Rebuild from Depression Blog

The garden has had a slow start this summer, but we have had an abundant and welcome collection of volunteer purslane. Many people refer to purslane by its more common name, "weed." Purslane, however, is a great vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids, the alpha linoleic acid form. Omega-3 fatty acids build our brains; clinical trials have shown them to be effective in fighting depression. Packaged as purslane, omega-3 fatty acids also make a great stir fry. We fried some up with a small zucchini and yellow crookneck, the first bit of produce from our garden. I highly recommend purslane and you can find it literally anywhere -- even growing out of the cracks in your sidewalk. (It is that sprawling weed in the picture above.) According to a recent New York Times Magazine article (also discussed at The Ethicurean), these weeds could be the food of the future with climate change.