Cress is an easy-to-grow vegetable , mostly sown in homes before Easter. It is not only a Christmas decoration but is also a rich source of nutrients. Therefore, it is worth sowing and eating watercress all year round. Learn more about thehe alth benefits of cressand seehow to sow cressto grow this he althy and tasty vegetable yourself at home. The method for express cultivation - ready watercress in 5 days!
Sow the cress in a flat dish
Fig. pixabay.com
Cress - nutritional and he alth properties
Before I go into detail aboutthe nutritional value and he alth benefits of cress , I must mention that the commonly used name cress is actually used incorrectly. Well, when using the name cress, we usually mean peppercress (Lepidium sativum), sometimes also called garden cress or garden cress. Meanwhile, real watercress (Cardamine) is a completely different type of plant belonging to the cabbage family. However, we will not deal with them in this guide; -)
Althoughseeding cress is mainly practiced before Easter , it is worth sowing and growing this plant all year round, because it is simple and cheap to grow, and at the same time extremely rich in vitamins and microelements. It is a really easy-to-grow vegetable with a short growing season. Everyone can grow watercress and does not require a garden. We should not be discouraged byunpleasant cress smell(many people say that watercress just stinks), because in combination with other ingredients on the plate,cress can taste very good , giving the dishes an interesting aroma and emphasizing their taste.
Cress owes its nutritional properties tohigh content of vitamin C and vitamins A, B, PP and K, as well as iron and magnesium minerals. For this reason,consumption of watercress is recommendedfor general strengthening of the body and immune system, for pregnant women, children, as well as for tired and stressed people.
Cress also contains a lot of calcium. For this reason, it is recommended for people suffering from osteoporosis. As a source of easily digestible iodine, cress is recommended for people with hypothyroidismDiabetes will also benefit from consumption of cress, because this plant reduces blood sugar levels and contains chromium supporting the work of the pancreas.
Cress can also be eaten to strengthen and prevent hair loss.The sulfur it contains is responsible for this he alth property of cress
Formerlyin natural medicine, cress was used to fight intestinal parasites and skin ulcers Cress was a disinfectant for the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. And due to its diuretic properties, cress has also been used as an aid in kidney diseases.
Useful in the garden!
In the vegetable garden, it is worth sowing quickly sprouting watercress coordinates with the vegetables that grow later. Thanks to this, the watercress will show where the rows of vegetables are, which will facilitate the removal of weeds from the inter-rows. It is also worth sowing cress next to carrots, parsley and celery, because its smell will scare away the pest of these vegetables - carrots. However, avoid growing cress next to radishes, as these vegetables have a bad influence on each other.
Finally, it is worth adding thatas a home-made vegetable, our watercress will be free from any contamination and pesticides . Therefore, we get a fully he althy and nutrient-rich vegetable that is worth including in your daily diet!
How to eat watercress?
Since we already know thatwatercress is nutritious and he althy , it is worth considering how to eat it to fully use this potential. The watercress is cut and then chopped, just like parsley or chives.The cress stems 5-7 centimeters high are cut , because the older ones will not be as tasty and valuable.
Cress is a great addition to sandwiches and salads
Fig. pixabay.com
Cress is best eaten immediately after cuttingYou can sprinkle it on sandwiches (it is a great addition to bread with butter) or add it to salads or salads.Spicy watercress goes well with cheeses and cottage cheese , emphasizing their flavor. It is also a great addition to egg paste and some sauces and soups.
Interestingly, although usually only green stems with cress leaves are cut, you can eat it with the roots However, this requires a special method of cultivation, which I will discuss later in the article; -)
Note!
Cress is he althy but eat it in moderation. You shouldn't eat more than 3 tablespoons of cress a day as it can irritate and even lead to cystitis.
How to sow and grow watercress at home?
Sowing cress seeds is very simpleA plant from sowing can be grown at home basically all year round, while in the garden, on the balcony or on the terrace - from early spring to September. All you need is a clean container and some water. The seeds can be sown both into the ground, into cotton wool, gauze or lignin, as well ascultivation of cress without any substrateThe last method allows you to collect the cress together with the roots (we obtain a greater weight of the plant for consumption), however, it requires a little more time to grow and a suitable strainer. But more on that in a moment.
