The humble watercress, and the exotic Japanese microherb Shiso are hitting plates in restaurants all over Australia, and the word among herb growers is that at least one of these two will become the latest ‘green’ trend, much as kale has been in recent years. “Every time there’s a newspaper article or a TV show featuring watercress we get a spike in orders,” notes Alberto Mollica, owner of Mighty Micro Herbs. “Watercress is definitely up and coming. I’ve only been growing it for about 14 months and it’s been going gang busters. We can’t plant enough,” adds Mr Mollica.
In just one year, Mr Mollica’s supply has quadrupled, from an original niche crop of just 60 sleeves.
While the peppery, fresh, and super healthy salad green has long been a staple in other countries, Australians seem to just now be acquiring a taste for it. Partly because of its well touted health benefits (it is often described as ‘the next kale’ and ‘better for you than kale’ by health experts and websites).
A 2006 scoping study performed by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation notes that those Australians who have been ‘in the know’ about watercress generally picked up the taste overseas, in particular in the U.K where it is a staple green on ‘egg and cress sandwiches’ and used widely as a salad vegetable or garnish.
While the majority of his watercress was going to farmers’ markets, Mr Mollica is sure the bulk of his crop is going to restaurants for use by chefs, meaning the home cooking trend can’t be far behind. Watercress is grown hydroponically in Australia, and the warmer season weather can make growing it “a little challenging” according to him.
The other crop that is outselling the traditional garnishes, herbs and salads supplied by Mighty Micro Herbs is the Japanese herb Shiso. It substitutes for basil in many recipes and Mr Mollica says he will sell more of it than what he does green basil, again chiefly for the restaurant trade. “Shiso has really picked up this year aswell. Generally people are finding me and they’re upping their order probably every couple of weeks.”
For more information:
Alberto Mollica
Mighty Micro Herbs
Phone: +61417898436
E-mail: mightymicroherbs@iinet.net.au