Miner's Lettuce

Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata), also called winter purslane, is a small, slightly succulent plant with round leaves that the stem passes straight through. It is a freely self-seeding annual wildflower of North America, and it is sometimes grown as a salad crop.

The young leaves are the most tender and are eaten raw or cooked.

Sow seeds directly outdoors any time from midspring through late summer. For rosettes, sow about ½ inch (1.3 cm) apart in rows 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) apart, covering the seed with ¼ inch (6 mm) of soil. Thin the seedlings to 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) apart.

Grow it in full sun in moist but well-drained soil. The plant is listed for chalk, clay, loam and sand soils.

If you start seeds in cells, sow 4 to 5 seeds per 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5 cm) cell and thin to two plants per cell. After about 4 to 5 weeks, when the roots fill the cell, transplant about 8 inches (20 cm) apart. Handle the roots gently, because this plant does not tolerate root damage during transplanting.

Keep the soil moist but well-drained. No pruning is required.

It is generally pest-free and disease-free.

For cut-and-come-again baby leaves, cut the leaves above the basal plate. For rosettes, harvest below the basal plate. Young leaves are the tastiest, because older leaves can turn bitter in summer in a hot, dry spot. The flowers, leaves, stems and roots are all listed as edible.

Leaves keep three to four days in a sealed container with a damp paper towel in the refrigerator crisper drawer.