Yesterday, Friday I forced myself into the local hardware chain store. I use the word forced advisedly because it is a place best avoided. The appearance is of huge value for money, the reality is still a huge exercise in cash flow generation, maximisation of investor return, minimisation of wages and manufacturer return by any means including exploitation of developing countries labour. They are however the only place locally selling a reasonable variety of seeds and sometimes I pick up a good rescue plant for give away price. To successfully resuscitate a neglected under/over watered plant that cost cents in the dollar to buy is doubly rewarding and if it dies I can nonchalently blame the store and my brown / black thumbs!
CRESS - Land cress Barbarea verna
Living in a dry area i was attracted to the fact that it requires less water than my favourite Watercress. It does however like shade and thus is a great shade plant and companion for growing with brassicas. It acts as a trap crop to attract the cabbage moth away from your brassicas. The moths lay their eggs but the cress leaves are poisonous to the caterpillars. What a wonderful combination.

barbarea verna - Bing [bing.com]

@Donto I reckon that swamp and ditch of yours could be very productive in producing Watercress - a delicious green crop. If you and Amy aren't already into it I recommend getting hooked on the flavour and start growing.

Courtesy of "Traditional and Folkmusic" -
Roger Watson wrote this very poignant song about the General Strike of 1926, based on the memories of his grandmother, a miner's daughter. It was recorded in 1967 by Young Tradition, and later by Roger himself with his group Muckram Wakes. It is well sung here by Graham Metcalfe with Folly Bridge.

At five o'clock on a Sunday neet,
There's a man comes walkin' down our street,
You may hear him out in front of the row,
Crying, “Tuppence a basket, watercress-o!”
(chorus Watercress-o, watercress-o,
Crying, “tuppence a basket, watercress-o!”

Oh, come on, mam, it's time for tea,
Go and get tuppence and give it to me
So I may go out in front of the row
And fetch a little basket of watercress-o,
Watercress-o, watercress-o,
And fetch a little basket of watercress-o.

Oh, kid, you don't know what you're asking of me,
If I'd got tuppence, I'd be sure to give it thee,
So thou could go out in front of the row,
And fetch a little basket of watercress-o,
Watercress-o, watercress-o,
And fetch a little basket of watercress-o.

Our dad's on strike, kid, can't you see?
He scarce brings home enough to feed us wi',
And though it pains me to tell you “no”,
You'll have to do without your watercress-o,
Watercress-o, watercress-o,
You'll have to do without your watercress-o.

We're all in the union down our street,
So maybe he won't come back another week,
For till the strike is over, he might as well know,
He'll not sell much of his watercress-o,
Watercress-o, watercress-o,
He'll not sell much of his watercress-o.