Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

Collards

Brassica oleracea var. acephala

A

bout the time that Robin Hood was living
rough in Sherwood Forest, the local vil­
lagers who sustained him and his merry men
may well have grown coleworts as part of his
supply chain!
Coleworts are really collards, or perhaps
that’s backward? They are the same loose-leafed
cabbage—all dark green leaves with no head
formation.
Much like cabbages, collards are always
sown outdoors when the soil reaches 60ºF. Be
careful to sow lightly; you can mix the seeds
with sand to spread them out more easily. As
they grow, keep thinning them out. Eventually,
the really sturdy ones will need 18 inches of
clearance all around. Keep harvesting the larger
outer leaves before they get over 20 inches long
by pruning them off carefully, leaving the cen­
tral bud untouched. You can plant as late as
autumn for a winter crop because they like a
light frosting, but use a row cover if it gets seri­
ously cold.
Unfortunately, these greens have been sub­
jected to overcooking for generations in the
South, where they accompany such all-time
greats as black-eyed peas and hoppin’ John.

I suspect that the idea may have started with

the intention of softening the very tough (in

the matured plant) stalks, but by the time that

happens, the leaf is rendered into a kind of suc­

culent, highly fl avored fibrous custard that

looks as though a squad of Marines had washed

out their fatigues in the pot.

I love the texture and flavor that can be

achieved when the stalks are fully removed be­

fore the leaves hit the pot, and the brilliant

green is retained by less cooking time.

The Southern custom of adding lemon juice

and cayenne is a fine idea and makes the adven­

ture a real triumph.

The Numbers

There is a moderate to high supply of oxalate, which

may promote kidney stones, and goitrogens, which

affect the thyroid. The concentration of both is

reduced by cooking.

For each 100 g raw (3.5 oz ; 1 cup): 30 calories, 0 g fat,

0 g saturated fat, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 4 g

dietary fiber, 20 mg sodium

128 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE