Survival Crop: Collards
Collards are an under-appreciated staple of the Deep South. When it's collard season, it's really collard season down here. Piles of them overflow from the back of pickup trucks by the side of the road - and if you're a survival gardener, that's just what you want. Overabundance.
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Observe the image above and see how patchy the grass appears... and how lush the collard greens are growing. Unstoppable.
On the nutrition front, collards are also impressive. Check out these stats (images from NutritionData.com):
Low on vitamin K? Look no further. Collards to the rescue!
Other bonuses to collards: young leaves are excellent in salads. Cooked and cut in strips, they can fill in for pasta in low-carb diets. (My wife makes a killer "collard lasagna.") They can also be used to threaten children, as in "Clean your room or so help me I'm gonna serve collards again tonight!"
To plant the easy way, prepare a bare patch of ground, then scatter seeds, rake them around, and water for a week. Baby plants will come up everywhere. Thin as needed to give them space for growth and eat the thinnings. Harvest leaves as needed - the plants will take a lot of cutting.
And seriously - if you're not growing these yet, set aside a patch. Spring or fall: collards are a must-have.
SPUDOMETER RATING
3.5 Spuds
Name: Collards
Latin Name: Brassica oleracea
Type: Biennial
Nitrogen Fixer: No
Medicinal: No
Cold-hardy: Yes
Exposure: Full sun
Part Used: Leaves
Propagation: Seed
Taste: Good
Method of preparation: Raw, boiled, steamed, dried.
Storability: Leaves can be dried/frozen
Ease of growing: Easy
Nutrition: Very good
Recognizability: High
Availability: High
Labels: cold-season crops, collards, survival crop, survival plant, winter crops, winter greens
posted by David The Good @ 5:30 AM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
Totally. Collards and kale have become my two workhorse crops. In central Florida you can raise them about 9 months out of the year, if you keep toying with shade and water. I find that if you plant enough you can keep harvesting them while the leaves are young, before they get too tough and stringy.
I find that having a couple fresh collard leaves right before a workout just seems to give me a little extra energy.
I will have to try the collard lasagna.
The "lasagna" is amazing.
When I had my gigantic garden of collards last year, we fed ourselves daily, plus had plenty left for goats and chickens... and still put away 40lbs into the freezer. Cut and come again all the way. And you're right... they do have that "so green it gives you power" thing going on.
They would probably be good in one of those green smoothies EVERYBODY's talking about. Hmmm...not having to buy expensive berries from the grocery store but still getting to have a smoothie. Sounds good to me.
Rachel, darling... you're making me look schizophrenic.
Hey Rach... log in as David and say something really embarrassing. I'll make sure it gets out to all his blogger friends before he can change it.
I tried juicing collards but they were just a little too bitter. Kale is right on the edge of being to bitter but still drinkable. Maybe if the collards were juiced with something sweet like carrots and apples...
I juice them with carrots and apples, use lime/lemon/orange to cut bitterness and it's great, i've been drinking one all day. throw in a little fennel and aloe for flavor.
Wow. I believe you're going to live forever.
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