Watercress
Lepidiwn sativum.
This one-year, early-ripening leaf lettuce plant has long been cultivated in vegetable gardens. Cress salad was known in ancient Egypt and Rome. His homeland is Egypt. In Europe, watercress came in the Middle Ages. This culture is also known under the names of garden cress, pinner, crochet, pepper and cropland.
Description: the stalk is covered with a grayish frost, the leaves are near the ground, the flowers are white, less often reddish. In flowering form reaches 50 cm in height, dark-brown seeds are collected in small boxes. Blossoms from May to late autumn, depending on the time of sowing. The cress-salad has an acute spicy refreshing-
taste, reminiscent of radish and radish at the same time.
Composition: The value of watercress is due to the content of vitamins C, Bv K and provitamin A. It also contains sugar, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium and sulfur compounds, mustard glycoside glycoside, which gives it a specificbitter and pungent taste, reminiscent of the taste of radish. Typically, the presence of alkaloid glu-topropeolin.
Varieties
Narrow-leaf is characterized by the rapid development of plants, the leaves of it with a pinnately dissected plate, the leaf portions are smooth, narrow. Curly-leafed refers to medium-sized varieties, the leaf shares are wider and rugged, and the rosette is very dense. Hence its name. Wide-leaved and Whole-leafed grades have a single leaf plate with a cut or flat edge. The vegetation period of these varieties is longer.
Cultivation: characterized by precocity and cold resistance. In the field, it is ready for use 15-25 days after sowing, the seeds ripen after 90-110 days. For the normal development of a culture, sufficient lighting, moisture and good fertile soil are required. However, little is formed on the excessively fertilized soil of the leaves. In conditions of a long day and high temperature in the summer months, plants quickly pass to stalking, especially early ripening varieties. For summer sowing periods, it is better to use late varieties that are resistant to premature stalking and form higher yields of green mass. Cress is grown on any garden soil, but it grows better on light, well-moistened soils. In the open ground, the seeds are sown as early as possible - in late April - early May, for the continuous use of fresh herbs during the summer - every 7-10 days before the onset of hot and dry weather. Renew crops at the end of summer. On the gardens cress sown in rows with a distance of 10-15 cm to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. The crops are mulched, the shoots are thinned by 6-8 cm. The seeds germinate quickly - after 2-3 days, the salad is removed 2-3 weeks after sowing. Care consists of a single loosening of rows and irrigation beds in dry hot weather. With thick shoots, plants are thinned, the rosette of leaves develops large, the yield is higher and better quality. Cress salad can be grown in winter and spring at home - on a window sill in boxes with a small layer of soil( 5-7 cm) or shallow vessels on a damp cloth or a layer of wet wool.
Therapeutic properties: watercress promotes digestion, stimulates appetite and has an antibiotic effect. In addition, this culture has a diuretic and blood-cleansing properties, as well as the ability to remove slags from the body during a healing course of treatment. In dietary nutrition watercress is used for beriberi and general weakening of the body, as well as for the treatment and prevention of scurvy.
Application: fresh herbs greens are eaten fresh, as with any treatment vitamins and a peculiar taste and aroma, reminiscent of the taste and flavor of horseradish, are lost. Fresh greens are used, like all leafy vegetables. Finely chopped greens are used only fresh with cottage cheese, with white cheeses and for making soups and omelets, whole leaves are suitable for decorating dishes with cold meat appetizers, for sauces, vegetable salads, in combination with tomatoes, as a snack, to fried potatoes, to dishes from eggs. It is also used with various types of fried fish, for cooking fish salads. Cress salad is very tasty on a sandwich with butter.
Salad from the leaves of watercress
100 g of watercress greens, 3-4 tbsp.seasonings and sour cream
Rinse and dry the watercress leaves, cut the greens and pour the dressing, prepared from vegetable oil, sugar, salt and ground pepper with a little vinegar. To make a less spicy salad, cut sliced greens only with sour cream.
Salad from the leaves of watercress mixed
To 50 grams of watercress, lettuce or cabbage salad, green onions, 2 tbsp.l.vegetable oil, juice of half a lemon Rinse and dry the leaves of watercress, lettuce or cabbage salad, dill, green onion. Cut the greens and fill with vegetable oil and lemon juice with added sugar.