Collard Greens

Collard greens are a group of loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea, the same species that includes cabbage, broccoli and kale, grown specifically for their large, dark green, edible leaves rather than for a head or floret. They belong to the same acephala group of the species as kale and spring greens, meaning the plant does not form a compact head, and are grown as a food crop mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the southern United States and many parts of Africa. Collard greens are traditionally cooked down, typically simmered with seasoning meat or aromatics, and are considered tastier and more nutritious after the first frost of the growing season.