Water Cress (Nasturtium Officinale) is a hardy annual that grows naturally in the soil on the banks of cool to cold streams and spring-fed ponds. It can be found all winter long in unfrozen, sheltered areas. You can eat the leaves and stems. They have a very peppery taste. Waterfowl eat it and fish like it also. The small floating leaves are rounded, dark green and waxy. The branching stems can spread out for 2'-3' over the surface. Slender roots hang down from the nodes of the stems. It is a very good oxygenator. It develops many small white flowers over the growing season. Plant in garden soil and put the pot by the edge of your pond with a couple of inches of water over the pot. It will quickly form a mass of foliage and can outgrow a small pot within two months. Watercress tolerates sun, shade or partial shade equally well. You can also start it from a freshly purchased bunch. Make sure you can see the fine white roots on some of the stalks. Push these into wet soil and soon you will have enough Water Cress for all of the salads and sandwiches you could possibly want.
05 June 2010
Obsessed With Watercress
"Watercress pottage is a good remedy to cleanse the blood in the spring, and help headaches, and consume the gross humours winter has left behind: those that would live in health, may use it if they please; if they will not, I cannot help it. If any fancy not pottage, they may eat the herb as salad." - Nicholas Culpeper, The Compleat Herbal, 1653.
Water Cress (Nasturtium Officinale) is a hardy annual that grows naturally in the soil on the banks of cool to cold streams and spring-fed ponds. It can be found all winter long in unfrozen, sheltered areas. You can eat the leaves and stems. They have a very peppery taste. Waterfowl eat it and fish like it also. The small floating leaves are rounded, dark green and waxy. The branching stems can spread out for 2'-3' over the surface. Slender roots hang down from the nodes of the stems. It is a very good oxygenator. It develops many small white flowers over the growing season. Plant in garden soil and put the pot by the edge of your pond with a couple of inches of water over the pot. It will quickly form a mass of foliage and can outgrow a small pot within two months. Watercress tolerates sun, shade or partial shade equally well. You can also start it from a freshly purchased bunch. Make sure you can see the fine white roots on some of the stalks. Push these into wet soil and soon you will have enough Water Cress for all of the salads and sandwiches you could possibly want.
Water Cress (Nasturtium Officinale) is a hardy annual that grows naturally in the soil on the banks of cool to cold streams and spring-fed ponds. It can be found all winter long in unfrozen, sheltered areas. You can eat the leaves and stems. They have a very peppery taste. Waterfowl eat it and fish like it also. The small floating leaves are rounded, dark green and waxy. The branching stems can spread out for 2'-3' over the surface. Slender roots hang down from the nodes of the stems. It is a very good oxygenator. It develops many small white flowers over the growing season. Plant in garden soil and put the pot by the edge of your pond with a couple of inches of water over the pot. It will quickly form a mass of foliage and can outgrow a small pot within two months. Watercress tolerates sun, shade or partial shade equally well. You can also start it from a freshly purchased bunch. Make sure you can see the fine white roots on some of the stalks. Push these into wet soil and soon you will have enough Water Cress for all of the salads and sandwiches you could possibly want.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
i like to buy them from ntuc and throw them in my maggie mee.
ReplyDeleteeh u like 2 throw a lot of things into your maggi mee hor... bang bang
ReplyDelete