A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger

Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident 

 “Should I pull this? 

 “No. It will have a nice little flower. Let it be.” We did. 

 As it grew I recognized it as a familiar adornment at the side of roads. It is Yellow Rocket Cress. By the time the flowers appear, the leaves are too bitter to eat. They provide several vitamins. They were once called “scurvy cress,” because it could cure scurvy. It should have been called “anti-scurvy grass.” 

It is a great pollinator, especially for bees. It grows best in the sun, which is why it seeks the side of roads and vacant lots where shade has been cleared. Rocket Cress likes moist soil; we can expect more of it in this year. It is found almost everyplace in the world, is slightly invasive but, like many plants, this depends on the beholder. One gardener purchases the plants for cultivation, while another pulls them as a nuisance. 

They are part of the mustard family, sometimes called the cabbage family. It is a big family, over four thousand species, including seemingly unrelated plants, from fancy salad ingredients like arugula and watercress, to homey greens like collards and cabbage, as well as the mustard plants whose seeds are used for the condiment. Some are international, like bok choy and Brussels sprouts. Throw in turnips, rutabagas and broccoli and you have a family that covers a lot of taste, textures and contexts. In fact, the exact definition of this family is still contested among biologists. The one thing they have in common is at least a slight bitterness, which makes them almost universally hated by children. 

With genetic testing increasingly common, humans are discovering more about their families. Not all of the information is welcome, as it can reveal that families have at least as much diversity within them as differentiate cauliflower from horseradish. 

Humans are part of the family of Great Apes, including Chimps, Orangutans and Gorillas, which some seem to find insulting or impossible. I wonder if there is a mustard that considers itself the superior vegetable of its family?

** Warning: Please do not pick & eat any wild plant without the advice of an expert.