Purslane Cake

We are blessed or infested, however one sees it, with an abundance of weeds in our garden. Most are some degree of irritation, whether that be through fast growth, thick roots, disturbing height, prickly leaves, choking vines, or some combination of these “qualities”. Only a small number stand out as neutral or nice. And out of these few, the greatest is Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea). Many of you may be familiar with it, and many more may notice it as a result of this post. Which is well, because it is not only edible but packed with great vitamins and healthy traits, as many wild edibles are. But purslane specifically is endowed with more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other plant and, unlike fish oil, can be presented on the dinner table in many tantalizing ways from salads to stews.

As an added bonus, its roots aren't thick and it doesn't grow tall enough to choke out cultivated plants. Still, we do weed it to keep it in some semblance of control, and it was while weeding purslane that Margo introduced it to Makaiah, the son of our 6-month interns. She explained that you could eat it, and that it tasted good. He tasted it and then, trying to hold back his excitement, said "We should make purslane cake!" Margo asked him what ingredients he would use, and he was ready for her, saying "purslane, buckwheat, cinnamon, apples, and sugar," and asking if they could make it that day. She said now wasn't the best time for her, but that they could do it soon.
Which came around the other day, when I entered the house to find Margo and Makaiah making a lot of noise with the blender. Taking Makaiah's suggestions in mind, and adding a few other bits to make it a slightly predictable experience, Margo devised the following recipe:
Purslane Cake
Mix in a bowl:
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
In blender mix:
2 cups purslane
2 eggs
5 T applesauce
1 T oil
1 tsp vanilla
stir together, pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish, bake for 30 min. at 350°
serve with strawberry juice on top (mash strawberries, add a pinch of water)

Their improvements for next time include using apple chunks instead of sauce, and adding cream cheese frosting and lemon or orange peel.