# Shouldn't we all be eating more collard greens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542 "2009-06-03T03:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/1 "2009-06-03T03:45:10Z")
Out of curiosity I bought a huge bag of [collard greens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens)from Walmart and cooked up some tonight. Yummy! Looked them up and they are a member of the cabbage family which explains the cabbagy smell as they were cooking. > [@](#): > > Cultivation and storage > The plant is commercially cultivated for its thick, slightly bitter edible leaves. They are available year-round, but many people believe that they are tastier and more nutritious in the cold months, after the first frost. For best flavor and texture, the leaves should be picked before they reach their maximum size. Flavor and texture also depend on the cultivar; the couve-manteiga and couve tronchuda are especially appreciated in Brazil and Portugal. > > Fresh collard leaves can be stored for up to 10 days if refrigerated to just above freezing (1 °C) at high humidity (\>95%).[citation needed] In domestic refrigerators, fresh collard can be stored for about three days.[citation needed] Once cooked, it can be frozen and stored for greater lengths of time. > [edit] Nutritional information > Collard > Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) > Energy 40 kcal 150 kJ > Carbohydrates 7.1 g > Fat 0.4 g > Protein 3 g > Vitamin A equiv. 575 μg 64% > Folate (Vit. B9) 76 μg 19% > Vitamin C 26 mg 43% > Vitamin K 623 μg 593% > Calcium 210 mg 21% > > Percentages are relative to US > recommendations for adults. > Source: USDA Nutrient database > Widely considered to be healthy foods, collards are good sources of vitamin C and soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and sulforaphane.[citation needed] > > Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have recently discovered that 3,3’-Diindolylmethane in Brassica vegetables such as collard greens is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with potent anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity.[citation needed] ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/2 "2009-06-03T04:46:04Z")
Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, etc. They’re all awesome. Whenever I barbecue, I always make a pot of mixed greens (half collard, half mustard is my most common mix) to help balance out all the gluttonous amounts of pig meat and fat. (I make mine without the typical base of bacon when I’m making them as a barbecue side.) It’s also great in soup, and there’s this [Rick Bayless recipe](http://thefoodprojects.com/recipes/?p=28) for Swiss chard tacos that works well with any green. Yummers. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/3 "2009-06-03T07:44:46Z")
My sister will frequently advance the notion that broccoli is the perfect food. I don’t know that I’d go that far, but I do frequently cook it because it’s something that my husband will eat that’s relatively healthy. My husband would happily subsist on scalloped potatoes or mac’n’cheese as a side dish to most meals, if I would let him. > [@](#): > > Whenever I barbecue, I always make a pot of mixed greens (half collard, half mustard is my most common mix) to help balance out all the gluttonous amounts of pig meat and fat. Heretic! You’re supposed to have tater salad and coleslaw and pork’n’beans or some other kind of beans when you barbecue! ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/4 "2009-06-03T08:17:34Z")
I love Collards, sign me up! Unfortunately, I’ve only ever had them boiled in a southern fashion with a smoked hock, ham bone/base, or turkey neck/smoked turkey wings. For me, great amounts of bacon, or pork, or even pork fat, are not needed with the substantial Collards, just a decent dose of a smoked, meaty bone to stew with the collards and provide a flavorful likker. I much prefer collards for their flavor and texture over turnip or mustard greens… they are far, far superior. Southern Hot Sauce and Collards go together like french fries and ketchup, just made for each other in a classic sense. One thing about collards is that they take a while to cook, to become toothsome they require a bit more cooking than your average leafy green. (Similar to cooking cabbage, in some ways.) I have often wondered why there arent more “stuffed” collard recipes because their texture, dimension, leaf, and flavor would seem perfect for rolling up some long stewing savory fillings. The texture kind of reminds me of a grapeleaf. I’m thinking maybe a New Orleans stuffed Grapeleaf… Some rice, lamb, pork, and sauteed trinity and garlic all rolled up in a blanched collard leaf… then slowly stewed in a creole sauce or sauce piquant. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/5 "2009-06-03T10:53:28Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Heretic! You’re supposed to have tater salad and coleslaw and pork’n’beans or some other kind of beans when you barbecue! Sounds like a Texas BBQ, not necessarily one from the rest of the Southern US. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/6 "2009-06-03T12:07:21Z")
I hear that chocolate makes you happy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/7 "2009-06-03T13:26:39Z")
I prefer turnip greens, but collards and mustard greens are tasty, too. Really, any edible member of the cabbage family is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/8 "2009-06-03T13:38:39Z")
People on coumadin and those who have hemochromatosis should probably avoid them. My ex-roommate used to douse hers with vinegar. She said it’s a Southern thing. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/9 "2009-06-03T13:40:12Z")
Mr. Neville would certainly say so. He’s Southern, and loves greens. We usually make them with a smoked turkey leg (no ham or pork for us, since we keep kosher). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/10 "2009-06-03T14:04:42Z")
Love them greens! I usually mix collards and turnip when I make them at home. Doused with pepper vinegar, of course. **Kalhoun** , your roommate was right. It **is** a Southern thing. Eating out, the best collards I’ve ever had were at Mesa Grill. Beat out my grandmother’s collards for sheer wonderfulness. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/11 "2009-06-03T14:08:02Z")
You can keep them, honey. You’re not supposed to eat anything that smells like that when you cook it. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/12 "2009-06-03T14:23:56Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I have often wondered why there arent more “stuffed” collard recipes because their texture, dimension, leaf, and flavor would seem perfect for rolling up some long stewing savory fillings. Here’s one, anyway: [Pork Stuffed Collard Greens](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/pork-stuffed-collard-greens-recipe/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/13 "2009-06-03T14:25:20Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Sounds like a Texas BBQ, not necessarily one from the rest of the Southern US. 🙂 Those are standard sides at BBQ joints. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/14 "2009-06-03T14:34:12Z")
I know they can’t compare with fresh, but I have here in front of me one of several cans I pick up whenever I grocery shop at Walmart: Glory Foods Sensibly Seasoned lower sodium Mixed Greens (turnip, mustard, kale - smoke flavoring and lots of others, hot red pepper flakes). As I am the only one who eats them, I can highly recommend them as a side dish. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/15 "2009-06-03T14:49:24Z")
Glory is pretty much the only decent canner that does greens that are any good. I always keep a few cans on hand for when the greens urge strikes and I can’t get to the farm stand. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/16 "2009-06-03T14:51:34Z")
Yep, greens are good for you. Unfortunately they taste like boiled socks unless they have lots of pork products cooked with them. With enough fatback, and vinegar and/or hot sauce of course, even collards can be good. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/17 "2009-06-03T15:13:48Z")
I’m a native North Carolinian and I hate collards. Everyone in my family just lurves them though, so I still get to smell them cooking when I visit. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/18 "2009-06-03T16:24:51Z")
I don’t see how I could possibly eat more greens. I’m pretty much a one man green eating machine as it is. Just about any soup can be bettered by adding greens (fresh or frozen). And a big bowl of collards or mixed greens is a near daily part of my diet, when in season. I’m so happy I live in the south. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/19 "2009-06-03T16:29:05Z")
Native South Carolinian checking in, never cared much for greens of any type, but I’ve only ever had much exposure to the boiled-to-death style. I do plan to try [one of Alton’s recipes](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/vlads-very-garlicky-greens-recipe/index.html) sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/20 "2009-06-03T17:00:41Z")
Never had 'em. If they smell like cabbage though…yick. I’ll stick with raw spinach, thankyouverymuch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542.md?page=2)