About this product
Full description
Almost everyone who grew up in Britain has grown cress — on damp kitchen paper, in an eggshell, on a wet flannel on a primary school windowsill. It is where British growers begin, and the first tiny peppery shoots cut with blunt scissors are one of the most universally remembered encounters with gardening there is.
It is far more than nostalgia. The flavour is sharp, clean and immediate — not the fiery heat of a radish microgreen but a bright, almost aquatic pepper that is entirely its own. It arrives vividly and then goes, which is what makes it so useful: it brightens a dish without taking it over.
Never rinse the seed. Cress seeds develop a clear gel coating when wetted, which is what anchors them to a damp surface and holds moisture for the germinating seedling. It looks alarming and is entirely natural. Rinsing removes it and germination suffers badly. Mist gently from above instead. Four to six days from scattering to scissors.
Care and use
- Do NOT rinse seeds (unlike alfalfa and pea shoots)
- The mucilaginous seed coat is essential and must not be disturbed
- Choose a saucer, shallow dish, or seed tray
KITCHEN PAPER METHOD (SIMPLEST):
- Day 0: Fold 2-3 sheets of kitchen paper to fit a saucer
- Dampen thoroughly with water (fully wet, not swimming)
- Scatter cress seeds evenly across the surface
- Do NOT pre-soak, do NOT press in - simply scatter
- Cover loosely with second sheet or light cloth
- Keep at 18-22°C (tolerates cooler)
GERMINATION (Days 1-2):
- Germination begins within 24 hours - fastest of any microgreen
- Remove cover once majority germinated
- Move to bright windowsill
HARVEST (Days 4-6):
- Harvest when shoots are 3-6cm tall
- Seed leaves should be fully open and vivid green
- Cut with sharp scissors just above paper/soil
- Rinse gently and use immediately
TRAY METHOD (LARGER QUANTITIES):
- Fill shallow tray (5-7cm deep) with moist seed compost or vermiculite
- Sow densely as with rocket/rambo
- Same growing process but harvest at 5-7 days
- Produces slightly larger more vigorous shoots
CRITICAL: NEVER RINSE:
- The gel-like seed coat is the plant's natural anchor
- Rinsing removes it and reduces germination success
- Mist gently from above rather than watering from below
- Never let paper/compost dry out completely
ROLLING BATCH SYSTEM:
- Sow new saucer every 4-5 days
- Two saucers staggered gives continuous supply
- Keep live saucer on kitchen windowsill and cut as needed
- Snip directly into cooking rather than harvesting whole tray
STORAGE OF HARVESTED SHOOTS:
- Best used immediately after cutting
- Volatile flavour compounds diminish within hours
- If storing, keep loosely in fridge 1-2 days maximum
- Live saucer approach is far superior to storage