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The entire watercress plant is edible – leaves, stalks and even the flowers. Only the roots are best discarded as they don't taste great! The fact that watercress flowers at all, let alone that they can be eaten, may come as a surprise to many. The flowers aren't often seen in the watercress bags sold in supermarkets.
Simply so, is wild watercress safe to eat?
It flowers from April to October. Watercress flowers are small and white and occur in long clusters like many other mustards. As one of our most nutritious wild foods, watercress is rich in calcium, beta carotene and iron. It's good raw in salads or as a cooked green and can be used any way cultivated mustard is used.
Accordingly, what part of the watercress do you eat?
The simplest way to prep watercress—and the way that allows its peppery green flavor to shine best—is to toss it into a salad. You can serve it on its own with a light dressing, or toss it with other greens and veggies. Either way, you'll want to make sure you remove the thickest stems if you're eating it raw.
Cress Serving Suggestions
- Use raw garden cress or watercress to lend a peppery flavor to salads and sandwiches.
- Cook cress as you would spinach.
- Purée cress to make a chilled soup.
- Blend cress with scallions, yogurt or buttermilk and serve with salmon.