MARSHVILLE — If you travel to different areas of our country and even the world, you’ll notice that the food is different. Of course, the food is bound to be different because there are differences in the people. Sometimes, though, it can be due to practicality. Certain food is eaten because it is available in abundance or will readily grow in that region. As an example, Pancho explained to me that cactus is a staple in his country, used as a vegetable in stir fried dishes. That’s because it grows freely in many areas of Mexico.

In the South, we have our own unique foods that are not usually found in other areas. If you’ve traveled very much, you know you can’t find country ham or grits above Virginia. I actually think that’s a good thing. If the rest of the nation found out how good country ham is, the demand would sky rocket upward and so would the price.

A vegetable that is synonymous with the South is collards. This is another food that I find people are either very positive about or extremely negative. I always say, if you don’t like them, you haven’t eaten them properly cooked. I’ve been fortunate because I’ve been around some very good cooks in my childhood and also as an adult. If you’ve eaten this dark green vegetable as a child, you’ve craved it as an adult. I’ve always taken it for granted because it’s always been available.

I’m always amazed at the new things I learn about the most common vegetables or fruits when I hear from the readers of my column or if I explore a topic on my own. Back in the spring, I mentioned that collards would not produce their strong, distinctive odor while cooking if you placed an unshelled pecan in the pot while they cook. I took it for granted that all varieties had this characteristic.

Janice Mullis followed up that column with an e-mail and pictures concerning the variety she has been growing for some time. They were so different, she asked for my help in identifying them. Her variety grows very large and is so heavy, only one can be carried at a time. Regardless of how large they are, she informed me they are still tender and sweet. Better still, there is never an odor when they are cooking. Her information sent me on a journey to identify them and learn more about this leafy southern staple.

During that search, I found that botanists say the collard plant is a type of kale, that is essentially unchanged in 2,000 years. Also, that both collards and kale are more correctly a form of wild cabbages. Its history goes way back, having grown wild in ancient Turkey, Greece, the Mediterranean and China. Because the Romans conquered most of the known world 2,000 years ago, it ended up in Great Britain, France and Germany. In the 1500s, cultivated collards grew in the West Indies close to Cuba. A century later, they were thriving in Virginia. These southern destinations were perfect for their growing conditions.

In the early 20th century, Virginia conducted extensive research on collards, with the result being the varieties known as Vates, Champion, Flash and Heavi-Crop. Other research done more recently has led medical studies to conclude that this type of vegetable helps prevent cancer. This was news to me, but from what I can understand, eating foods in this vegetable family helps the liver to detoxify ingested toxins. This makes sense because studies show many cancers originate from substances in our environment.

From a nutritional standpoint, collards rate an A+. Surprisingly, cooked collards have far more benefits than if eaten raw. Normally, the opposite is true concerning fruits and vegetables. However, cooking breaks down the cellular walls of collards, releasing higher levels of vitamins A, B, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc and potassium. Plus, they are high in fiber and are low calorie as well as low fat.

After my research and further e-mails with Janice, my wife and I were invited to meet with her family to gain more info about her intriguing variety of collards. They say that every picture has a story and that was true of the photos that Janice took of her prized crop. The story and history were filled in by Janice’s mother-in-law Mavis Mullis Smith, She and her husband Morrell also grow collards, as well as other thing in their garden next door. All of these collards came from seeds that spent about 20 years waiting in Mavis’ freezor. Originally, they had been passed down from her parents, Sanford and Velma Rushing who lived in the Unionville area. Many years before, the Rushings visited the mountains where they admired an older woman’s collard plants. They stood out due to their size and texture. Although it was too late in the year to set out young plants, this woman shared some seeds with Velma Rushing and instructions on how she grew her collard plants. I readily admit I often learn something new from talking to other gardeners and this was certainly no exception. This how-to-grow info was passed down from this mountain woman, to the Rushings, then to Mavis, to Janice, and finally to Nadine and me. This information was the special way she helped her plants to produce more seeds. With this type of collards, I can see why you’d want to save a lot of seeds. This also underscores the importance of sharing knowledge and plants with the next generation and the next and the next.

When you learn something new or different, you can say it’s been a very productive day. That’s how we felt when we left the Smiths’ and Mullises’ gardens. Also, because of Janice and Gary’s generosity, we returned home with nine young collard plants of this unknown variety. As of now, I’ve been unable to identify the name. I’ll let you know as I glean more information. If you have questions or comments about these or other collards, e-mail or give me a call. Just don’t call me on New Year’s Day. I’ll be pretty busy eating and these collards are going to play a big part.

— Tom Walden is a Master Gardener volunteer with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Union County. He may be reached at tnw00@windstream.net.