Extend The Shelf Life Of Watercress With One Storage Trick

Salads can be eaten warm or cold, and are so versatile — you can even eat salad for breakfast. But if you like your greens to have a little kick to them, you should start reaching for watercress instead of lettuce. This spicy green is related to mustard greens and wasabi, so the peppery bite really wakes up any salad you are preparing. However, watercress does have a few similarities to lettuce and other delicate greens, particularly in its tendency to wilt in just a few short days in the fridge. 

Few things are as disappointing as finally planning to use your produce from the grocery store only to find a soft, squishy mess in your grasp. While there are ways to organize your fridge to prevent produce waste, it doesn't help that many types of produce require different modes of storage. Who can keep track of what needs to be kept in the fridge or the pantry, or what needs to be wrapped airtight, and what needs to breathe? Although I can't tell you how to store all your produce, you have your own free will after all, I can tell you that the best way to store watercress is to treat it like a bouquet of flowers rather than a lettuce. This means keeping it in water, which will help it stay fresher for longer.

Like many vegetables, watercress is over 90% water. Water is also what helps keep it fresh, and the bouquet trick involves keeping it in a vase full of the liquid. Okay, it doesn't necessarily need to be a vase, but stay with me here. After getting your watercress home from the store and washing it, fill a glass or a jar with water. The stick the watercress in the jar so that the stems are submerged, like you would a fresh bunch of flowers. This means the stems can soak up fresh water.

It also helps to keep a perforated plastic bag over the bundle for extra protection, and then the whole bunch can be kept upright in the fridge. Changing the water out daily would also help to get a little extra life out of your greens. 

If all that sounds like too much work, you can also ease up the process and store your watercress wrapped in a damp paper towel. But it's worth noting that this method will only give you about a couple of days of fresh watercress compared to the bouquet method, which can help it last up to a week. If your watercress is still looking a little wilted by the time you get to use it, it can potentially be saved. Try soaking it in a bath of ice water for 20 minutes or so to help revive it. Then just pick the perfect salad dressing, such as a mustardy vinaigrette to enhance its unique peppery flavor.