How watercress came to the Americas

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 Watercress is a member of the mustard family. The English bought it over to what we now call Americas as it was a sturdy plant that grows well and survives in harsh conditions. I myself have foraged watercress from under the snow piles in the dead of winter. It was one of Britain's best-known dishes in the 1700's, -watercress soup, became very popular because it was claimed that it cleansed the blood. If you find this make sure it is in clean water as, like cattail, it absorbs a lot of impurities and run off if foraged next to roads.

Watercress grows 4 to 10 inches high.

Leaves: The  leaves can be from about 1.5 inches to 6.5 inches long and consist of 2 to 8 nearly oval-shaped leaflets arranged in opposite pairs with one larger leaflet on the end. The leaflet edges are wavy.

Flowers: It has small, white, 4-petal flowers with yellow stamens.

The flowers grow in long clusters along the stem like many other mustards. It flowers from March to October.

Seeds: Like other cresses and mustards, watercress flowers eventually make long, narrow, erect green seed pods.

Roots: The white stringy roots of the plant grow along any stem that is close to the bottom of the plant and in water

Watercress has been called a superfood, and according to the USDA and nutritionvalue.org, it's rich in several vitamins and minerals. Here are a few:

Vitamin C: 43mg/100g (48% daily value)

Vitamin A: 3191 IU/100g (64% daily value)

Vitamin B6: .129 mg/100g (10% daily value)

Vitamin K: 25 µg/100g (208% daily value)

Calcium: 120 mg/100g (9% daily value)

And like pine needle tea, we know of at least one historical account indicating that it has been used to treat scurvy. The famous Captain James Cook, a British naval captain who charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef in 1770, regularly fed his crews watercress:

"During all his voyages, Cook successfully fought scurvy, a deadly disease caused by vitamin deficiency, by feeding his crew a diet that included watercress, sauerkraut and orange extract." - biography.com

This delicious and summery Cream of Watercress soup has a light peppery kick and a nutritious boost from all the minerals in the greens! Try this recipe with radish greens as well, if you have a bunch of radish tops you don’t know what to do with. They have a similar spicy kick as watercress!

Watercress is a nutrition powerhouse, high in calcium, manganese and antioxidants. 

 Traditional English Cream of Watercress Soup

• 2 potatoes
• ½ onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• ½ cup white wine
• 3 cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups watercress

Instructions

1. Saute onions and garlic in a few Tablespoons of oil. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the water and potatoes, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Simmer until the potatoes are tender. Puree until smooth in a blender and add the raw watercress, and continue to puree.
2. Serve immediately and garnish with pistachios, finely sliced radishes and chive blossoms