Nancy Malone Wheat Purple Collard variety description
Uniform variety. Ovate leaves are dark green with entire to slightly toothed margins and a lobed outline. Leaves have moderate blistering and purple petioles and midveins. Plants have purple stems and measure 16.5-22 inches tall and 35-43 inches wide. Plants do not form heads. Plants damaged when temperatures reached 20 F. Tender and sweet with some bitterness.
Nancy Malone Wheat Purple Collard variety history
From MacArthur Walters of Coker, Alabama. This variety is and heirloom from the family of Mr. Walters’ wife, Annie. It was grown and saved for generations and handed down to Annie by her mother, Nancy Malone Wheat (b. 1912, d. 2000). “Mac” doesn’t start picking collard leaves until after two or three frosts because he says that’s when they taste the best. Once, Mac grew rutabagas and cut the greens from them and cooked them like he does his collards, then fed them to his friends, who said, “Mac, these are some excellent collards!” He said, “Those aren’t collards! They’re rutabagas! You thought I’d give you my good greens?!!” So now he sometimes grows rutabagas and eats the roots and the greens. Seed Savers Exchange received this variety in 2016 from the USDA Accession collection (G 33028). It was collected on behalf of the USDA Accession by Dr. Edward Davis (professor of geography at Emory & Henry College) in 2006 from MacArthur Walters.
Seed Status:
This variety has been successfully regenerated and will be available of The Exchange in 2023.