Thursday, May 14, 2009

Posted by Picasa


Collards and Kale


Most of my experience with cabbage and kale in the past few years has been with the ornamental variety, which I love to add among the perennials and annuals in the flower beds. These long lasting plants not only add a variety of leaf shapes and colors, they last well into the late fall. However, you can't eat them.

Branching out a little this year and growing some old favorites and some things that I never tried. My first crop of leaf lettuce is growing nicely, because it likes the cool, wet weather we've been having. I am starting a second crop of Gourmet Greens Mixture from Ferry-Morse. This mix includes Arugula, Green curled endive, Red kale, Red romaine, Parris Island, Salad bowl, and Lolla Rossa. You can never have too many greens.

This brings me to the next subject- collards. Southern gardeners will be appalled that I have never grown these. In fact, I am pretty new to collards, but recently found that I love them. ( I fixed my first batch with bacon and onions). The bonus with collards is that they are one of the highest veggies in nutrients and vitamins.

I am planting Georgia Southern (Creole) collards, and, according to what I have read, they should do very well even in our cool seasons. I was amazed that collards can be blanched and frozen, which I will be trying later on. Collards, being a member of the cabbage family, however, are subject to pests, so this will be something to keep an eye on.

No comments:

Post a Comment