How to cook cress (watercress)
Information for cress (watercress) in our free cooking ingredients collection.
Cress (watercress)
Cress is a member of the mustard family, a cruciferous vegetable whose small, dark-green leaves add a slight crunch and a tangy, peppery flavor to dishes.
Family - Cruciferae
Scientific name - Lepidium sativum (garden cress)
Common name - cress, garden cress, watercress
High in vitamin C
A good source of folate and vitamin A
A cruciferous vegetable that contains phytochemicals that may help prevent cancer
Varieties
The most common variety of cress is watercress, which grows in flooded soil beds and has small, heart-shaped leaves and a slightly bitter taste. Watercress is difficult to grow in home gardens. An easily grown, hardy alternative is winter cress, with dark-green, strongly flavored leaves that form rosettes. Other varieties include broad-leaved cress, with oval leaves; peppergrass, or curly cress, with an attractive, ornamental appearance; extra curled, a compact plant with short stalks and fine leaves; and garden cress, a tall, cool-season annual.
Origin and botanical facts
Cress grows wild in many parts of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and New Zealand. Watercress is native to Europe, and garden cress originated in Persia, later spreading to India, Syria, Greece, and Egypt. Watercress has been cultivated since ancient Roman times. Commercial cultivation was first recorded in Germany in 1750 and later in Great Britain in 1808. Today, watercress is grown in Great Britain and in the United States, mainly in California, Florida, and Virginia. Winter cress is cultivated as a substitute for watercress when flowing water is not available for planting. It is produced mostly in the United States, favored by growers because of its hardiness.
Cress is propagated from seeds or stem cuttings and generally prefers the cool growing conditions of early spring and late fall. The growth of watercress requires a special environment with flooded soil beds containing absolutely pure water, because any water-borne contaminants could be deposited on the plant. The leafy stems are generally harvested about 180 days after planting. Requirements for other varieties vary. Garden cress, which can grow up to 18 inches tall, prefers sun or light shade and well-drained soil. Seeds can be sown at intervals from early spring through the summer in order to furnish a constant supply of young leaves. The whole plants are harvested about 60 days after planting. Hardy winter cress is not planted until July or August and can be harvested from late fall through the winter, until the plants begin to flower in spring. The leaves of most cresses are picked when they are 3 to 5 inches long, or the entire plant can be harvested before seed stalks form.
How to cook cress (watercress)
The raw, young leaves of the cress plant are sold in bunches. When selecting watercress, choose crisp leaves with deep color, and avoid those with yellow leaves. Watercress can be refrigerated up to 5 days in a plastic bag or with the stem ends in a glass of water and the leaves covered with a plastic bag. The leaves and trimmed stems may be added to salads, sandwiches, and soups and used as a garnish for a variety of dishes.
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