[Eatyourgreens]

Hello all and sorry to start off with a ramble, I did a search but couldn't find what I needed.
 
Been a keen gardener all my life, just not really big into veg growing, have done it on and off, but never studied it. I live on an island off the top of Scotland.

When I was young I ate "Greens", then I got married etc, and for some strange reason I ate Cabbage, over the years I mentioned to my wife on odd occasions, "Can't I have green cabbage like me mum used to make, not this tasteless white stuff". This didn't always get a good reception ;-)

All we can get on the island is white cabbage or grow it yourself so maybe time to do just that.

Any way a couple of years ago I was down at me sisters in Lincoln and she dished me up a dinner with GREENS, it was really nice, since then I have found (I shall duck for a second) I can buy Spring Greens in large shops on what we call the mainland (The main Orkney island that is a two hour ferry trip away for me).

So it's time to grow my own. This should be easy I think, good at gardening, grown veg before, all I need is to know what seeds I want and a bit of research on the web should help, then order from any seed company.

Why can't I find what I want. I went on a couple of well known seed suppliers sites, plenty of Cabbage, I tracked down a small company who helped, but she wasn't confident.

I now have Curly Kale and Cabbage growing away and I hope some greens in the form of Cabbage "Advantage" but I really don't know if these are the same as the Collards that I read about on the very American biased Interwebtypethingy, I now know about "Pot-likker" and how that derived from what we call liquer in Pie Mash and Liquer shops in London but really I want more info on good old Greens.

So any help on Greens, like varieties, seed suppliers etc appreciated.


Bob

PS I believe Liquer or Likker as the men in the South of the USA say, is basically the water left in a pot after the veg is taken out so you can get Cabbage liquer or Pea liquer etc. In the case of London's Pie and Mash it would be Potato or Eel liquer they then added Parsley to and it became the traditional sauce/gravy for Pie Mash and Eels (Recipe available on request)

[SnooziSuzi]

I think that 'spring greens' are basically any cabbage or brassica that hasn't /doesn't heart up.  In other words, cabbages that you have overwintered and have not yet put on enough growth to form a heart or other things like turnip tops are also classed as spring greens.

Hope this helps, and welcome to the boards  

[richyrich7]

Ain't greens when you chop the top off your brussels and they re-sprout new leaves that are tasty.

[SnooziSuzi]

I have read that too, but wasn't too sure!

[compostqueen]

eseeds stock collard seeds

http://www.eseeds.com/c-239-collards.aspx  

Cabbage Advantage should be ok though I reckon

[Novice but totally hooked]

How about Savoy Cabbage - they're not like 'white' ones that are found in salads, coleslaw etc?

[compostqueen]

I love Savoy (buttered and black peppered, oh any maybe a tad of wholegrain mustard)  but grew my own only to find the plants were massive  :shock:   I'd like a truly compact variety if anyone knows of one  

[Eatyourgreens]

Done a lot more reading of older posts with a slightly more refined search.

Looks like my "Advantage" is a spring or winter green in that it is a non-hearting cabbage, and I am on my second sowing of those along with my third of curly kale.

I am pretty sure what the Americans call Collards are just what we call greens (The word Collard is taken from Anglo Saxon ColeWort, our way of saying Cabbage before the Normans turned up)  but they have had a couple of hundred years to develop them, so I will give eseeds a call tomorrow and give the Georgia Southern/Creole a try as well, thanks for the link.


Bob

[compostqueen]

You're welcome  

[Martin]

You might want to consider some of these greens for cooking from Real Seeds.
Look under:
- Chard & greens for cooking
- Mustard greens
- Oriental salad greens

[Eatyourgreens]

Funnily enough I found some Spinach Beet (Top of Chard & greens for cooking ) last week and the seeds came through today (Showing above compost, not through the post), I will use this first sowing outside but my plan is to fill a fish box with compost and succession grow them in the greenhouse as a winter crop.

Will look through the rest tomorrow.

Bob