Have you tried arugula?

Arugula salad with strawberries, blueberries, and chicken. Tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.

I talk a lot about watercress here, but today is all about arugula.
B&W grows both varieties, both Great in salads, sandwiches, soups, sauces, frittatas, quiches, well, everything!
Arugula is often described as tasting like watercress but more peppery. Some facts about arugula are similar to those of watercress. Arugula was widely thought of as an aphrodisiac in ancient Rome.
It's spicy goodness is a healthy choice in any diet. It contains essential nutrients that help keep your body healthy, powerful in disease prevention, and a great aid in maintaining permanent weight loss.

Recently I discovered there's a liquer called "Rucolino" that is made in Italy, on the island of Ischia. The Chowhound shares a recipe on how to make your own here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/rucolino-983069 or you can buy it all sorts of places online.

Image from: http://www.ischiasapori.eu/prodotto-142806/RUCOLINO-10-CL-FIASCHETTA.aspx

There's a delicious recipe for arugula pesto, on our website: 

http://www.bwqualitygrowers.com/recipes/arugula-pesto/

Enjoy!

Ice Ice Baby

Not just any ice, Watercress Ice. This is great for smoothies, as you can have the ice made and ready any time you want it. This is all there is to it:

Place a good bunch of watercress in the mixer, I added a little water, a tablespoon,

just to make the watercress a little more liquid.

It probably didn't even need water, but this is the consistency I created with the combination mentioned.

Frozen gems of gorgeous green watercress.

I added two cubes of watercress ice to this smoothie, with strawberries, and greek yogurt. It was delicious - Enjoy!

National Artichoke Hearts Day

Happy National Artichoke Hearts Day! You know what goes really great with artichoke hearts? Watercress. Check out this recipe from http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/82462442/artichoke-and-watercress-soup/

photo: Key Ingredient

Ingredients

2	tablespoons olive oil
2	celery stalks, chopped
2	cloves garlic, chopped
1	medium onion, chopped
½	teaspoon kosher salt
¼	teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra, as needed
One	12-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1	packed cup fresh watercress (about 1 ounce)
1	tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
	Lemon wedges

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cook the vegetables until just tender, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and the artichoke hearts and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the artichoke hearts are tender, about 12 minutes. Puree the soup, 1 cup at a time, in a blender until very smooth, adding the watercress and chopped cilantro with the last cup. Return the puree to the same saucepan. Mix in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Warm over low heat, thinning with the additional broth by 1/4 cupfuls if the soup is too thick. Ladle the soup into bowls. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each bowl of soup before serving.

Smoothie for Hump Day!

Today's smoothie is a free for all! I just used whatever I could find in the refrigerator. I had about 3/4C of greek yogurt, a good bunch of delicious watercress, about 6 frozen strawberries, and I like stevia, but any sweetener of your choice.

I added a little chocolate protein powder and water, and here is the result. Very tasty.

Did you know that watercress is an aphrodisiac? 

Happy Hump Day!