowing them to sample the finished product, occassional on-farm barbeques for family, friends and customer base?

i am going to deep fry some purslane, in the manner of fried okra. there are only a few plants that i am obsessed with right now and purslane is one of them. i mostly see it along sidewalks and in temporary planting containers where the soil has been disturbed. i am soaking a stalk of purslane in water, to see how purslane likes growing in the water. is it a hydroponic plant? it seems very hardy in dry conditions, i wonder if it thrives in water as well.

and ps, i think returnable cloth bags for greens at a farmer's market would make alot of repeat customers, like returning the glass bottle that the milk came in.

the issue with getting plants to grow in water is more a matter of dissolved oxygen than anything else, one can successfully grow a bananna tree right next to a desert cactus in a hydro/aquaponics set up provided there is enough dissolved oxygen in the water:)

thanks, that's good to know.

how much does it go for? our land is covered in it!

http://www.naturalnews.com/027998_purslane_omega-3s.html

the above link describes purslane as an herb that addresses "hot'' conditions as recognized by Chinese medicine.


i have also heard of purslane being used in cob building mixtures

Like most of our bunched items we sell purslane 1 for $3 or 2 for $5 and they're jumbo. The larger leaved plants are the best and sometimes one big plant makes a bunch just by pulling up, rubber banding, and optionally cutting off roots.
This is NOT a financial strategy, however, haha. I just couldn't find the farm income section when I OP'd with this new setup.

We had a bumper crop of purslane this year. I do not sell from my garden, but I have been tempted to do so. As a joke, I took a purslane salad with home made pepper yogurt dressing (we made the yogurt from our goats milk) to the family reunion. My mother was complaining about pulling the purslane weeds from the garden club flower beds, so I just had to mess with her a bit. I was really amazed at the amount of people who ate that salad and came back for more even my Mom. Perhaps you should have some recipe ideas and maybe even some dishes made from purslane to sample. We like it with the yogurt dressing. We like it mixed with salad greens, and we like it cooked like any other green. I didn't get a chance to pickle any purslane as I read about doing, but hopefully I will get to try that this year.

How fun,  I just web searched sell purslane at farmers market" and it brought me back here to permies <3.  I should have looked here first!  

I just applied for a farmer's market stall.   I need to look up sample rules, but I may bring some pickled purslane that I LOVE to make and eat if that's allowed.  

I've let it reseed in my allotment and it's fat and healthy and vigorous this year!