Living on an Island, much of the emphasis for gathering food from the wild is placed on and around the seashore. No doubt, we Islanders are comfortable and familiar with the wealth of food that can be plucked from the ocean, but how often do we think about the food that can be gathered from our fresh water shores? Many times each year I am inspired out the door and into a nearby stream to harvest a fresh, wild green...
You guessed it - watercress.
Watercress has a zesty, zingy, spicy, get-you-at-the-back-of-your-tongue taste that can lend instant life to any salad bowl. I like to think that the added kick is all of the vitamins and cancer-fighting properties of watercress one-two punching their way into my body. This little, stream-loving green has been accredited with everything from clearing up bad skin to clarifying the bloodstream, but I love it most for its taste.
You can count me among the many foragers that under-utilizes this green, using it almost exclusively to dress up a salad - but many a more creative cook than I have devised recipes that deserve a go. One of the most appetizing is a recipe for Miso Soup that I found on the blog, 101 Cookbooks. You could also try a Cream of Watercress soup.
So, now and then, opt to take your afternoon stroll along a fresh water stream instead of the beach and you could be rewarded with a fantastically flavorful meal.
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