Long Bunches of Hawaiian Watercress and Short Bunches of California Watercress
Hawaiian Watercress on 9 Inch Dinner Plate
DoT’s Thot: Well here is another wrinkle on the long and the short of it –Hawaiian and California watercresses.
Hawaiian Watercress vs California Watercress
Hawaiian watercress comes in long bunches and seem to be a bit fatter. California watercress tend to come in short bunches and are often thinner. When I first moved to California from Hawaii many years ago, I was shocked at the first sighting of watercress in a California supermarket. Watercress in Hawaii overflows a 9-inch plate and the California bunch is only 6 to 8 inches long. The one pictured here is on the long side–over 7 inches.
California Watercress on 9 Inch Dinner Plate
A Favorite Vegetable — Watercress Recipes to Follow
Watercress is one of my very favorite greens. It adds a nice bite to a mixed tossed salad, adds much to a vegetable juice mix, and is one of the best cooked dark green vegetables that I know. It cooks quickly into a bright and fresh green color and is delicious stir fried or quick boiled and made into an Asian side dish. Recipes will follow in other blog postings.
Growing up in Hawaii I was used to the very long=stemmed bunches of watercress that we regularly gobbled up. As prices have risen, we see and eat this wonderful green less often. I noticed that on my last trip last month, a single bunch of watercress sold for $3.95. Here in California, I can find the short bunches at one of my favorite supermarkets for about $.99 a bunch.
Closeup of the Hawaiian Watercress Leaves
A Closeup of Watercresses
Both watercresses appear to be the same type, but either the growing environment or techniques make a difference — I am not sure which. Nevertheless, here is one of my very favorite vegetables.
Aloha, DoT
P.S. By the way, I have managed to grow this kind of watercress in a large pot on the patio — another blog entry to come…
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