Collard greens

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Name Variations

 * collards

About Collard greens
Wikipedia Article About Collard greens on Wikipedia

Collards, also called collard greens or borekale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), are various loose-leafed cultivars of the cabbage plant. The plant is grown for their large, dark-colored edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, and in many parts of Africa. They are classified in the same Cultivar Group as kale and spring greens, to which they are extremely similar genetically.

Collard greens are dark-green, broad, flat leafy greens. Collard greens can be refrigerated unwashed in a plastic bag for up to 5 days. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and are believed to possess cancer-fighting properties.

The plant is also called couve in Brazil, couve-galega in Portugal, (col) berza in Spanish-speaking countries. The name "collard" is said to derive from Anglo-Saxon coleworts or colewyrts ("cabbage plants"). It is also said that "collard" is a pidginized version of "colored".