Collards!

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Biodiversity, Agriculture, Sustainability

Ed Hessler

I don't think I've ever eaten collards which is not the point of this post. There are many foods I would like to try and collards are among them. I know I'd like them since I'm a fan of kale, another variety of leafy greens and with cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli all expressions of the wild species Brassica oleracea, products of natural variation and selective breeding. 

It would be a shame to lose a single variety of  collards and there is hope many of them will be saved. And there is hope in The Heirloom Collard Project, a collaboration between Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Seed Savers Exchange, Working Food, and The Utopian Seed Project.

The website will tell you about the project, the collards, articles and recipes and, if you want, how to get involved. The first image to greet you on the home page is of heirloom collard leaves which have mostly subtle differences, in addition to being lovely all by themselves. Each is named but I can't read them. You will also find presentations given during collard week to celebrate collards!