Watercress Soup best made in the early spring, and, around these parts, mid fall or so. When preparing to make watercress soup, one must find a flowing stream. I hope you have one near you. If you live in central Virginia or south, go down and visit that stream beginning in early March. Look for a medium to dark green round-leafed plant growing in the middle of it, with thin, white roots. If you are not afraid, pick a leaf and taste it. If it tastes of pepper, you have most likely found watercress. Pick a bunch of it. Like what you imagine to be a pound (take a knapsack). Take it home. Wash it thoroughly. Taste it again. Still taste peppery? Good. If you're still scared, ask a neighbor who has been around longer than you to tell you if it is watercress or not (not land cress--slightly different plant). Get yourself some real cream. I'm not talking about from the Safeway. Find your nearest dairy, local dairy, and buy it from them or their retail outlets. The rich, heavy, creamy stuff. Pluck the roots of the water cress and discard. Start 4 cups of water boiling. I like to put 2 cubes of chicken bouillon in there. Chop the cleaned up watercress (about a lb.) into two-inch pieces or so. Discard tough stems. Add the watercress to the broth and blanche, meaning, let boil for 2 minutes max, then turn off the heat. Add the cream until you've got as much soup as you need to serve like 4-6 folks. Taste it. Does it need sea salt or fresh cracked ground pepper? Add it to your taste. Heat up to your taste. This soup can be served luke warm. Serve as a de-tox, spring and fall. Watercress is rich in C and other antioxidants. The Italians prize it particularly in spring as a detoxification agent. The cream? ...Well. It tastes good, makes you feel good and, in the fall, adds to the stores of fat you need for the winter. Don't deny yourself. Did I forget the nutmeg? Just before serving, take a whole nutmeg and lightly grate it over each serving. Kit Johnston, Chef, Owner, Proprietess, La Bella Terra