Collard greens are a vegetable similar to kale. They are a headless forming cabbage. When they are harvested young, small, and tender they are known as baby collards. There are records of using this vegetable as a regular part of a diet in Asia Minor some 3000 years ago.
The name comes from the word for wild cabbage plant. Leaves are the edible part of the plant but in some parts of the world, such as South America, the plant is grown primarily as a garden ornamental. In the US however, it’s considered an essential part of a diverse healthy diet.
Baby Collard Trivia
- It’s the official vegetable of South Carolina
- The Romans and Celts brought them to Britain and France, but they’ve been used far before that.
- Substance extracted from collard greens is used for its antibacterial qualities.