Organic Garden Cress - Barbarea verna

The Garden or Land Watercress is a very rewarding plant to grow, even for beginner gardeners. It offers a slightly tangy, peppery flavour that adds a kick to all spring salads. It is more commonly consumed in soups, velvety dishes, or prepared like spinach in cold weather. Its flavour is spicier than Watercress. The plants reach a height of 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in). Sow Garden Watercress in a staggered manner from March to August to harvest from May to October and enjoy its taste.

Watercress belongs to the Brassicaceae family, like cabbage and rocket, with which it shares its tangy flavour. Part salad, part aromatic herb; Watercress is a herbaceous plant with a strong, slightly peppery taste. In the past, it was used for its medicinal properties. Still, it has become a vegetable in its own right, consumed in various forms throughout the seasons: in creamy velvety dishes in winter or in spring and summer salads. It is a plant rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene.

There are several types of Watercress, with harvests throughout the year. Some, like Fountain Watercress, are clearly aquatic, while others, like Alençon Watercress, are grown in open ground, provided that they remain well moist.

Harvest: Watercress is usually harvested three weeks after sowing and should be done regularly as it tends to go to seed. Harvest when the plants reach a height of + or - 7 cm (3in) by cutting off some of the leaves at their base.

Storage: Watercress leaves are quite delicate and wilt quickly. You can store them in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days, with their stems in water in a jar, like a small bouquet. Freezing the leaves can be a bit tedious, so preparing some velvety dishes that can be frozen afterwards is more interesting.

Gardener's tip: It is interesting to cover and nourish the soil by adding green manure between two crops in the vegetable garden. White mustard (which, by the way, flowers yellow) is one of the most commonly used. But be careful; this mustard also belongs to the Brassicaceae family (formerly Crucifers), which is essential when considering crop rotation. Before or after growing Watercress, choose the beautiful Phacelia with its blue flowers.