Wintercresses: Piquant Spring Greens to Forage
In late spring yellow fireworks light up damp, green fields, highway verges, and stream edges. Whether the plants are a weed or a welcome seasonal vegetable depends on your wintercress point of view.
Photography by Marie Vilijoen .
Wintercress forms buds in mid spring.
Wintercress is not one plant but three, all members of the mustard family: Barbarea vulgaris is a weed introduced from Europe; B. verna, (upland cress) is Eurasian in origin; and B. orthoceras (American yellow rocket) is native to North America and Asia, occurring mostly on the West Coast, and endangered in New England.
Barbarea vulgaris in April in the Hudson Valley, New York. The native B. orthoceras has a fringe of sparse hairs on some leaf auricles (botanically, an auricle is a small ear-like projection at the base of a leaf).
Barbarea verna in bloom in my (previous) Brooklyn garden.
Chickweeed with wintercress leaves.
Steam, blanch, or sauté wintercress buds and their tender stems. Before the flowers open, the tender, budded stems are a choice vegetable, like a more pliable broccolini.
An edible bouquet of wintercress sunshine.
Chop, then mash the flowers into butter using the blade of a chef’s knife.
Wintercress flower butter on fresh-baked sandwich bread.
Sautéed wintercress flowers with somen noodles.
In late spring, when the bright flowers of wintercress are in profuse bloom, this simple bowlful of thin Japanese noodles is packed with their satisfying flavor. • 1 teaspoon roasted ramp leaf oil (see our previous ramp story for the recipe).
Wintercress Flowers with Cold Somen Noodles
Meanwhile, warm the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.