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Curled Cress

Curled cress is a plant sometimes known as garden cress or even just cress. It’s a fast growing edible plant. It’s an annual plant that can reach a height of 60 cm (24 in), with many branches on the upper part. The white to pinkish flowers are only 2 mm (1⁄12 in) across, clustered in small branched racemes.

It can be consumed raw or used in salad. It is commercially grown in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US, since it can easily be produced on a large scale.

Curled Cress Trivia

  • It’s a member of mustard family (Brassicaceae)
  • It’s suitable hydroponic and traditional growth
  • Cress can be harvested in 2 weeks.

Curled Cress Buying Guide

It’s an easy plant to buy because you’re looking for a plant that looks green and fresh and it stays like that only couple of days after it was harvested. If you notice that it’s yellow or looks withered, it means that it’s older than a few days.

Since you only need a small amount of these vegetables, many decide to grow their own in small pots and have them available at all time, somewhere in the kitchen or at least nearby.

Curled Cress Production & Farming in Texas

Herbs such as garden cress can be grown in a variety of ways. They could be grown in pots and kept indoors which means that they could be grown all year round if you have enough light. In some cases, they could be planted in the ground and thus grown the usual way.

Many also use raised beds in which the plants are transplanted after they survive the winter. The care for cress is the same as it would be for flowers. You should choose a sunny and well drained location. The soil preparation and fertilization are also the same as they would be for a home garden.

The main problem to deal with are the pests that will attack the cress during the season. The most common of these are aphids, flea beetles, leafhoppers, mites, thrips, weevils, and wireworms. The less common and more difficult problem may be the diseases attacking the plant directly.

These include: Alternaria, Cercospora, bacterial leaf blight, southern blight, powdery mildew, and aster yellows.

You’ll also need to take care of the garden cress by removing the weeds that will slow down and hinter its growth and take up space around it.

Pesticides

Since it’s the insects that are attacking this plant the most, it’s the insecticides that are used on it and that you should be concerned about. These include chemicals carbaryl, spinosad, bifenthrin and permethrin that may affect the health of an average user.

Geography

The cress comes from the Arabian Peninsula and it’s now grown across the world due to how easily it can adapt to any kind of climate and any kind of soil. It’s grown everywhere in the US as well and in most home gardens as well as in a commercial capacity.

There are as much as 200 different species of this plant grown all over the world and they have mostly adapted into individual species to adapt to the climate in which they are now found. It ranges from mountains to subtropical climates.

Packaging

Cress has a short lifespan which means that it’s rarely packed in bags and sold ready to be used even though that is done sometimes. For the most part, the plant is sold in pots already planted in the ground and left for the consumer to harvest before use. These usually come with simple instructions as to how to take care of the plant and how to harvest it easily (it can mostly be done with a kitchen knife).

Enjoying Curled Cress

Garden cress seeds are the most commonly used part of the plant as a spice. It has a peppery flavor and aroma which makes it a great addition to many dishes. The leafy and green parts of the plant are used in salads and as a garnish to main courses.

The key to using the seeds is to water them and to make them tender and easier to swallow, grind and use in a variety of different ways as the recipes demand you to. That’s done by soaking the seeds in water for about 30 minutes before they are used.

The cress can be eaten as sprouts or added into sandwiches and pastas on their own without adding or changing anything about them.

Storage

The cress can last for about five days in a fridge. That’s accomplished by storing it in a plastic bag and keeping it in crisper parts of the fridge drawers. If you want to prolong their life somewhat, place the stem in a glass container with water and cover them, refrigerate the cress until it’s needed.

Cooking

Chop the potatoes and onion and sweat in some hot oil in a saucepan.

Pour the water (≈ 4 cups for 2 servings) on top of the potatoes and onions and let cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.  You can use a little less water at first and then add more later to achieve the desired consistency.

​Add the fresh garden cress to the soup and purée.

Seasoning and serving Season with salt, garnish with the remaining cress, and serve.

Nutrition

They also have many medical uses. The seeds are used as a remedy for minimizing asthma symptoms as well as improves lung function in people suffering from asthma.

The garden cress seeds contain phytochemicals that are similar to estrogen, therefore, consuming them helps to make irregular menstruation more regular.

Garden cress seeds can be chewed, blended or even mixed with honey, which is taken as an expectorant for treating cold, headache, asthma, sore throat and cough.

 

Nutrition

DV%

  • Serving Size: 1 Serving
  • Calories: 31.1 2%
  • Carbs: 5g 2%
  • Sugar: 4.2g
  • Fiber: 0.9g 4%
  • Protein: 2.6g 5%
  • Fat: 0.8g 1%
  • Saturated Fat: 0g 0%
  • Trans Fat 0g 0%
  • Cholesterol 0mg 0%
  • Sodium 329mg 14%
  • Vitamin C 31.1mg 52%
  • Vitamin A 6276IU 126%
  • Calcium 82.3mg 8%
  • Iron 1.1mg 6%
  • Potassium 477mg 14%
  • Vitamin B6 0.2mg 11%
  • Vitamin E 0.7mg 3%
  • Vitamin K 518mcg 647%
  • Magnesium 35.1mg 9%
  • Phosphorus 64.8mg 6%
  • Zinc 0.2mg 1%

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