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From Sumida Farm in Hawaii:
Getting to Know
Watercress
Pure Food for Sages
One
of the oldest green leaf vegetable used by humans. You either
like its distinguished flavor and peppery taste or you are
put off by it. As well, this hardy perennial has amazing
cancer fighting properties and was long used as an antiscorbutic.
From fresh leaves to soup preparations we have learned to
love it. As its name indicates, the vegetable needs water,
clean free flowing. Despite its roots in Europe, the vegetable
has been introduced to many parts of the world. A most interesting
and unexpected discovery is Sumida Farm in Hawaii. The farm
itself stalled a shopping center development and is nestled
between two wings of it in the middle of the city. For years
developers have tried to chase the Sumidas away but their
strong stance and belief in their product coupled with an
ideal location due to the ground springs have made Sumida
Farm the largest watercress producer in the Islands.
Weekly
production peaks at six tons over a total of ten acres or
300 tons per year and goes to local markets, hotels, and
restaurants. None of the product is exported. It represents
half of all the watercress produced in Hawaii. But what
sets it apart is the abundance of cool, crystal-clear filtered
water from the Pearl Harbor aquifer. As well, they are doing
all of this in an organic fashion, utilizing a sprinkler
system to drive away that enable workers to get around.
An entire patch is harvested by cutting the plant and leaving
it to regenerate. A special pressure chamber is used to
quick-chill the product before distribution. David Sumida
swears by the process: "It's amazing how it works,
but it really preserves freshness in the vegetable."
Not much has changed since 1928 when my grandparents started
the farm. We have a few other things growing for personal
consumption and a few fishes here and there. It is truly
an ideal place with five million gallons pouring out everyday."
We
are impressed by these multi-generation artisans and their
dedicated workers. The vegetable is outstanding, somewhat
taller than what you might get on the mainland but very
intense, peppery and crisp. We certainly hope a fourth generation
of Sumidas will continue this longstanding tradition of
perfecting only one thing: truly good watercress.
Recipes:
- Chilled
Watercress Bisque
- Stilton
and Watercress Spread
- Watercress
Finger Sandwiches
- Watercress-Olive
Tea Sandwiches
- Watercress
Soup
- Watercress
Soup, Indian Style
- Watercress
Soup with Snakehead and Duck Gizzard
Here
is a site that will tell you all you might want to know
about watercress:
www.watercress.com.
B&W Quality Growers is the world's largest watercress
grower. They are family-owned and -operated and have been
growing watercress since 1870.
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Small
leaves - huge impact
Watercress
may be a small, humble leaf, but its health benefits
are amazing. As mentioned above, it protects against
cancer and has been used to treat scurvy, but the
list doesn't end here. Keep in mind that watercress
is most potent when consumed fresh and raw, and check
out these additional health benefits:
-
very high in calcium, carotenes, folic acid, zinc,
iron, and vitamins B, C and E
- antioxidant properties
- helps anemia
- helps reduce eczema
- can protect against spina bifida
- protects against stroke, heart disease, cataracts
- works as blood purifier, diuretic and expectorant
According
to www.vitacress.com,
"watercress provides more vitamin C than oranges,
more calcium than whole milk, more vitamin B than
blackcurrants, and more iron than spinach."
In fact, Irish monks used to refer to the plant as
"pure food for sages."
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If
you'd like to contact Sumida Farm, Inc:
98-160
Kamehameha Hwy.
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
808-488-4517
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