Wintercress
Given Name: Barbarea vulgaris
Nicknames: yellow rocket, yellow rocketcress, Herb barbara, wild mustard, bitter cress, yellow weed, wound rocket
Okay, Wintercress, you can do it!
You are a useful plant and it doesn't matter what people think of you. Sure, you're bitter but that flavour is actually good for people. And on top of that, you're full of vitamin C...
...oh sorry... you just caught me in the middle of giving myself a pep talk. I'm generally a pretty upbeat plant but sometimes it bothers me that only a handful people recognize all the hard work I do. So, when I'm feeling down on myself, I look in the mirror (well, a puddle of water actually) and tell myself to stay strong and positive. And then I keep giving it my all.
Yes, I show up day after day and continue to be the best wintercress I can be.
I work to be plentiful and accessible: I produce up to 88 000 seeds per plant that can stay dormant in the ground for 10-20 years, I grow on disturbed sites, like the land surrounding where people live, and I even keep a small rosette of shiny, green, rounded leaves under the snow.
So I'm here... waiting... doing my jobs... whenever you decide to try me.
I would strongly suggest your first bite of me be in winter or early spring. That's when my greens are the least bitter.
You can either munch on my leaves raw or boil them for about a minute to mellow my flavour. But once the weather starts to warm, those milder tasting rosettes don't last long. After being cooped up all winter, I need to stretch my stalks. As my stalks begin to reach for the sky (I rarely make it past three feet but I do keep trying!), bunches of green flower buds form on their ends. Boiled with butter, these mini-broccoli-like stalks are definitely my tastiest offering.
And once I bloom, my clusters of little, yellow, four-petaled flowers provide early nectar for some bees, wasps, ants and sawflies.
But my work isn't done yet. As the season progresses, I switch my role from nourisher to protector. I defend other brassicas, including kale, cabbage and broccoli, from the mustard family-devouring larvae of diamondback moths.
You see, I attract the unsuspecting female moths with my plantish wiles and they lay their eggs on me. Then, when those dangerous larvae emerge- BAM!- I kill them with a chemical I secrete.
Naw, I'm not brave. No need to make a big deal about it- it's all in a day's work for me.
Notice me or not, use me or not, I'll be here, doing my thing. I think you'll come around to appreciate that one day. But I'm not going to hold my breath for your approval.
I know that I'm working hard and that's enough for me.
Keep on keeping on,
Conscientious Wintercress
References:
Barbarea vulgaris (Yellow Rocketcress) Brassicasea (n.d.). Lake Forest College. https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/environmental-studies/barbarea-vulgarisand160(yellow-rocketcress)-brassicaceae
Barstow, S. (2014). Around the World in 80 Plants: An edible perennial vegetable adventure in temperate climates. East Meon: Permanent Publications, pp 238-40.
Bellincampi, S. (2015, May 27). In Praise of Understated Winter Cress. Vineyard Gazette. https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2015/05/27/praise-understated-winter-cress
Macdonald, M., & Cavers, P.B. (1991). The biology of Canadian weeds.: 97. Barbarea vulgaris R.Br. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 71, 149-166. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps91-016
Weed Seed: Barbarea spp. (Yellow Rocket) (2017, November 6). Government of Canada. https://inspection.canada.ca/plant-health/seeds/seed-testing-and-grading/seeds-identification/barbarea-spp-/eng/1473681958406/1473681958935
omg these are so cool