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blowin · Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:41 am Post subject: water cress

The topical tip for a few weeks time is watercress soup .
Seriously !
There is plenty of cress in the clean streams . There is a possibility of confusion with a similar looking plant but it is not difficult to tell them apart once you know that .
Best not to eat it raw because there is a risk of picking up fluke from any water where there are sheep nearby but once cooked it is perfectly safe . The soup is very good Wink

wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

I was thinking of growing it on our land - if life gives you lemons, make lemonade... well life gave us very wet land!

no local clean streams here. enjoy it if you can get it!
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admin · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 227

If you are lucky enough to have a true spring ( rather than just run-off water re-surfacing ) then plant your cress in the outflow from that . It will benefit from the constant temp of the water .
But I suspect you were joking !
Land Cress tastes very similar , doesn't carry the same risk of fluke and is easy to grow .

Customer asks Waiter : " Do you have wild duck ? "
Waiter replies " No , Sir , but we can aggravate a tame one ".
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wayoutwest · Joined: 28 Dec 2006 Posts: 184 Location: west clare

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jon · Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 26 Location: South of Cork

We have a good little spring running all year. Can watercress seeds be brought mail order anywhere in Ireland?
Jon

Moonwaves · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Dusseldorf

Would you get some here perhaps?

http://www.theorganiccentre.ie/seeds.html
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blowin · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:34 am Post subject:

Sorry jon , I missed your post . Do you particularly want to start from seed ? The easy way is to buy a bunch from the veg man ( or even supermarket !! ) then just stand it in water ( changed daily ) until it roots . You can even put it straight into the stream , held in place with a rock .
But come to think of it I have never seen it on sale in these parts . Perhaps that is why you asked !!
Let me know if you are stuck -- I'll send a bag of the wild stuff from here . You would do well to double check its i/d tho' because I am not an expert . It looked & tasted fine to me ( before I knew about the fluke ! Shocked

) but while I am prepared to risk poisoning myself in persuit of this good life I would feel terrible if I sent a wrong 'un to someone else !

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

That is a good idea Blowin. I think that I will have a go at watercress growing. Have you got any Horseradish growing around your place? Wink

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blowin · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:53 am Post subject:

Horseraddish -- unfortunately not but I have a sense of deja vu here . Someone else was looking for it ?? Possibly on another forum ?
It seems to be another one of those things which cost a fortune to buy even tho' they propogate so easily they can become invasive .
I can tell you exactly where to dig some in Berkshire . It is just outside a pub , if that helps Laughing

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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

It grew like weeds in the Fens. Colmans used to pay the local kids to go and dig it for a bit of pocket money. The Fenns are alkaline and so they may not like this soil much. I will bring some back and give the plot a good liming and see what happens.

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