Fascinated and Obsessed with Collards
Maybe I’m fascinated with Collards! I’ve made collard wraps in Georgia for a Ria Sweetraw Vegan Food Demo at a Farmer’s Market and have been hooked ever since. When I discovered that OSU in partnership with Culinary Breeding Network, showcased a Winter Vegetable Sagra + Variety Showcase featuring a week of Collards I decided to take a closer look and share with my global community. I’ve grown my own collards in my own garden, in community gardens, and prepared them numerous ways both cooked and raw; Southern Traditional Collard Greens, Raw Vegan Collard Wraps, Spicy Ethiopian Collards, and collard salads.
It was the Week of Collards that really got my attention! Both Michael Twitty (author, ethnobotanist lecturer) and chef Ashleigh Shanti presented amazing historical, cultural research and culinary expertise on none other than collards. While Twitty offers amazing historical and cultural stories and travels on the species of the collard green, Ashleigh Shanti offers amazing culinary recipes. Love collards? She prepares a raw salad, pickled collards, vegan raw collard dressing and more both are on YouTube.
Yeah! finished my Online Urban Agriculture intro course today
Just completed my online Intro Urban Agriculture class today with a 97% score and had to share. For my Assessment of Crops Requirements paper I chose none other than Brassica oleracea var. viridis variety cultivar selection also known as Georgia Southern Collard Seeds Heirloom from Botanical Interests Seeds. Which are now (3 hours later) out of stock, but check back or visit your local seed store!
Feel free to check (use and share) my Citations for resources, I had to wander off course to find the most relevant data, websites and resources. I’ll add them here:
Citations:
Anderson-Wilk, M., & Oregon State University. Extension Service. (2011). Growing your own : A practical guide to gardening in Oregon, featuring vegetable varieties, planting dates, insect control, soil preparation & more (EM (Oregon State University. Extension Service) ; 9027). Corvallis, Or.]: Oregon State University, Extension Service.
BAKER CREEK HEIRLOOM SEEDS. (n.d.). Georgia Southern Collards (Creole). Retrieved from https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/collards/collards-georgia-southern-creole
Bonnie Plants. (2021). Georgia Collards: Sweet Flavor, Excellent Fall Crop. Retrieved from https://bonnieplants.com/product/georgia-collards/
Botanical Interests. (n.d.). Georgia Southern Collards Seeds. Retrieved 2021, from https://www.botanicalinterests.com/product/Georgia-Southern-Collards-Seeds
COLLARD WEEK: Michael Twitty, Author, History and Significance of Collards in the South. (2020, December 14). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGlVs3isdqw
Culinary Breeding Network. (2020). 2020-21 Variety Showcase + Winter Vegetable Sagra. Retrieved from https://www.culinarybreedingnetwork.com/events/2020/12/7/2020-21-variety-showcase-winter-vegetable-sagra
Olson, S., & Freeman, J. (n.d.). University of Florida, IFAS Extension: Selecting Collard Varieties Based on Yield, Plant Habit and Bolting. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS35300.pdf
Basic Crop Requirements and Investigating Research Gaps papers. The Investigating Research Gaps part of the course really upset me. For one, according to google search Urban Agriculture started in get this — around least 3,500 B.C.
Check out the Urban Agriculture (Mountain Terrace Farming) Ancient Peru (photo below). Resurged in North America in the 70s and picked back up in the 90s, since 2000 Urban Agriculture has been steadily growing and yet comprehensive research is still scarce and vague with 2022 predictions on new vertical gardening and commercial gardening techniques and technology. It’s hard to swallow or fathom there isn’t consistent comprehensive Urban Agriculture studies and data to date. But I’m gonna leave that right there….
Do your own research! You’ll find Urban Agriculture is a wave that is not some fly by night anomaly but in coming years will be a necessity for survival post Covid-19 and beyond. Again there’s been internet buzz not only from the Prepper Community, but filtering into mainstream society.
In Portland, OR almost everyone has an organic garden! Walk the block in my neighborhood and you’ll see not only organic gardens and herbal varieties, but chickens, goats (and faery homes) in urban settings nestled within fences and yards. My daughter couldn’t believe when she came to visit me this past summer.
Collard Wrap Recipe, from Natural Self Goddess eBook
An excerpt from NaturalSelfGoddess, 7day Vegan eBook, Vegan Collard Yum Wrap recipe and Thai Sauce:
Vegan + Raw Food
Vegan Collard Yum Wrap
Wrap Ingredients
1 Organic Collard Wrap
1/4 Avocado mashed
1/4 cup Carrots can replace with Quinoa
1/4 cup raw Beets
1/4 cup Zucchini
1/4 cup chopped or diced Organic Tomatoes
thinly sliced red Onion
a dash of Sprouts
Thai Asian Sauce Ingredients
Organic Curly Kale
Carrots
2 1/2 tbsp Tahini Butter
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Maple Syrup
1 1/2 tsp Bragg’s Amino Sauce
2 tbsp Rice wine or Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ginger
a pinch of Garlic powder or Raw Garlic
a squeeze of Fresh Orange
Lay your collard with the inside facing up toward the sun. Note the wrap outer part will be the outer leaf. Spread the avocado on the inner leaf, then carrots, beets, zucchini, and tomatoes, thinly sliced onions and lastly the sprouts.
Begin to wrap. Wash all your veggies carefully without bruising.
Chop organic kale and place in bowl. Blend in Vitamix, your organic peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, rice or apple cider vinegar, ginger, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the orange squeeze. Allow to sit for better flavor.
Pour peanut sauce over cleaned and chopped kale. Add sliced carrots. Let this stand and marinate for about 10 minutes. InJoy!
ThanksGiving and Appreciation to You
I love sharing information and providing what I learn and research with my global community. I’ve been blissed with a vast well of knowledge and wisdom and I thankfully serve my community with my creativity (3) to global family, tribe, and community (6) through service (9). Happy New Moon and Aquarian Age Conjunction Family!
