Water Cress

[Viv]

Is watercress easily available in France? If so, what is it called please?

[Teamedup]

I would call it cresson. I have bought the seeds and got the kids to grow it.

Not sure whether it is called water cress though, that is the small leaved stuff.

[Viv]

Is that the stuff that little kids used to grow in used egg shells on the window sill for egg sandwiches etc

The stuff I'm after is the much bigger leaved type that I can for watercress soup etc. In the UK it was sold prepacked in bags next to the salad leaves, but I've never seen it sold in France.

[Teamedup]

Sorry don't know then, not even sure if I have ever eaten it.

[Junlesley]

Water cress is called cresson, but I'm not sure if they sell it over here, you can however grow your own in a damp shady place, it must be kept well watered though, I like water cress soup but I hav'nt gone to the trouble of growing it yet

[Lori]

As stated watercress is cresson.  It is often available at our local Auchan and many produce shops, but it cannot be relied upon - often not there.

Try asking for Cresson at your local supermarket, maybe they will get it for you.

 

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

In our village there is a lavoir and loads of other springs dotted around. A friend is lucky enough to have one in her back garden with cresson growing in it, last year she gave me a large bag full (complete with the odd tiny fresh water shrimp) - must go and ask her if she got some going spare now!

[chicfille]

Watercress is readily available in the shops here but only usually when it's in season (starting October if my sources are correct). It is usually found in barquettes next to the lettuces.

[Viv]

Thanks for that, I had already resigned myself to having grow coriander ( rather than pay for the poor excuse that is french coriander) . Hopefully now I won't have to make some room for watercress  in the veggie plot also.

[Wicce]

Hi there.   You can grow quite an acceptable substitute for watercress in the form of a plant called Land cress or American cress.  It's grown from seed and matures quickly into a nice clump - has the same taste as watercress.  It doesn't need the damp conditions that watercress requires. I get seeds from Chiltern Seeds in the U.K., but I'm sure seeds must be available from various other sources.

Mary

[Cat]

You could also try your local market, our's has it on sale in huge bunches every week at the moment, and very nice it is too.

I bought some this morning and am just about to make a big batch of watercress soup

[Viv]

Managed to get some this morning and will be doing the same in a minute

I might just try and grow some of the other variety mentioned a few posts back.

[Will]

One thing to bear in mind is that whereas in England you can go into any branch of Sainsburys and buy watercress all year round, in La France profonde you may well only find it when it is locally in season.

As buying and eating fresh produce out of season seems even stranger than not eating meat to the locals round here, our local shops seem to take the concept to extremes by only selling frozen peas when fresh ones are in season (though you can get frozen mixed petit pois and carrots all the time) .

[Opalienne]

There are plenty of places to buy watercress near us, mainly at smallholdings rather than supermarkets.   Recently I was just south of Paris and came across a huge watercress farm.   You probably need to look around a bit but I am sure you will find it without any problem

[Teamedup]

Wow Will, this thing with seasonal stuff is certainly not the thing where I live. Patates are from Egypt or Morroco a lot of the time, haricots verts are often from Africa, usually Kenya. In fact we always have lots of african produced stuff. It must get bought as it is always on sale, I don't buy it. I'm even fussy about the provenance of my bananas.  

 

[Will]

Yes TU, to be fair they are getting better, particularly where fruit is concerned, but the older locals are very conservative about seasons. Strange, from a region that eats cow stomach, pig intestine and raw shellfish out of choice.

[Hoddy]

I'm a watercress fan too. Please be careful if you're picking watercress in the wild.

It can be contaminated with liver fluke. As a child I was banned by mother from eating the stuff which grew in the local stream. It can turn your duck eggs a funny colour too.

Hoddy

[Loiseau]

Watercress is much grown in the marshes around St-Omer (Pas de Calais), especially near Tilques and Lillers.

 

Angela