How can you not immediately fall in love with a plant called “American beautyberry”? It just makes the heart swell. Here, take a Kleenex.The emotive lexicon is well deserved.This large, deciduous shru
06.06.2023 - 17:34 / gardenerspath.com / Gretchen Heber
How to Grow Collard Greens, A Taste of Southern Culture Brassica oleracea var. acephalaThere may be no vegetable more closely associated with the American South than collard greens.
Oh, wait, well, except maybe okra.
Regardless of which veggie is the most “Southern,” it’s not without reason that collards are the state vegetable of South Carolina, and cities in Georgia celebrate the collard green with annual festivals! The vegetable is considered a “must-have” dish on many Southern tables.
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Collard greens are well loved in other parts of the world too, with several African nations favoring the vegetable, as well as Brazil, Portugal, and the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India.
Interestingly, though it is known as a Southern favorite with excellent heat tolerance, it can also be grown in northern areas thanks to its frost tolerance.
Let’s discover more about this leafy green!
What Are Collard Greens?Collards are a member of the same plant genus – Brassica – that includes cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi, among others.
Collectively, these plants are often referred to as “cole crops.” You may also hear them called “cruciferous” vegetables or “brassicas.” The word “cruciferous” derives from “Cruciferae,” the former family name for what is now called “Brassicaceae.”
Plants in the Brassica genus come in many forms, with some, such as cabbage and Brussels sprouts, producing tight “heads” of leaves, while others, such as kale and collards, grow in a loose-leaf form. Cauliflower and broccoli produce loose leaves and dense heads of flowers, which are typically what we eat.
The collard’s loose
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