By Andi Anderson
In East St. Louis, researchers and farmers are working together to preserve and improve heirloom collard greens. At the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center, unique collard varieties are being studied for traits like root performance, taste, and adaptability to changing climates.
Antonio Brazelton, a plant scientist and Ph.D. candidate at Washington University in St. Louis, leads research into these rare varieties. Many heirloom collards, like the purple-veined “Nancy Malone Wheat Purple,” have deep cultural significance and nutritional value, cherished by families for generations.
The collard seeds studied here were first collected by Ed Davis, a geographer who documented heirloom varieties across the Southeastern U.S. Families known as “seed savers” preserved these seeds, passing them down through generations. The Heirloom Collard Project later expanded their reach, sending seeds nationwide to study their performance in different climates.
Farmers like Shaffer Ridgeway of Waterloo, Iowa, are now cultivating these varieties, such as “Ole Timey Blue.” Ridgeway grows southern produce on his farm, Southern Goods LLC, and connects with customers eager to rediscover collards from their heritage.
Further north, researchers like Philip Kauth in Wisconsin are studying the cold-hardiness of collards as climate change alters farming conditions. Grants are supporting trials to identify varieties that thrive in colder regions, potentially broadening their cultivation.
Collard enthusiasts are not just preserving seeds; they’re safeguarding a cultural legacy. The Heirloom Collard Project emphasizes the importance of genetic diversity in plants, ensuring future generations can enjoy collards that are both nutritious and adaptable to evolving climates. Through collaboration between science and tradition, collards are finding a new place in modern agriculture.
Picture Credit: istock-dusanpetkovic
Categories: Illinois, Crops, Wheat, Weather