Wintercress

Wintercress is one of those wonderful edible weeds that seems to appear just when fresh garden greens are becoming scarce. Throughout winter, while many plants are slowing down, Wintercress produces lush green leaves with a delicious peppery bite.

Much like Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta), Wintercress actually appeared in my garden all by itself. Rather than pulling it out as a weed, I now look forward to its arrival each winter and happily harvest the young leaves to add to salads, sandwiches and wraps. It's one of those plants that reminds me that nature provides exactly what we need, without us having to plant a thing.

Wintercress belongs to the mustard family, giving it a pleasantly spicy flavor that's somewhere between watercress, rocket and mustard greens. It's stronger and more peppery than watercress, which has a fresher, milder flavor, but much less bitter than Hairy Bittercress, especially when picked young. As the leaves mature or the plant begins flowering, they do become more bitter, so I prefer harvesting the young rosettes throughout winter.

The leaves are easy to recognise once you know what to look for. They form a low rosette of smooth, glossy dark green leaves. Each leaf has a large rounded end lobe with several much smaller rounded lobes along the stem. Unlike Hairy Bittercress, which has many small rounded leaflets and often a slightly delicate appearance, Wintercress has much larger, shinier leaves and grows into a much more robust plant.

People sometimes confuse it with true Watercress (Nasturtium officinale). While they're related, Watercress grows in clean, flowing water and has many small rounded leaflets growing along hollow stems. Wintercress, on the other hand, grows on land in gardens, paddocks, roadsides and disturbed ground. The flavour is also noticeably different, with Watercress being crisp, juicy and mild, while Wintercress has a warmer, more mustard-like spice.

In spring, Wintercress sends up flowering stems topped with clusters of cheerful yellow four-petalled flowers, another clue that it belongs to the mustard family. I love having these flower in my garden as they attract a lot of beneficial insects into my edible garden. The unopened flower buds can also be eaten and are delicious lightly steamed or added to stir fries, much like tiny broccoli.

Like many wild leafy greens, Wintercress is packed with nutrients. It's a good source of vitamins A, C and K, along with folate, calcium and potassium.

If you'd like to learn more about the edible wild weeds growing abundantly throughout New Zealand, be sure to check out my 4 comprehensive Foraging Guides, Foraging Workshops, and Online Foraging Course.