Garden Cress

Name: Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) — a fast-growing, peppery salad plant with small, tender leaves and a sharp, watercress-like bite, usually eaten as sprouts or young seedlings. In Britain it is the “cress” in mustard and cress.

Description

Garden cress is native to western Asia and Egypt, and has been eaten since ancient times, and is mentioned by Greek and Persian writers. It is easy to grow on a windowsill, and is a classic children's gardening project, ready to eat within a week or so on damp paper.

Cress is eaten in salads, sandwiches and as a garnish, especially in egg-and-cress sandwiches in Britain. The seeds of the plant, known as halim or aliv seeds, are used in Indian and Middle Eastern traditional food and medicine.

Main nutrition value

Garden cress is a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin A, plus iron, folate and glucosinolates, for very few calories.

How best to be consumed

Garden cress is eaten raw, and snipped fresh.

1. Snip and add to egg, cheese and cream cheese sandwiches.
2. Scatter over salads, soups and omelettes for a peppery bite.
3. Blend into green sauces, dips and soups.
4. Grow on damp paper or a tray of soil, and snip when 5 to 8 cm tall.
5. Wash well, and buy sprouts from reputable sources, since raw sprouts carry a food-poisoning risk.

Overconsumption could cause…

Garden cress is safe in food amounts, with some care for sprouts.

1. Food poisoning from raw sprouts grown in warm, humid conditions, which is a particular concern for pregnant women, older people, young children and people with weak immune systems.
2. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
3. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
4. Stomach irritation from large amounts of peppery cress.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in potassiumRich in vitamin ARich in vitamin CRich in vitamin KFresh

Related foodsBroccoliGreen CabbageRocket / ArugulaTurnipRed CabbageKale

Wikipedia — Garden cress, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_cress