Weeds Misunderstood: Purslane, Milk Thistle, Mustard

When you see weeds in your garden, often the initial response is to get rid of them. Many weeds we deal with are invasive, take away essential nutrients from our crops, and are a pain to pull out of our gardens, however, there are beneficial weeds that should not only be left alone but encouraged! I learned this lesson the hard way back in 2016 when I was an intern on a permaculture farm in Oregon. We devoted a lot of our work hours to weeding the massive organic vegetable and herb garden, mostly pulling bermuda grass, an incredibly invasive weed with an intricately woven root system. We would weed everything in sight that wasn’t part of our crop, including this squishy, red-stemmed weed with green oval leaves and small yellow flowers. We did not think much of it at the time until one of us did some digging in our textbooks and found out the truth about that weed: it was purslane! One of the most nutrient-dense edible plants that exists! We immediately ceased weeding it and let it grow, leading us to incorporate it as an amazing ingredient in our community’s diet.

Purslane, Portulaca oleracea, is extremely high in Vitamin C, has a moderate amount of oxalic acid (like spinach), has more beta-carotene than carrots, and has more Omega 3 fatty acids than almost any other plant. We were shocked at what we were missing out on, and unsurprisingly many gardeners still don’t know that purslane is a valuable crop or even know it’s edible! Purslane grows like a cover crop (or ground cover) and retains a lot of moisture in garden soil so it also works to help your plants stay hydrated during warm summer months. It can be eaten raw or cooked and can be included in a variety of dishes; we used purslane a lot in salads, saag (a traditional Indian dish), and soups. It has a slightly tart flavor and is a great crop to have around. Just like any plant, it still should be harvested as needed and should not be allowed to overgrow in your garden, but you should keep it around if you notice it.

Similar to purslane, milk thistle, Silybum marianum, is often pulled when young and not allowed residence in many gardens. As a young plant, milk thistle looks and feels like a spiky little weed… but if you can identify it and keep it growing in your garden, it will grow into a large, beautiful, albeit spiky bush that will prove its medicinal value. It usually doesn’t bloom until its second year of life, during which it will produce and bloom gorgeous purple flowers that contain the milk thistle you would consume in a supplement found in a health food store. Milk thistle is amazing for your liver and digestive system; it can assist in balancing your cholesterol and help manage type 2 diabetes. I would eat milk thistle straight from the plant in our Oregon farm a few times a week and noticed a change in my digestion after a few weeks of consuming it. It can be a commitment to seeing it through to that stage of growth, but I recommend it.

The last misunderstood weed I want to discuss is mustard (Brassicaceae family). Although it seems silly to mention since most know that mustard (both domesticated and wild varieties) is edible and a great addition to a garden, I notice it doesn’t get much attention in home gardening. It often gets eliminated without consideration of its value in the kitchen, or it overgrows in grassy areas and is never harvested. With mustard in your garden, you should find a happy balance, just like with any weed. Pam Pierce said it best in her book Golden Gate Gardening: “I usually leave the wild seedlings alone, as long as they are not too close to my garden plants, then pull them to eat when they are a few inches high.” She went on to explain that young mustard leaves have a delicious flavor while older plants tend to lean towards being more bitter. If you see mustard around your home, harvest it!

Many other weeds and plants are not fully understood and a lot of them have amazing nutritional and medicinal value to offer. Before pulling any weed out of your garden, try to identify it and see if it is something you can eat or dry to use beneficially. Do not assume it is there to be a problem, do the research and learn about the plants that surround you.