Postelein: Cultivation and use of winter purslane

Postelein, also known by names such as winter postelein or winter purslane, is one of the lesser-known vegetables for winter. With us you will learn how to cultivate, harvest and use the common plate herb.

Especially in the cold winter months, the joy of fresh vegetables from your own garden is greatest. The Postelein (Claytonia), also known as plate cabbage, can be used as a crispy salad or as cooked vegetables. In addition to the widespread common plate herb (Claytonia perfoliata) are also available in the trade seeds of the Siberian plate herb (Claytonia sibirica), both plants can be cultivated and used equally. We explain everything to you about growing and caring for winter vegetables.

Postelein: origin, taste and characteristics

When looking for fresh winter vegetables, you quickly come across the Postelein (Claytonia perfoliata), which originally comes from the mountain and coastal regions of the North American west coast, but has immigrated to us as a neophyte for many years. Depending on the region, the annual herbaceous plant can also be found under the names winter postelein, winter purslane, Cuban spinach or as common plate herb. The Postelein belongs to the genus of the plate herbs (Claytonia) and is thus part of the spring herb family (Monitaceae).

The hardy Postelein grows only about 30 cm high and forms fleshy leaves that extend from a basal rosette of leaves. Thanks to its slightly succulent leaves, the Postelein is able to withstand shorter periods of drought undamaged. The lower, older leaves are long-stalked, while the younger leaves grow together in pairs and enclose the stem. In this way, they become the distinguishing and unique selling point of the Posteleins. At the same time, the overgrown leaves seem like a plate that grows on the stem below the inflorescence. They gave the Postelein its common name "Plate herb". Between February and May, sometimes well into June, the Postelein blooms with white or discreet pink flower clusters of 5 to 40 individual flowers. The flowers pollinate themselves and form small seeds, which the Postelein uses to spread and sprout in the following year.

The taste of the raw Posteleins is reminiscent of Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta), although its aroma is less intense. When the leaves are cooked, they taste like spinach (Spinacia oleracea) comparable - an enrichment for the fresh, domestic kitchen in winter.

How do postelein and purslane differ? Because of the name that sounds the same, the Postelein with the purslane (Portulaca oleracea) of the genus purslane (Portulaca) from the purslane family (Portulaceae) can be confused. Purslane is also called summer purslane. In purely visual terms, however, the plants differ significantly: purslane does not form a rosette of leaves and flowers yellow while Postelein is a unique selling point in the flora thanks to the plate-shaped leaves on the stems owns. The use of both plants is similar: Both can be used as winter vegetables and salads and were used in medicine in the past.

Postelein cultivation: sowing, location and co

Posteleins can usually be grown without any problems, as it is a fairly undemanding plant. A partially shaded location, where it is at least moderately warm, is best. The Postelein grows naturally on nutrient-rich, sandy soil with a good water supply and little salt. He doesn’t take them well. It can also be grown on the balcony or in a bucket, as the Postelein's root system is very shallow. A humus-rich, loose soil that can store water well, but does not tend to become silted up, is suitable as a plant substrate both in the bed and in the tub. A little compost or potting soil can be added to the soil before sowing in order to provide the plant with nutrients throughout the vegetation. For example, ours is an excellent basis Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soilwhich has a slowly released nutrient content due to its high proportion of compost. Thanks to the coconut pulp it contains, the organic soil is able to store water over the long term and make it available to the plant. In addition, our tomato and vegetable soil is produced entirely without the use of peat, which reduces CO₂ reduces and protects the environment.

Since the postelein needs a cold stimulus to germinate, this is the best time for them Sow between September and Marchas long as the temperatures are below 12 ° C. the the ideal germination temperature is 8 to 12 ° C. The sowing can be done in about 1 cm deep gutters, whereby the seeds can be sown quite densely with a distance of about 5 cm. A Row spacing of 10 to 15 cm is completely sufficient for the post. The first Postelein seeds germinate after two to three weeks, depending on the weather.

Important care measures for winter purslane

The winter purslane is one of the poorly eating plants and needs only a few nutrients for its growth, which makes additional fertilization superfluous. Winter purslane can develop healthily and vigorously, especially if some compost or potting soil has been mixed in before sowing. The winter purslane is sensitive to drought because of its shallow root system, which is why a constant supply of water and regular watering are very important. If you want to prevent uncontrolled reproduction of winter purslane, you should cut the flowers regularly before the seeds ripen.

Harvesting and storage of winter mail

The first leaves are ripe just six to eight weeks after sowing and can be harvested. It is important to cut the leaves with a sharp knife higher than 2 cm above the ground. This protects the plant and at the same time stimulates the formation of new leaves, which makes multiple harvests possible. The harvest time of Winterpostelein is between October and April and depends on the time of sowing.

The winter postelein is best eaten fresh, as it cannot be stored for long. The cut leaves can be placed loosely in a bowl and covered with a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator for about six to eight days.

Postelein: Ingredients and Use

You can eat Postelein raw and cooked. The plant can be used almost completely: The young leaves, stems and flowers taste great raw best, while the roots and older leaves are delicious when cooked, as they have a slightly bitter taste when raw to have. Postelein salad is particularly popular.

In addition to a high content of vitamin C, Postelein contains a lot of magnesium, potassium and iron, which makes it extremely healthy. In contrast to other lettuce plants, there are no problems with Postelein due to high nitrate intake. Postelein was already used as a food and medicinal plant by the Indians and other indigenous peoples. It was used as a poultice for rheumatism and eye pain, or the juice as a remedy for loss of appetite.

Would you like more vegetables from your own garden next winter? Then also read our article about Growing and caring for the oat root.