Content
- Cress is not suitable for drying
- Cress has hardly dried any aroma
- Too much watercress in the garden?
- Store dried cress safely
- Alternatives to drying cress
Cress is not suitable for drying
Cress, whether grown as watercress in the garden or as garden cress on the windowsill, is not suitable for drying. It is better to sow or buy only as much cress as you can consume in a short time.
Cress has hardly dried any aroma
Cress is one of the herbs that is difficult to store by drying or freezing.
By drying the tender leaves with the water also lose the aroma. The vitamins are lost, so that dried cress is no longer suitable as herbs.
Too much watercress in the garden?
Watercress will be slightly higher than normal garden cress. Nevertheless, drying is not necessarily the best way to preserve the leaves.
If you want to try, harvest the herbs in the morning when the leaves are completely dry. The proportion of essential oils is then highest.
Cut the stems just above the ground and tie them into small bundles. Hang them in an airy place without direct sunlight.
Store dried cress safely
When the cress has completely dried, pluck the leaves from the stems and place in airtight glass or brown glass jar.
Check the glass regularly to see if mold has formed.
Alternatives to drying cress
Cress can be grown on the window sill all year round or bought in the supermarket. It is therefore not worth drying cress.
If you have harvested too much cress, you can alternatively mix it with other fresh herbs and put in oil.
Or try a cress soup. For this you need a lot of fresh cabbage, which you can cook in the liquid for a very short time.
If you have too much nasturtium seed, just let it grow until it develops flowers and later fruit stalks. As long as the fruits are still green, you can use them wonderfully as a caper replacement. When the fruits have dried, sow them again next year.