Podomoskovny

Podomoskovny – early-maturing annual cress with dark green, glossy leaves and pinnatifid petioles. The leaves possess a mustard flavor and a bright aroma, while small white flowers gather in hemispheres or racemose inflorescences. The plant develops quickly: height up to 80 cm, yield 12–30 kg/m².

Key properties include blood-purifying and diuretic effects, as well as scurvy-preventing and anti-septic activity. Therapeutic effects manifest in liver diseases, gallstones, kidneys, bladder, eczema, anemia, and kidney inflammations. Plant juice is used as a mild laxative.

In cooking, greens (leaves and tops of young shoots) are used fresh: added to salads, sandwiches, soups, meat and vegetable dishes, and also used as a seasoning. For cultivation, seed sowing is recommended at the end of March–beginning of April for seedlings or in May–beginning of June by direct sowing in open ground with an interval of 15×15 cm, depth 1–2 cm. Two weeks after germination, seedlings are transplanted to a permanent location. The plant grows well with abundant watering and can be grown in both open and closed ground, even on a home windowsill.