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Salad cress

(24 Posts)
yogagran Sun 03-Sep-17 10:44:48

Has anyone recently bought salad cress from a supermarket? I bought some last week as I fancied an egg and cress sandwich. On reading the label I was reassured that it was grown in Yorkshire but I was surprised and puzzled when I read that the "ingredients" were 80% rape and 20% cress.
Why? What is wrong with 100% cress.
Why is it marketed as cress when it's mainly rape.
It tasted very insipid mild as well

annodomini Sun 03-Sep-17 10:53:33

That reminds me of the time when we grew our own cress on a dampened sheet of blotting paper. Does blotting paper still exist?

yogagran Sun 03-Sep-17 11:17:51

I think that's what I'm going to do anno. We used to use flannels though

phoenix Sun 03-Sep-17 11:28:28

Or put damp cotton wool in empty eggshells with faces painted on them and watch as the grow green hair! grin

nanaK54 Sun 03-Sep-17 11:35:17

Grows well on damp kitchen paper too smile

yogagran Sun 03-Sep-17 11:44:04

But why is cress seed mixed with rape?

Greyduster Sun 03-Sep-17 12:35:02

This, from a growers website, may explain it, or not!
"The salad cress seed we use is actually 80% rape seed and 20% cress seed. Most people find 100% cress seed has a strong flavour. When produced commercially, salad cress must look, as well as taste good. All seedlings must be the same length, have an open leaf and be dark green in colour."

MissAdventure Sun 03-Sep-17 12:37:06

I like the strong flavour though. Can't be beaten in an egg sandwich.

midgey Sun 03-Sep-17 12:39:22

You can also grow cress on a used teabag.

yogagran Sun 03-Sep-17 15:02:21

MissAdventure the salad cress I recently bought from Tesco hardly had any flavour at all, it was very mild. That was why I read the label and discovered that it's not just cress but 80% rape. I'm sure that it never used to be a mixed seed crop

MissAdventure Sun 03-Sep-17 15:09:14

Maybe its cheaper to have more rape? That sounds like the most likely reason.

phoenix Sun 03-Sep-17 15:14:03

I remember years ago, when I lived in a town close to Heathrow, a female flight attendant who was living with a male pilot found out that he was having a relationship with another crew member.

She waited until he was next on a long haul flight, and moved out.

But not before she had gone over every sofa, chair, carpet, rug, bathroom towel, his clothes in the drawers and wardrobes etc with a plant mister and a few of packets of cress seeds.......... grin

yogagran Sun 03-Sep-17 15:19:12

I reckon that you're right MissAdventure but cheaper also means less flavour to me sad

grannysue05 Sun 03-Sep-17 17:41:43

Oh phoenix I love that story.

BlueBelle Sun 03-Sep-17 17:49:19

Well that explains it I thought my taste buds had changed as I found it so blooming tasteless
I also bought some watercress from Mortisins the other week and there was no taste to it at all and I love watercress but thought I wouldn't bother buying it any more

LEAVE our cresses alone growers

Norah Sun 03-Sep-17 18:13:28

I use rocket, not the same, but not boring and mild.

Scribbles Sun 03-Sep-17 22:53:31

Haven't done it for years but we used to grow our own cress on damp kitchen paper and it was a mix of mustard and cress. Very tasty.
This thread has wakened a craving in me and I may have to go out in search of seeds this week! smile

lemongrove Sun 03-Sep-17 22:59:23

Ah, so that's why it has no flavour! Thank you yogagran for this info.I had stopped using it as it is now so flavourless it should have a peppery taste.I will grow my own, and it will be fun.😆

lemongrove Sun 03-Sep-17 23:00:15

Yes, mustard and cress, not just cress.

Swanny Sun 03-Sep-17 23:08:23

My favourite supermarket sandwich filler of all time, when I can't be bothered to make my own, is egg and cress. Yummy! However I must agree today's cress ain't what it used to be. Tried to grow some recently with DGS but it didn't taste how I remembered, now I know why!

Maggiemaybe Mon 04-Sep-17 07:44:04

I don't think it ever tasted of much. At my very first dinner party I served up cress soup. Of course I should have used watercress, but hadn't even heard of that. Everyone sat in silence working their way through what was basically a bowl of hot water.

Auntieflo Mon 04-Sep-17 08:08:48

Maggiemaybe grin

Sycamore123 Tue 18-Jun-19 15:08:24

Following the closure of the thread on mustard and cress, I thought I would revive it!!! I’ve just been into M and S, York and tried to buy the said item only to be told they don’t stock it!!! Surely this can’t be true? I love it with salad

Fennel Tue 18-Jun-19 19:07:07

I never liked that kind of cress, but water cress is nice. It has a peppery taste.
I don't know if you can get it now, and many streams are polluted.