Collards grow well in the Seattle area so it’s one of those fail safe crops that I plant every year. To get a good yield enrich your soil with some compost and manure then sow your seeds once the soil has warmed. I often start these indoors then plant them out to get a jump on the season. The plants grow quickly and aside from the rare caterpillar or aphid, seem to have few problems.
Over the years I’ve come up with lots of ways to prepare this versatile and nutrient packed plant. Here are some of my favorites:
Stir Fried Collards
Pick and wash the collard leaves.
Stack, roll and cut leaves into thin ribbons.
Mince garlic.
Heat oil in pan, lightly saute garlic then add collards. Cook until tender. May need to add a bit of water and cover if they are tough.
Delicious with collards.
Here is a corn bread recipe that usually turns out well. The combination of cornbread and zesty greens is great!
I also like to:
- Harvest the greens then cut them into thin strips and freeze them. These frozen greens can then be tossed into almost anything to boost nutrition and flavor.
- Make green smoothies with collards, bananas, orange juice and apples. Sometimes we add nuts or protein powder too.
- Collard chips – To make these heat your oven to 400 degrees, tear the collards into bite sized pieces and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with oil then bake until crisp and sprinkle with a small amount of salt. We sometimes sprinkle on some brewer’s yeast as well.
- Make a massaged collards salad. To do this cut the greens into thin strips then massage until they turn from light green into dark green. Add cider vinegar, olive oil and salt to taste. Garnish with toasted pecans, red onion, apples and dried cranberries.
What are your favorite ways to prepare collards? We’d love to hear from you!
I'd love to hear from you!