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Post by castanea on Feb 5, 2011 13:25:15 GMT -5
Are these significantly different or better than other collards?
These are the ones grown by the folks at the The Collard Shack in Ayden, North Carolina.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 6, 2011 9:08:58 GMT -5
We are not a whole lot far from Ayden. If I can arrange an excursion, would you like me to try to get some seed? I can't make any promises, you know what a flake I am, but we are due for a field trip and that would be a good thing for us to explore.
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Post by paquebot on Feb 6, 2011 14:32:38 GMT -5
One attribute is that they do not bolt the first year. Doesn't matter if you leave them be or harvest right to the tip. They keep producing tender leaves right to killing frost. In fall 2009, pulled 3 plants and buried them under a pile of leaves. When replanted in May 2010, they went straight to flowers. Collected about 3 ounces of seed. Tested germination by planting 20 directly into the garden in October. Every one came up. Anyone need seed, let me know. You can not get them from Collard Shack unless you visit it as there are no mail requests.
Martin
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 6, 2011 16:59:27 GMT -5
Thanks Martin! We are still going to make a trip out to the shack. There's lots of other things out that way we need to explore including a livestock auction. But you are certainly a far more reliable source of seed than I am!
If I can follow through and get seed; however, there may be some genetic differences that the forum folks can make use of.
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Post by paquebot on Feb 6, 2011 23:37:51 GMT -5
Mine should be as pure as the parent plants. They were blooming within a month after they were planted back. No other brassica would have been blooming until July or August. However, we did note some slight differences among the plants grown from Collard Shack seed. Some were more yellow than others. Some had slightly smoother leaves than others. The seed that I saved has not been grown out but the 3 plants which were used were about the same. I have 5 or 6 buried now but they are select ones chosen for color.
Martin
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 7, 2011 12:33:06 GMT -5
I am under the impression that there are at least 2 varieties of yellow cabbage collards (YCC)? What are the chances that yours have changed on a genetic level since you first began growing them? In fact, DO plants change/evolve to meet the demands of a new location? Do you think that it would be a good idea to grow seed from different sources together as a way of increasing the genetic diversity?
I've also got another seed source that I will attempt to pursue. I was talking about the trip to Ayden with a friend and told her we were heading up that way to get YCC seed and she says, "My cousin sells the starts for YCC. I bet you can get some from her! She sells the transplants but she might sell you some seed as well." She gave me the contact information so I'll have to follow up on it. She lives a couple of towns over. I figured I can always grow a few of the plants and save the seed myself if she won't sell me any seed.
Do they taste "cabbagy"? Do they need the super long cooking time that regular collards need?
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Post by canadamike on Feb 7, 2011 14:01:20 GMT -5
It might be possible that they change according to location. I got seeds straight from Collard Shack through a friend who went there and mine turned up green.
Mind you, at that time, that patch, about 80 x 100 had been amended with 40 cubic yards of mushroom compost. That is a lot of compost...and given their recipe for mushroom growing, I know there is plenty of nitrogen in it, so it might explain the greening of the collards.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 7, 2011 15:27:20 GMT -5
That is very interesting Michele. I get the impression that soils here are naturally nitrogen poor... that could certainly explain the coloring, couldn't it? Martin, could that be why some of yours were more green than others?
I think they are still a different variety though because most collards around here are still dark green.
What about flavor?
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Post by paquebot on Feb 7, 2011 20:26:10 GMT -5
The thing is, yellow collards aren't yellow. They are a pale green that leans just a bit on the yellow side of that color. They were grown here in 4 different gardens last year and results the same in each. The ones which had the most nitrogen also happened to lean more to the yellow side of green. All 4 gardeners claimed that those collards were the best they'd ever eaten. One was a couple from Kentucky, another a Katrina transplant from New Orleans, and the other two were from Ethiopia and Tanzania. I personally have never eaten a collard in my entire life!
By the way, mushroom compost has virtually no nutrients left when the mushrooms are done with it. It's generally sold as spent mushroom compost and it truly is spent.
Martin
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Post by castanea on Feb 7, 2011 23:34:33 GMT -5
The thing is, yellow collards aren't yellow. They are a pale green that leans just a bit on the yellow side of that color. They were grown here in 4 different gardens last year and results the same in each. The ones which had the most nitrogen also happened to lean more to the yellow side of green. All 4 gardeners claimed that those collards were the best they'd ever eaten. One was a couple from Kentucky, another a Katrina transplant from New Orleans, and the other two were from Ethiopia and Tanzania. I personally have never eaten a collard in my entire life! By the way, mushroom compost has virtually no nutrients left when the mushrooms are done with it. It's generally sold as spent mushroom compost and it truly is spent. Martin LOL You should try them! They are quite tasty. |
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Post by mjc on Feb 8, 2011 0:01:51 GMT -5
By the way, mushroom compost has virtually no nutrients left when the mushrooms are done with it. It's generally sold as spent mushroom compost and it truly is spent. It's pretty much 'filler' material by then...some organic matter, little to no nutrients and 'bulk'. |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 8, 2011 5:45:21 GMT -5
I recall an occasion a quarter century ago when I proudly told my dad I had gotten a good deal on a couple bags of mushroom compost. He said, "You mean to tell me that you paid good money for bull$hit?" My feelings were very hurt. Now, 25 years later you are telling me that on top of it all it was USELESS bull$hit?!?!?! I think I'm going to become an accountant....
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Post by lmonty on Feb 8, 2011 15:32:19 GMT -5
re: mushroom soil: IMHO good tilth knows no price....it still lightens and conditions soil, even if the nitrogen is low. so odds are good its still helpful for soil consistency even if it doesn't contain nutrients. guess it depends on what you need.
i've never heard of yellow collards. sounds interesting. i am so glad i found this board, there are so many neat things i would probably never heard of unless i was here. DH agreed to increase the size of the garden considerably this spring. i cant wait. i really would like to try those collards ive never grow them before, it would be something else new.
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Post by robertb on Feb 8, 2011 18:20:09 GMT -5
Mushroom compost will add organic matter, even if there's nothing immediately available to the plant. Nothing wrong with that!
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Post by paquebot on Feb 8, 2011 18:29:55 GMT -5
Mushroom compost is also alkaline. Thus it's not something good for soils which are already have a high pH.
Martin
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