Barbarea vulgaris Variegata - Land cress

The Variegated Winter Watercress is a variety of land Watercress that offers attractive variegated foliage. It is a highly ornamental Watercress with a slightly tangy and peppery taste. It is suitable for both soups and salads. The sowing period extends from April to July for a harvest from July to October.

Watercress belongs to the Brassicaceae family, like cabbage and rocket, with which it shares its pungent flavor. Half-salad, half-herb, Watercress is a herbaceous plant with a strong, slightly peppery taste. Once used for its medicinal properties, it has become a vegetable in its own right, consumed in various forms throughout the seasons: in creamy soups during winter or in spring or summer salads. It is a plant rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene.

There are several types of Watercress whose harvests succeed each other throughout the year. Some, like Fountain Watercress, are clearly aquatic, while others, like Upland Watercress, are grown in open ground, provided that it remains well moist.

Harvest: Watercress is usually harvested 3 weeks after sowing, and it should be done regularly as it tends to go to seed. Harvesting is done when the plants reach a height of + or - 7 cm (3in) by cutting off part of the leaves at their base.

Storage: Watercress leaves are quite delicate and wilt quickly. You can store it for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator, with the stems in water in a jar, as you would with a small bouquet. Freezing the leaves is a bit tedious, so it is more interesting to prepare a few creamy soups that can be frozen instead.

Gardener's tip: In the vegetable garden, it is interesting to cover and nourish the soil by intercalating a green manure between two crops. White mustard (which, by the way, blooms yellow) is one of the most commonly used. But be careful, this mustard also belongs to the Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae), which is important when considering crop rotation. Before or after growing Watercress, prefer the beautiful Phacelia with its blue flowers.

Untreated or "NT" seeds come from conventionally grown plants (often with the use of pesticides), but they undergo no treatment after harvest. These seeds are allowed in organic market gardening when organic seeds are out of stock.