Cresses & Mustards

For those of you in a northern climate like mine, you may find it hard to grow or forage anything in the colder months. It’s late November here in Western Michigan and there isn’t a lot of wild food available unless you know where to look.

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Barbarea Spp. (B. verna, B. vulgaris, B. orthoceras, B. stricta)

Preferred Habitat: Anywhere with disturbed soils, open fields, edges of woods, roadsides, near creeks.

Edible Parts: Leaves, florettes, stems, and roots (on some species).

Distribution: Asia, Europe, North America (In almost all 50 states is at least one species of Barberea)

Harvest Season: Spring for young leaves and flowers, and autumn through winter for the leaves.

Key Identifiers: Cress has a very distinct lobed look that will remind gardeners of radish leaves. They have one large lobe at the top with smaller lobes going down the stalk (see picture for details) They are hard to miss.

Toxic Look-Alikes: There are at least two plants I know of that could look like cress species to the untrained eye: Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) which is an edible herb, and Butterweed (Packera glabella) Which is toxic to humans and animals. While it won’t kill you, it can make you sick. Butterweed looks much different due to its toothed edges on leaves rather than the smooth edge and tends to have a hollow stem rather than a thicker, channeled stem like cress.

Nutrition: (per 100g)

I know I know, we really need good research done on specific nutrient densities!

That said, here are the nutrients of cultivated mustard greens which should be at least very similar in value:

• Calories: 30

• Protein: 4g

• Fat: less than 2g

• Carbs: 6g

• Fiber: 4g

• Sugar: 2g

• Vitamin A: 18% Daily Value

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): 12% Daily Value

• Vitamin C: 88% of the DV

• Vitamin E: 16% of the DV

• Vitamin K: 240% of the DV

• Copper: 20% of the DV

Like many other plants in the Brassica family (mustards, broccoli, kale, cabbage, collards, cauliflower etc) cress really packs a huge nutritional punch. Especially in the winter when food is scarce!

This leafy green tends to be bitter like many similar greens, and some species are spicy like arugula. (In my personal experience, it tastes very similar to kale or a bitter broccoli.)

This isn’t everyone’s flavor palette, however there are ways to make it much more enjoyable.

Alan Bergo of The Forager Chef (a foraging/cooking blog that I recommend checking out) says:

He also recommends cooking it with a rich fatty meat (like sausage), fermenting it in a dish like kimchi or sauerkraut, or combining it with other fresh mild greens to temper the bitterness a bit.

My wife and I tend to enjoy massaging our brassicas (mainly kale this time of year) with balsamic vinegar and seasoning with a little salt to eat with our meals, but you could easily stir fry it or add it to a soup.

So many people go hunting for rare mushrooms or special ingredients that can’t be found for more than two weeks out of the year, but cress is one of those wild foods that (in my humble opinion) is a more important food to forage for.

It can provide you with a highly nutritious and abundant food source in times of scarcity even if it doesn’t taste fantastic on its own.

I see it thriving in the middle of November, and I’ve heard you can find it into February if you’re willing to dig under the snow for it!

So you may want to grow this yourself. If you would rather have a cultivated variety, you’re in luck! Several mustard cultivars exist and are easily obtained online:

• “Chinese Giant Leaf” - cultivated for its large leaves.

• “Japanese Giant Red” - cultivated for its large reddish leaves.

• “Green wave” - grown with pretty green curly leaves.

• “Golden Frill” - grown for the frilly cut leaves.

• “Tokyo Bekana” - bred for its light large leaves and white stems.

All of these and more can be found at these retailers:

MIGardener

High Mowing Seeds

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Now called “Rare Seeds”)

*One last note: This is NOT the same plant as “Watercress” although both are related!

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