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peppery taste somewhat.
Two other types of cress –
both introduced in the 1860s
– can be grown at home and,
like watercress, are members of
the brassica family and have a
similar mustard-like flavour.
The most common is cress or
moss-curled cress (Lepidium
sativum). Long popular
with kids, who love its fast
germination on cotton wool
or kitchen paper, it makes the
best-ever sandwich filling when
mixed with mashed hard-boiled
egg. Common cress is native to
the same areas as watercress,
while the less-familiar American
upland cress (Barbarea verna)
is actually European in origin.
Because it grows in almost any
cool, damp garden, upland
cress is easier to grow than
watercress, but the taste is
more pungent.
New Zealand has about 20
native cresses, all belonging
to the Lepidium genus and
known as scurvy grasses or
peppercresses. All are now rare
in the wild.
Be cautious
If you forage for watercress
on farmland, be aware that it
can host liver fluke (Fasciola
hepatica), a nasty parasite that
can infect people as well as
sheep and cattle. Fortunately,
cases in humans are rare, but
watercress must be thoroughly
washed before eating. This is
recommended for commercially
produced and home-grown
watercress, too.
Weeds common among wild
watercress are monkey musk
(Erythranthe guttata) and
buttercup (Ranunculus repens).
Monkey musk, which has yellow
or sometimes red snapdragonlike
flowers, is unlikely to cause
harm – Native Americans ate
it and used it in medicines.
However, all parts of
buttercups are poisonous
and must be avoided.
It is considered unsafe for
pregnant women and nursing
mothers to eat large quantities
of watercress.
Growing watercress
Having discovered the simplest
way to grow watercress was a
two-pot system, I filled a 2.5l
plastic pot with a mix of soil
and homemade compost, then
stood it in a bucket. The bucket
was half-filled with water and
the compost well-watered.
Meantime, I had sown seed
in a tray of damp mix and it
germinated within a few
days. When the seedlings were
big enough to transplant, I
weeded the pot of compost/soil
(where did all that chickweed
come from?!) and put fresh
water in the bucket. Into the
top bucket went the best
seedlings and the remainder
were used in a salad.
In a month, the plants were
big enough to nip off a few
sprigs to try (very tasty),
which in turn stimulated
more growth. The water in the
bucket kept the soil very wet,
mimicking a boggy ditch.
My plants, being tough
perennials, should keep
producing right through winter.
The only attention they need is
for the water in the bucket to be
changed every week or 10 days.
Having put growing watercress
in the ‘too-hard basket’, I’m
now hooked on how easy it has
turned out to be.
Thanks to Kings Seeds, which
supplied seed for the writer to
trial watercress.
from left Watercress in a shallow
creek; Wild watercress can be weedy,
as this patch is.
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