Collard Greens

[Couve (Brazil), Couve-galega (Portugal), Berza (Spanish); Brassica oleracea group Acephala]

This cabbage, closely related to Kale, may have originated in Western Asia, but was well known and cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Either the Romans or the Celts carried it as far north as Scotland. Scots took it to the American South where it was adopted by slaves because it was easy to grow and could be used similarly to African greens they were accustomed to cooking.

Confusion: "Collard Greens" are much used in Africa today, but they are not the Collard Greens of North America. East African agricultural articles always call them "Kales". The North American variety is very tough and needs long cooking time (they have to be tough to grow in Scotland). Knowledgeable African recipes always call for using Kale in place of African "Collard Greens" (Sukuma wiki in Swahili). For details see Kale.

Collards are also a popular side dish for fish and meat in Portugal and Brazil. These are from the Mediterranean region, so again, not generally as tough as our Scottish variety - obvious from cooking times in recipes. Use Kale instead of American Collards

Collards are rather indigestible raw, but are very nutritious when cooked until tender. Along with the related Kale, they are rated to have the most nutrition per calorie of all vegetables. Because they are tough, they are often shredded fine for cooking. The photo specimens were up to 15 inches long.

For more on Cabbage Greens

Buying:

Collard greens are still very popular in the US Southeast, and are available in most groceries throughout the USA. Look for intact blue-green leaves without yellow or other discolorations. There are likely to be a few holes in the leaves made by cabbage worms - ignore them, they just show that pesticides were not overused.

Storage:

Loosely wrapped, Collards will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days, but will soon start to yellow and lose their vitamin content.

Prep:

Collards are tough and can take rather long to cook, so they are often shredded fine. Remove the stems. Stack a couple of the leaf halves and roll them up as tight as you can from end to end, then slice the rolls crosswise very thin. The stems can be included in soup or stock for flavor and removed before finishing. In some cases larger leaf stems are peeled to remove fibers and cut into very short pieces included with the leaves for added texture.

Cooking:

In Portugal and Brazil, Collards are very popular just shredded very fine, fried with Olive Oil or Butter, and served as a side dish. This does not work well with American Collards, which are tougher, so use Kale for Mediterranean recipes In the American Southeast collard recipes are most often soups or stews, and may be cooked for 55 minutes to 2 hours, or even more.

Health & Nutrition:

Collards have much the same nutrition as Kale, considered one of the highest of all vegetables for nutrition per calorie. Collards are very high in Beta Carotene, Vitamin K, manganese and Vitamin C. They are also high in Fiber, Calcium, Choline, Vitamins B2 and B6, Iron, Copper, Vitamin E, and magnesium.

When Collards are chopped or chewed, enzymes produce Sulforaphane which is considered a potent anti-cancer substance, and also helps with diabetes. It is antimicrobial, and also thought to help inhibit heart inflammation.

Persons taking warfarin or other anti-coagulants are cautioned against eating Collards due to its high vitamin K content.

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