I am experimenting with Purslane in a Ball jar of water. How long will it last? What will happen? Today is August 13, 2020. This is the photo of the Purslane I harvested today at 630am.
It is a Ball jar of pure tap water. The plant lifts itself up from the ground generally when given water and shelter...the native habitat offers little of either and the Purslane is often lying on the ground and much dirtier than my Purslane that only takes a little watering.
Next is a photo of the same Purslane after 6 hours in the water.
Different angle, different light...but I can definitely tell the limbs are stiffer and some are rising up. I have harvested Purslane like this a few times now; and I will continue this process. I cut and then leave the Purslane in water up to several hours before eating. It allows the Purslane to firm up and fill up with fresh water. Some eat Purslane for the nutty, organic flavor it imparts...I like it for the CRUNCH! Anyway, my palette loves this fresh plant in tuna salad, mixed with cucumber, in an Asian sesame oil dressing, as a garnish, onward with fresh potential.
I will definitely eat 90% of this Purslane and transfer the remainder to a more permanent jar to see how long it lasts as an indoor plant that does not sit by a window and only receives artificial light. I will experiment with other lighting scenarios if the longevity is less than a week. I am interested in Purslane being an indoor succulent that can serve as a nice living garnish.
The answer is:
It lasted well for about 5 days and then leaves started to fall off and it was clearly not going to last a long time in a jar of water.
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