A small stream flows through the woods almost hidden by tall vegetation. Only six inches deep, and narrow enough in most places to step across, it slurps, gurgles, and wends its way peacefully.
         Along the muddy bank that grasps the soles of my boots like wet cement, I encounter a colony of skunk cabbage. Leaning in for a snapshot, I hear voices coming off the trail complaining of the smell. The air did smell slightly skunky, but smells much worse in August when the plants start to rot.
         Continuing downstream, I chanced upon, in the center of the creek, a clump of large mountain bittercress (Cardamine cordifolia), also called heartleaf bittercress or brookcress; this native perennial belongs to the Mustard Family whose name means “pungent leaves.”
         From an extensive root system of underground runners, rise long, slender stems eight to twenty four inches tall that produce shiny, fleshy, dark green leaves that alternate along the stem. (Sometimes, the lower leaves are basil, but not this time.) The leaves, slightly rounded and heart-shaped, have shallow lobes with rounded, toothed margins, and measure from one to four inches long.
         Flowers bloom May to July. White with four petals, they measure one half inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter, and bloom in flat-topped clusters at the ends of the leafy stems. Bees and butterflies pollinate the flowers.
         Seedpods are long and slender being three fourths of an inch to one and a half inches long that produce numerous reddish-orange, oval-shaped seeds.
         As food: Leaves (fresh or cooked) can be prepared like spinach. They can be added to garden salads and sandwiches or used to flavor soups, sauces, and casseroles. The leaves, though similar to watercress, Nasturtium officinale, are more pungent having a peppery-tart flavor of which a little goes a long way. Seeds can be used to make a delightful horseradish.
         As medicine: Root tea for colds, fevers, coughs, sore throat, stomachaches, chest pain, and gas. Plant has anticancer properties. Leaves are high in vitamin C.
         Look for large mountain bittercress in and along springs, bogs, wet meadows, and streams at low mountainous elevations to subalpine reaches.
         Happy foraging!
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         Julie Gomez's books "Collecting Wild Herbs," "Medicinal Fruits & Berries," and "Deadly Herbs" are available at amazon.com.