Foraged Purslane and Summer Fruit Salad Recipe -- Easy, Vegan, and Paleo

So many people have asked me how I possibly teach foraging classes in the summer; what is there even to forage when it is so hot and dry? (Locally, it doesn't rain at all in the summer season, other than the occasional fluke.) But there is definitely what to forage in the summer, and in fact, some of my favorite forage-ables are specifically summer forages, like purslane, cactus paddles, num nums, and black nightshade.
This salad is based specifically on summer's foraged bounty and of course you can make it even more "foraged" by using mustard made with wild mustard seeds, vinegar made from fermented wild fruit wine (like my redbud vinegar), and wild allium. Basically, this salad can showcase how delicious summer is, because it really is quite amazing. I have a special affinity to salads that contain both vegetables and fruit, because they easily fit my formula as to how to make the perfect salad.

This salad is less a specific recipe and more a guide, because you can play around with it and vary it up as you see fit. Of course if you don't have purslane you can use other greens as the base, but then it won't have the same texture, but will still be delicious.

In my recipe I used plums and black nightshade as the fruit, but other fruit you can use are figs, cherry plums, wild plums, num nums, blackberries, mulberries, cherries, apricots, mangos, blueberries, grapes,  raspberries, etc...

Foraged Purslane and Summer Fruit Salad Recipe -- Easy, Vegan, and Paleo

Ingredients:
Purslane or other salad greens
Plums (optional)
Black nightshade (optional)
Num nums (optional)
Other summer fruit
Vinegar of choice
Oil of choice
Salt
Pepper
Mustard
Garlic powder

Instructions:
1. Chop up your purslane or other salad greens.

2. Remove stems and seeds as necessary, and chop fruit to bite size pieces (if using something other than berries).

3. Mix equal amounts vinegar and oil. Add a drop of mustard, pinch garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust ingredients as necessary.

4. Pour on the salad, mix, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

If you're a forager, what do you have available to serve in the summer? Does this look like a recipe you'd try? What variation would you use?