Old Timey Blue

Vegetables / The Cabbage Family (Brassicaceae) / Collard

Highly variable planting. Five of 11 plants have dark purple petioles, midveins, and stems. Among purple plants, one has a highly erect leaf habit and also much darker purple pigmentation including on the leaf blades while another plant has significantly more lobed leaves. Among green plants, one is very horizontal with large, blistered, silvery green leaves, while other plants are variable for leaf shape, lobing, and angle. Plants do not form heads and measure 13-23 inches tall and 22-42 inches wide. Average taste qualities. Some thought it was fruity, while others detected bitterness. From Arnold Collums of Houlka, Mississippi. This variety of collards dates back at least fifty years, to the mid-1950s. Arnold thinks they are unique and "people say the flavor is a whole lot better than what you can buy.” In 2006, he gave seeds to Dr. Edward Davis, a 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 (G 33032). SSE Accession # 133027