Maker · Vegetables
Erik Vork, winter purslane from Amsterdam West
Winter purslane that's still standing in Amsterdam West in the morning and reaches your kitchen the same week. Erik Vork is one of the few city farmers still hand-cultivating this leaf, precisely in the season when almost everything in the field lies dormant.
The story
Who's behind it
Erik Vork grows winter purslane in Amsterdam West. No fields outside the city, but urban cultivation on a small scale, with care for the soil and for the timing of the season. He is one of the few growers in Amsterdam West still cultivating this leaf. Winter purslane is becoming rare and threatens to disappear from supply, and Erik is keeping it alive.
Everything is done by hand. The leaf is hand-harvested and sorted, and goes out per box of one kilo. Because both field and kitchen are in or around the city, the distances are short. What is harvested today reaches your door within three days.
What makes it truly different
Winter purslane, botanically Claytonia perfoliata, is a true winter crop. The seed only germinates once the soil drops below twelve degrees, usually after October, and the plant overwinters as a rosette. It's not frost-sensitive and so it grows through the months when most vegetables stand still. That makes it interesting: fresh, local leaf at a time when choice is limited.
The leaves are soft, fresh and slightly nutty. The flavour leans towards spinach, with a juicy, crisp bite you rarely find in cultivated lettuce. Nutritionally it's nothing to sneeze at: per hundred grams it contains roughly a third of your daily vitamin C, plus a solid portion of vitamin A and iron. For a winter leaf that's a strong hand.
The difference lies mainly in proximity and freshness. Leaf that's hand-harvested in the city and reaches you within days has a different character than what's been on the road for days.
How to set yourself apart with this
On a winter menu, fresh, local leaf stands out. Most kitchens then lean on root vegetables and cabbage. Winter purslane sets a fresh, green note against that, precisely when it's scarce. On the plate it tells a concrete story: harvested in Amsterdam West, this week still.
Use it where freshness counts. Raw in a salad, briefly wok'd with fish, or laid loose over a stew so it just wilts. Treat it as a herb and finish it late, then you keep the bite and flavour. And you put something on your menu that your colleague down the road probably doesn't have: a rare winter crop from a city farmer in your own city.
Chef’s tip
Treat it as a herb, not a lettuce. The leaves are delicate and prefer late finishing: dress only on the plate, otherwise it wilts within minutes. If you want it warm, wok it for just a few seconds or lay it loose over a hot dish so it just collapses. That way you keep the fresh, slightly nutty tone.
How to use it
Ideas for your menu
Raw salad with winter purslane
Dressed loosely with a light vinaigrette, lemon and a hint of nuts. The leaf stays crisp and juicy and brings a green, fresh flavour of its own.
Briefly wok'd with fish
Just a few seconds in the pan so it just falls. Works as a fresh counterpoint to pan-fried white fish or a creamy sauce.
Warm accompaniment over stew or game
Laid loose over the hot dish so it just wilts but doesn't cook. Brings colour and a spinach-like bite in the winter months.
Green accent on a winter plate
As fresh leaf between root vegetables and legumes, when there's little else locally grown leafy veg to be found.
For your menu
“Winter purslane from city farmer Erik Vork, hand-harvested in Amsterdam West.”
Products from Erik Vork
What we carry from this maker
Prices and availability are in the portal. Not a customer yet? Become a customer or log in to order.
Taste it in your own kitchen
Book a no-obligation tasting with Niels. No contract, just tasting.