Waterleaf // Gbure. This winter our friend Yemi Amu from @okofarms sent us some seeds for this beautiful plant (as well a few Ugwu or Fluted Pumpkin seeds) so we could cultivate them and attempt to make them more available to Nigerians who live here. On Wednesday we harvested our first Gbure seeds! We harvested the whole branch and laid it out to dry so that the seeds would collect on the fabric below. Several people including my coworker Amirah and my partner Chris remarked that they were similar to Purslane. They were once considered to be in the Purslane family (but no longer) and apparently one of their names is Surinam Purslane. Like purslane, they are succulent with brittle seed pods that bursts open, they grow like a weed, and they are packed with vitamins and minerals. From watching lots of YouTube cooking videos, including one by @ndudu_by_fafa, I learned that it’s often made into a soup with other vegetables like Ugwu leaf and Egusi seeds, as well as fish and sometimes shrimp powder. I am very new to this plant, so I’d love to hear how you grow and eat it if you’d be willing to share! We hope to be able to offer seeds from Gbure, Nigerian Spinach, Egusi, and Ewedu next year. Crossing fingers we also get seeds from our Ugwu plants! #talinumfruticosum #gbure #waterleaf #philippinespinach #cariru #surinampurslane #nelabasale #seedkeeping #nigerianfood (at Newtown Square, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDkoRl7A5s-/?igshid=1qg6u1atumaym
