On Feb 21, 9:04?am, "Gunner" <gunner@ spam.com> wrote:

> You may know pig weed as the leaves of amaranth, the original ceral grain.

The article may have been referring to Common Purslane, aka Verdolaga.

I first realized that it was edible when my Armenian neighbors started
picking it out of the cracks in the sidewalk. It grows wild in poor,
sandy soil, which describes my backyard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea

Recipe for pork stew with verdolaga

http://gourmetsleuth.com/verdolaga.htm

More on edible weeds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigweed

Pigweed can mean any of a number of weedy plants which may be used as
pig fodder:

Amaranthus species
Chenopodium species
Portulaca species

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus

Amaranth grain is a crop of moderate importance in the Himalaya. It
was one of the staple foodstuffs of the Incas, and it is known as
kiwicha in the Andes today. It was also used by the ancient Aztecs,
who called it huautli, and other Amerindian peoples in Mexico to
prepare ritual drinks and foods. To this day, amaranth grains are
toasted much like popcorn and mixed with honey or molasses to make a
treat called alegr?a (literally "joy" in Mexican Spanish).

Amaranth was used in several Aztec ceremonies, where images of their
gods (notably Huitzilopochtli) were made with amaranth mixed with
honey. The images were cut to be eaten by the people. This looked like
the Christian communion to the Roman Catholic priests, so the
cultivation of the grain was forbidden for centuries
(more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranthus)

Huauzontle Chenopodium nuttaliae. Sometimes spelled Guausoncle. . A
plant related to epazote whose leaves are coated with batter and
fried.

http://www.lomexicano.com/mexicanfoodrecipeglossary.htm

Huauzontle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huauzontle

Huauzontle, Chenopodium nuttalliae is a Mexican vegetable related to
the common American weed goosefoot, that vaguely resembles broccoli.
As with other members of the goosefoot family, huauzontle is edible
and it is typically prepared in a manner similar to spinach or
broccoli.
Zarela's huauzontle fritters
http://www.zarela.com/new_recipes/to..._brocolli.html

Chenopodium
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Goosefoots, genus Chenopodium
Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of flowering plants, known
generically as the Goosefoots. It contains several plants of minor to
moderate importance as food crops, both leaf vegetables and pseudo-
cereals, including Quinoa, Ka?iwa, Fat Hen, Good King Henry, and
Epazote.
(more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium)

Portulaca oleracea (Common Purslane, also known as Verdolaga, Pigweed,
Little Hogweed or Pusley), is an annual succulent in the family
Portulacaceae, which can reach 40 cm in height.. It is a native of
India and the Middle East, but is naturalised elsewhere and in some
regions is considered an invasive weed. It has smooth, reddish, mostly
prostrate stems and alternate leaves clustered at stem joints and
ends. The yellow flowers have five regular parts and are up to 0.6 cm
wide. The flowers first appear in late spring and continue into mid
fall. The flowers open singly at the center of the leaf cluster for
only a few hours on sunny mornings. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod,
which opens when the seeds are ready. Purslane has a taproot with
fibrous secondary roots and is able to tolerate poor, compacted soils
and drought.
(more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea)