March 31, 2025, is the third day of the third lunar month. This day is a very significant and grand festival in many ethnic groups and regions. There has always been a traditional custom of eating shepherd's purse on March 3. At this time, many people in the countryside will rush to the wild to dig the tender green shepherd's purse and use it to boil eggs. In everyone's cognition, eating shepherd's purse and boiled eggs can avoid evil and disasters, and harvest auspiciousness and peace.
Shepherd's purse is known as the "king of wild vegetables in spring". In the roadside wasteland, vegetable gardens and crop fields in rural areas, you can see shepherd's purse growing wild. It seems to show people the unique gift given by nature. Shepherd's purse is also the "king of calcium" among vegetables, and it is also extremely rich in vitamin K. Eating 100g can meet 37% of the daily recommended amount.
The deliciousness of shepherd's purse first comes from its "flavor-making machine" - shepherd's purse contains a variety of amino acids, including glutamic acid. Just add a little salt to turn glutamic acid into sodium glutamate (the main component of MSG is sodium glutamate), and the deliciousness of shepherd's purse will immediately appear.
Secondly, the deliciousness of shepherd's purse comes from its tenderness. Shepherd's purse in early spring has just emerged. At this time, the leaves are not big and have not yet opened small white flowers. The water content in the leaves is the most sufficient, and it tastes the sweetest. Some friends are worried that shepherd's purse has astringent taste, but in fact, the tender shepherd's purse is not astringent. Moreover, just blanch it in boiling water for about 30 seconds to remove the oxalic acid that brings astringency, and the taste will become more delicious.
Shepherd's purse also has a special fragrance, mainly from the leaf alcohol (a colorless liquid with a strong green and tender leaf fragrance, fresh and rich aroma), which is a star in the spice industry.
I recommend you to eat more shepherd's purse in spring, of course not only because it is a seasonal vegetable, but also for another very important reason - the calcium content of shepherd's purse is really among the best in vegetables, even not inferior to milk.
| Types | Calcium content (mg/100g) |
| Shepherd's purse | 294 |
| Mustard (fresh) | 230 |
| Amaranth (green) | 187 |
| Fennel | 154 |
| Rapeseed | 148 |
| Kale | 128 |
| Coriander | 101 |
| Spinach | 66 |
| Lettuce | 60 |
| Broccoli | 50 |
It can be seen that the calcium content of shepherd's purse is a "crushing" victory compared to other vegetables. The only mustard greens that can compare with it are the most commonly used to make pickles and salted vegetables, which increases the unhealthy factor of high salt. Overall, it is still not as good as shepherd's purse.
In theory, the calcium obtained by eating 100 grams of shepherd's purse can meet more than 1/3 of the human body's daily calcium needs.
Some friends have heard that shepherd's purse contains oxalic acid, which will affect the absorption of calcium. Indeed, shepherd's purse contains a certain amount of oxalic acid, but it does not have a big impact on the effect of "calcium supplementation" of shepherd's purse.
On the one hand, the oxalic acid content of shepherd's purse is not very high among vegetables. The oxalic acid content in many common vegetables is higher than that of shepherd's purse, such as spinach, red and green amaranth, etc.
On the other hand, we can remove oxalic acid by blanching (oxalic acid is soluble in water). In short, if you refuse shepherd's purse because you are worried that oxalic acid will affect the absorption of calcium, it is really a big loss.
Moreover, in addition to the biggest advantage of high calcium content, the nutritional advantages of shepherd's purse in other aspects should not be underestimated.
Shepherd's purse has a high potassium content.
The potassium content of shepherd's purse reaches 280mg/100g. Among vegetables, only a few green leafy vegetables such as amaranth (340mg/100g), kale (345mg/100g), and spinach (311mg/100g) have higher potassium content than shepherd's purse. The potassium content of shepherd's purse is even higher than that of the familiar potassium supplement banana (potassium content is 256mg/100g). Therefore, it is very suitable for people with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
Shepherd's purse has a high dietary fiber content.
The content of insoluble dietary fiber in shepherd's purse reaches 1.7g/100g, and high potassium itself has the effect of promoting gastrointestinal motility. In this way, for friends who usually have slow gastrointestinal motility and constipation, the advantages of shepherd's purse are once again revealed.
Shepherd's purse has a high content of carotenoids.
The carotenoid content of shepherd's purse is as high as 2590μg/100g, which is higher than the carotenoid content of the orange-yellow fruits and vegetables we are familiar with, such as pumpkin (890μg/100g). This is very beneficial for protecting visual cells and preventing dry eyes.
In addition, the vitamin C content in shepherd's purse is also high, at 43mg/100g. Compared with common vegetables such as spinach (32mg/100g), cabbage (40mg/100g), and Chinese cabbage (37.5mg/100g), it is even better.
When eating shepherd's purse, pay attention to these details
Although it is not as difficult to eat as Yunnan mushrooms, there are some precautions if you want to eat shepherd's purse safely and healthily.
Wild vegetables on the side of urban roads, green belts and other places are easily affected by the exhaust gas emitted by passing vehicles and absorb heavy metals. Some orchards and vegetable gardens are sprayed with pesticides, which are harmful to human health. At the same time, it is also very likely to mistakenly dig other wild plants that are inedible or even toxic and harmful.
Because shepherd's purse contains a certain amount of oxalic acid, it not only affects the taste, but also affects calcium absorption, so it needs to be blanched in boiling water before consumption.
Here I would like to remind everyone that when blanching, you should pay attention to picking and washing the vegetables first, and then do not cut the vegetables. Put the whole vegetable directly into the boiling water. The amount of water should be sufficient, and the time should be controlled. It should not be too long (fresh shepherd's purse can be cooked within 1 minute). This can better preserve other nutrients that are easily affected by high temperatures, such as vitamin C, and prevent the shepherd's purse from being boiled and cooked.
After blanching, it is recommended to put it in cold water immediately to cool down and drain, and then you can make various delicacies.
The blanching method can also be used to store shepherd's purse - roll the blanched shepherd's purse into a ball, squeeze out the water and freeze it directly, which can greatly extend the shelf life (usually recommended to eat it within 3 months) and retain the taste of spring.
Leaf shape: The tip of the shepherd's purse is feather-like umbrella-shaped, the root is white and the leaves grow from the root; the leaves feel a little rough and smell fragrant.
Flowers: The flowers of shepherd's purse are white, the flower shape is small, but the number of flowers is large. However, shepherd's purse with small flowers tends to lose its fresh taste, so it is better to choose shepherd's purse before it sprouts and blooms.