Let's start with the traditional methodof growing cress on a substrate of earth, cotton, gauze or ligninAnd I recommend cultivating it in the ground mainly if it is only a decoration for Easter. Then it can be sown in a decorative pot filled with soil, and when it grows nicely, set it on the Easter table (it has recently become very fashionable to sow cress in egg shells, which is an interesting Easter decoration).Cress will grow in any soilbut it's best to use a light and clean seedbed to minimize the risk of disease, rot and molding to the cress seedlings.
Cress from home cultivation
Fig. pixabay.com
For food purposesit is better to sow the cress on a base of cotton wool, gauze or lignin , because then you will get clean plants, not soiled with soil. In addition to the material for the substrate, a flat-bottomed vessel and a water sprayer will also be useful.
Ourvessel for growing cress can be an ordinary plate , a salad bowl, a pot support or a special glass vessel for seed germination. Generally speaking, it must beshallow dish with a flat bottom
The cultivation of watercress starts by soaking the seedsfor 1-2 hours. For this purpose, watercress seeds are poured over with boiled and cooled water. It is best if it is lukewarm, slightly warm water. Properly soaked cress seeds will become sticky and a delicate gel coating will appear around them. Soaking before sowing is not necessary, but it accelerates the germination of seeds (the cultivation time from sowing to harvesting shortens from about 7 to 5 days).
Thenput a thin layer of substrate in the cress growing vessel- cotton wool, lignin or gauze that needs to be soaked. The substrate should be slightly damp but not very wet. So that it does not drip water.
If we have previously soaked the seeds, use a spoon to spread them on the prepared substrate. If we sow dry, we sprinkle them evenly. You can sow densely but so that the individual seeds do not touch each other or overlap.
Then take the sprayer in your hand andsprinkle the sown cress seeds on topSuch spraying will have to be repeated daily, sometimes even twice a day, so that the substrate and the seeds are constantly moist (but not wet). For spraying, use boiled water, cooled to the ambient temperature in the room, or tap water left standing for 1 day.
Cress ready for harvesting
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Place the vessel with the cress seeded on the sunny windowsillso that there is as much sunlight as possible. Only in summer you can cultivate in less sunny places. When the cress seedlings reach a height of 2-3 cm, you can refrain from sprinkling and water the crop directly into the ground. We must always make sure that the substrate is slightly damp but not excessively wet.Cress must never stand in water as it then quickly rots or molds If it is dry, it will fall and we will not recover it.
The home cultivation of cress is successful at normal room temperaturebut the plant will grow at temperatures above 10 ° C (e.g. on the porch , in the garden, on the balcony). Then only the time from sowing to harvesting will be slightly longer.
Good to know!
When growing watercress on a window sill, remember to turn it with a different side to the light every day. This way, we will avoid stretching the seedlings towards the light source. By turning the cup, you will get nice plants growing straight up.
When the plants reach over 5 cm in height, they can be cut and eaten. In home cultivation,cress is usually cut with scissorsright on a layer of lignin, cotton, gauze or just above the ground. In principle, you do not grow cress more than 10 cm, and it is optimal if you cut plants 5-7 cm high.
In order to grow cress without substrate and eat it along with the roots , we will need a glass sprout with a flat strainer.After pre-soaking, spread the seeds on a sieve or sprinkle dry, non-soaked cress seeds on them. The seeds must be evenly distributed, so that one does not overlap the other.
Then fill the cup with water up to the level of the strainer, but so that the water does not flood the strainer. Water evaporating from under the strainer will moisturize the crop. Place a strainer with watercress seeds over the waterand sprinkle it with a light mist of water on topAfter 2-3 days, roots should appear and then the water level under the strainer should be lowered so that the roots do not stay in the water, because then they will start to rot quickly. The water should only touch their tips or be slightly below the roots. We always remember about frequent top spraying.
When the cress is ready for harvest, rinse it with waterand collect it from the strainer together with the roots.
Fun fact!
Since we usually cut the cress before it grows to 10 cm in height, few people know that this plant can reach 30-50 cm in height, producing white or pale pink flowers and fruit. There are 2 seeds in each fruit. Exactly the same as the ones we sent: -)
You can find excellent-quality cress seeds to be sown at home or on a plot in the shop of our guide. It is the only hermetically packed cress seeds on the Polish market, which guarantees their high germination capacity and the he alth of the seedlings!
