Eat Your Weeds

Abandoned Crescent Beach Hotel on Edgemere Drive in Rochester, New York
Abandoned Crescent Beach Hotel on Edgemere Drive in Rochester, New York

It is our turn again for pool duty. Someone on the street needs to be in charge so we rotate two week long stints. Duties include; skimming the surface if leaves or bugs are prevalent, making sure the bottom is free of fallen particulates, back washing if the pump filter is full, adding water if the level is low, watering the flowers if they need it and making sure the cover is on at night. Nothing overwhelming. Most days Reggie nothing more than a glance.

One of the ancillary duties could be weeding the cracks between the sidewalk panels but I usually keep an eye out even if we’re not on duty and especially now that I have discovered the delicacy that is purslane.

We first had it as an appetizer at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We were there to celebrate our nephew’s graduation from Columbia Law School. His brother, a celebrated chef in his own rite, had picked the place partly because he wanted to check it out and also because his mom was picking up the tab. That was a few years ago and purslane is now everywhere. I found some in a bunch of parsley that I bought at Wegmans. It is a succulent of sorts. It likes moisture and heat and the tiny leaves have volume as they hold water. We still weed it. but instead of tossing it over the fence we eat it.

It is our turn again for pool duty. Someone on the street needs to be in charge so we rotate two week long stints. Duties include; skimming the surface if leaves or bugs are prevalent, making sure the bottom is free of fallen particulates, back washing if the pump filter is full, adding water if the level is low, watering the flowers if they need it and making sure the cover is on at night. Nothing overwhelming. Most days Reggie nothing more than a glance.

One of the ancillary duties could be weeding the cracks between the sidewalk panels but I usually keep an eye out even if we’re not on duty and especially now that I have discovered the delicacy that is purslane.

We first had it as an appetizer at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We were there to celebrate our nephew’s graduation from Columbia Law School. His brother, a celebrated chef in his own rite, had picked the place partly because he wanted to check it out and also because his mom was picking up the tab. That was a few years ago and purslane is now everywhere. I found some in a bunch of parsley that I bought at Wegmans. It is a succulent of sorts. It likes moisture and heat and the tiny leaves have volume as they hold water. We still weed it but instead of tossing it over the fence we eat it.

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