The image, above, shows the Land Cress plant (Barbareaverna), whilst in flower,left. Also shown are close-ups of
two edible leaves, right..
| Common Name: Land Cress |
| Scientific Name: Barbarea verna |
| Other Names: American Cress, Bank Cress, Black Wood Cress, Belle Isle Cress, Bermuda Cress, Early Yellowrocket, Early Wintercress, Scurvy Cress, and Upland Cress |
| Family: Cruciferae |
| Range: Europe to Asia. Naturalized in Britain |
Physical Characteristics
Barbarea verna is a hardy Biennial plant, growing to 30cm (1 ft) by 30cm (1 ft) in size. It is hardy to zone 6 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from May to July and seeds ripen from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by flies, bees and beetles. The plant also self-fertilizes.
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| Edible Parts: Leaves, Seeds |
 Edibility Rating: 3 
|
 Known Hazards: None Known.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Land Cress along with all the Land Cress containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Land Cress as a major wild food ingredient.
Land Cress, Barbarea verna, (also known as American Cress, Bank Cress, Black Wood Cress, Belle Isle Cress, Bermuda Cress, Early Yellowrocket, Early Wintercress, Scurvy Cress, and Upland Cress) is a biennial herb of the Brassicaceae (mustard) family that's native to southwestern Europe (but naturalized in Britain). The plant grows to about 30cm in height (but can be taller) and about 30cm in diameter and bears basal rosettes of shiny, dark green leaves, and pinnately divided leaves on the stem. The yellow flowers are borne in dense terminal clusters above the foliage from May to July. It prefers dappled shade and can often be found on the margins of woodland and by the margins of north-facing hedgerows.
The image here shows the land cress plant with the two types of leaves it has (the first leaf is the basal leaf near the ground and the second leaf is found higher up the plant.
Land cress is considered as quite a satisfactory substitute for watercress. As such it can be used in salads and sandwiches or cooked like spinach as a leafy green. It can also be used as a spicy herb flavouring in soups, tomato-based sauces and fish dishes.
Land cress likes water and damp conditions, but can be grown successfully in any garden as long as its watered frequently. If protected from frost and grown in succession it will provide leafy greens throughout the winter and early spring when little else is available.
From the 17th century it has been grown as a leaf vegetable in Britain (though its popularity dwindled after the 1950s, but it is making a comeback). It is also cultivated in Florida.
the young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. They can also be used as a seasoning, lending a hot, spicy, watercress-like flavour to any dish they are added to. The plants are quite hardy and if seed is sown in autumn in a sheltered spot you can have leaves year round. The seeds can also be sprouted and the sprouts used in salads or stir-fries. The seeds can also be pressed to yield and edible oil.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Land Cress as a major wild food ingredient.
Land Cress, Barbarea verna, (also known as American Cress, Bank Cress, Black Wood Cress, Belle Isle Cress, Bermuda Cress, Early Yellowrocket, Early Wintercress, Scurvy Cress, and Upland Cress) is a biennial herb of the Brassicaceae (mustard) family that's native to southwestern Europe (but naturalized in Britain). The plant grows to about 30cm in height (but can be taller) and about 30cm in diameter and bears basal rosettes of shiny, dark green leaves, and pinnately divided leaves on the stem. The yellow flowers are borne in dense terminal clusters above the foliage from May to July. It prefers dappled shade and can often be found on the margins of woodland and by the margins of north-facing hedgerows.
The image here shows the land cress plant with the two types of leaves it has (the first leaf is the basal leaf near the ground and the second leaf is found higher up the plant.
Land cress is considered as quite a satisfactory substitute for watercress. As such it can be used in salads and sandwiches or cooked like spinach as a leafy green. It can also be used as a spicy herb flavouring in soups, tomato-based sauces and fish dishes.
Land cress likes water and damp conditions, but can be grown successfully in any garden as long as its watered frequently. If protected from frost and grown in succession it will provide leafy greens throughout the winter and early spring when little else is available.
From the 17th century it has been grown as a leaf vegetable in Britain (though its popularity dwindled after the 1950s, but it is making a comeback). It is also cultivated in Florida.
the young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. They can also be used as a seasoning, lending a hot, spicy, watercress-like flavour to any dish they are added to. The plants are quite hardy and if seed is sown in autumn in a sheltered spot you can have leaves year round. The seeds can also be sprouted and the sprouts used in salads or stir-fries. The seeds can also be pressed to yield and edible oil.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Land Cress recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1