The garden cress is good for decoration and contains valuable ingredients. Here's how to harvest and use garden cress properly.
It is amazingly easy to cultivate garden cress (Lepidium sativum) all year round on the windowsill. At a temperature of 15 °C, the light germ develops after just one day and is ready for consumption after four days. That's a record-breaking speed from seed to fork. We'll show you what to do for a lasting harvest and successful use of this high speed herb.
Harvest garden cress
Once the cotyledons of the garden cress have fully formed, they can be harvested. At a temperature of 15 to 20 °C, this is already the case about four days after sowing. The seedlings are simply cut off with scissors just above the substrate surface. However, garden cress should only be harvested before flowering begins. As soon as the flowers form, the delicate cruciferous plant clearly loses its characteristic aroma. Garden cress should only be cut if it is going to be used directly. If the cress lies around for just a few hours, it also loses its spicy note. In order to be able to use fresh cress in the long term, think about regularly re-sowing the cress (e.g. every two weeks). This way you can ensure a steady yield of garden cress.
Use garden cress
A classic is probably a fresh slice of bread garnished with cream cheese and freshly harvested, aromatic garden cress. The characteristic peppery note also rounds off fresh salads and many other dishes in taste. The mustard glycosides contained in the cress are responsible for this. But in addition to being spicy and looking good, the garden cress has other useful properties. With the so-called cress test, a simple and quick measurement of the air pollution with pollutants is possible. The growth of unstressed seedlings is compared here with that of cress seedlings grown in a stressed environment. This comparisonmakes it possible to draw conclusions about the level of harmful emissions in the air.
In addition, garden cress contains high concentrations of vitamin C, iron, calcium and folic acid. Cultivated on the windowsill, the garden cress can be an energy-giving addition to the diet, especially in winter, thanks to these valuable ingredients. Because fresh and nutritious fruit and vegetables are often in short supply at this time of year. As studies have already confirmed, regular consumption of garden cress can also help fractures heal faster.
