Herbs of the Field - Yellow Rocket Cress

Yellow Rocket Cress is also known as bittercress or winter cress and it belongs to the Mustard family, also known as brassica or cruciferous. Yellow rocket cress is a wild edible, that has been known for generations. Yellow Rocket Cress blooms spring through summer and is one of the many weeks that have many uses. Easily recognized as you drive along the roadside.

Yellow Rocket Cress has been used for wounds as a poultice. Historically it has been used to treat scurvy, which is a vitamin C deficiency. The yellow flowers are known as a natural diuretic. Because Yellow Rocket Cress is a bitter, it is used before a meal to improve salivation, which then aides in digestion. The indigenous people have used the aerial parts of the plant as a blood purifiers in addition to using as a poultice for wounds. Leave are high in vitamin C which helps with the immune system. Early settlers couldn’t wait for the Yellow Rocket Cress to grow to help replace missing vitamins and minerals from their diet.

Identification: Yellow Rocket cress has a tap root that is biennial. It grows 1-2 feet tall. The plant prefers damp ground, usually found in lowland areas like riverbanks, meadows, and ditches. Root crown is about 0.1 cm to 5 cm wide, and 50 cm depth. Stem is erect, branched, hairless, ridged, purplish, green with purple streaks or stripes.  Leaves are lance shaped and clasp the stem, glossy green. Flower with four petals, yellow, and flower buds in the spring. After the flowers grow, seed pods grow in pod shapes. Does have a secondary growth stage in the late fall, early winter.

Harvesting: The spring leaves and flowers are tasty or eaten in late winter, the leaves can be eaten. Seed pods have been dried, then ground into a powder to use for flavoring.

Usage: Spring leaves in salads. When flowers open, leaves become more bitter. Can be sautéed or cook leaves in stews, stir fries, etc. but tend to release more of the bitterness. Stems and unopened buds can be used much like broccoli.

Cautions: Excessive ingestion can cause kidney malfunction.