![[Shelbyville Times-Gazette]](http://www.t-g.com/images/nameplate-small.png){kind=small}
Shelbyville, Tennessee ~ Friday, August 29, 2008
| Blogs | 
|
|
garden Gleanings - First watercress of the year
Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at 12:56 PM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
Actually I could have had watercress much sooner, but it all fell into place today, so I got to enjoy a great egg salad and watercress sandwich for lunch. Deb's mother loves it in soup and all the articles you read out there says watercress is VERY nutritious.
Watercress grows wild down in our little valley, but that is about 400 yards away and down at least 75 feet so getting a handful for a sandwich is not an everyday thing.
We transplanted some up by the house where we have a small goldfish pond. We built the pond to have two waterfalls in what appears to be a natural stream and it is here that we planted the watercress, since it likes running water.
It has done well, and if anyone would like some transplants, I will carry them to the garden meeting this Friday at the Hong Kong restaurant in Shelbyville. They will need to go into fresh water as soon as you get home. Let me know by Thursday night.
If you are not ready for them, but still would like to get some, no problem. They get leggy and flower later in this spring so if we miss them now, maybe again in late fall. Comments Showing most recent comments first [Show in chronological order instead] |
Hot topics McCain may have hit one out of the park!(20 ~ 5:42 PM, Aug 29)
Weed'em and Reap on for this Friday.
For those of you who care, eBay Express is closing down.
Levi 501 Unbuttoned Trash Advertisement
Now this art makes me queasy
|
![[Feed icon]](http://www.t-g.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
Many may not know what it looks like, but it likes to be in clear running water. Many of our streams are slow moving and muddy, so only small patches of watercress. It also bolts (quickly goes to flower) in our warmth, and turn woody and bitter quickly, so another reason it ay not be grown commercially here.
I have not checked on the wild patch since last summer's drought, but that would be interesting to see what has happened. When I get a chance, I will and let you know.
I have a recipe for Chinese Winter Melon or Fuzzy Melon soup I got from Hong Kong restaurant if anyone is interested. I grow those melons in my garden each year, so I thought it would be appropriate to use it.
We chow some (stir fry) but basically give it away most of the time.
Seriously I had no idea watercrest grew around here at all. I looked in a ton of grocery stores around here and never saw it for sale. In Wash DC, it is in all the stores and it was one of my favorite things to eat.
I guess because it grows wild you can get it for free.
We need a recipe blogger on it. Now that would be fun, I love to try out new recipes
Try this, pumpernickel bread, with cream cheese and watercrest... to die for..
I've had watercress in salads and really liked it - I just googled it to find out a bit how it grows - I always assumed it was like lettuce and grew that way.
There is a strain of cress that is similar and apparently grows in soil. I never saw it or tasted it to my knowledge.
This has a mild peppery flavor. If you eat any Japanese sushi, it is like a very tame wasabi.
I will carry some for you on Friday.
I just looked up watercress via my friend google, and I didn't realize that it could grow in water. I would love some transplants - if you let me know how to replant them.
Google also told me that our neighbors to the south, Huntsville, used to call themselves "the watercress capital of the world." If they held an annual watercress festival, that would be worth a trip down there.