Susan Turner

Variety is variable. Leaf color ranges from blue-green to green. Leaf petioles primarily white to light green; one plant with light purple pigmentation. Leaf blistering intensity is variable, from low to high. One significantly different plant is completely prostrate with leaves lying flat on the ground. Plants have a moderate heading capability and measure 11-24 inches tall and 22-43 inches wide. Sweet with a hint of bitterness and nice texture. Stewarded by Phil Harper of Albertson, North Carolina. Phil received this heirloom variety from his wife’s uncle, Billy Houston, who had been growing the collards since about 1950. Mr. Houston's seed source was Susan Turner, an elderly woman who had been saving the same strain for several decades in the nearby town of Beulaville, NC. In 2004, Phil gave some seeds to Dr. John Morgan, a cultural geographer and professor of geography at Emory & Henry College, who was collecting heirloom collard strains for preservation on behalf of the USDA. Seed Savers Exchange requested this variety in 2016 from the USDA collection (PI 662800). SSE Accession # 133031