Susan Turner variety description
Variety is highly variable. Two plants are darker blue-green in color and have highly dissected/lobed leaves. One significantly different plant is completely prostrate with leaves lying flat on the ground. Another plant has some light purple pigmentation in leaf petioles. Other plants show some variation in leaf blistering. Plants have a moderate heading capability and measure 11-24 inches tall and 22-43 inches wide. Sweet with a hint of bitterness and nice texture.
Susan Turner variety history
Grown by Phil Harper of Albertson, North Carolina. Phil received this heirloom variety from his wife’s uncle, Billy Houston, who had been growing the collards since about 1950. Mr. Houston obtained the collards at that time from Susan Turner, an elderly woman who had been saving the same strain for several decades in the nearby town of Beulaville, NC. In 2004, Phil gave some seeds to Dr. John Morgan, a cultural geographer and professor of geography at Emory & Henry College, who was collecting heirloom collard strains for preservation on behalf of the USDA Accession. Seed Savers Exchange requested this variety in 2016 from the USDA Accession collection (PI 662800).
Seed Status:
This variety is low quantity in the Seed Savers Exchange collection and is currently being regenerated at Heritage Farm in Decorah, IA.