Creasy Greens (Upland Cress)

Barbarea verna Origin: Western Asia & Southern Europe Improvement status: Cultivated wild material Seeds per packet: ~400 Germination tested 11/2024: 94% Life cycle: Biennial or occasionally short-lived perennial Also called land cress, bitter cress, winter cress, and Belle Isle cress, this cabbage-family biennial (or short-lived perennial) from western Asia and southern Europe has become naturalized around the world. The taste is similar to watercress, but it is much easier to grow (needs no water beyond that which falls from the sky). Long cultivated as a vegetable, it is most well-known these days as a weed, but for many people it is still a treasured heirloom — not least because at various points in history it has been a lifeline. As a critical source of Vitamin C and other nutrients, it has prevented scurvy for untold numbers of people through the years. Stories abound of people in life-threatening situations relying on this plant for vital nutrition, from shipwrecked sailors