Growing Smiles with Cress Heads

Family Fun 101: Growing Cress Heads

Grow your own cress from seed and add ‘hair’ to healthy salad sandwiches in just one week

A final gift from our chickens we decided to create an ‘Egg Head’. An Egg Head is where you sow cress seed into eggshells with faces and watch the cress ‘hair’ grow. Making cress heads has to be the most easiest and most satisfying rainy day afternoon project, no mater your age, you can do it all year round.

To make cress heads, you’ll need:

  1. Cress seeds
  2. Egg shells & an egg carton
  3. Cotton wool or kitchen towel will also work.
  4. Felt tip pens (we used Sharpies and highlighters)

Step 1. Prepare the egg shells

Wash and dry out left over egg shells (we had an omelette for lunch which used 6 eggs – carefully cracked with this cress head project in mind)

Step 2. Find some pens

Grab an assortment of soft felt tip pens in a variety of colours or you cold go to town with stickers and glitter – its up to you on how wildly creative you’re feeling!

Step 3. Get Arty

Draw a face on an empty egg shell (this is a great task for learning to hold pens and to draw at awkward angles on the surface of an egg).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhg36BhlLJR/?taken-by=ramsburyraven

Step 4. Stuff it Silly

Generously fill the cavity of the egg with cotton wool and gently soak with water (using a jug is ideal). Make sure the cotton wool or kitchen towel is always kept moist.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhg4FEsFYZA/?taken-by=ramsburyraven

Step 5. Sprinkle the cress seeds

Sprinkle the cress seeds on top – be generous as you won’t want any bald patches (using a teaspoon helps). Make sure you give the cress seeds a gentle poke to even them out and to get around the edge of the eggshell.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhmBUU7FATg/?taken-by=ramsburyraven

Step 6. Warmth and light

Place your egg heads in a warm sunny spot such as a windowsill. Keep well watered – probably need a drink every day as the cress really soaks up the water once the seeds have germinated.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhg4XIrFD0w/?taken-by=ramsburyraven

Step 7. Eat and enjoy!

Cut the cress with scissors when it has grown around 5cm tall.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiCe_pjFaB1/?taken-by=ramsburyraven