On a breezy yet sunny afternoon, Friday, November 15, 2024, Winston County Self Help Cooperative members Joan Eiland, Emma Goss, and Elaine Hobson harvested young and tender collard greens from a newly constructed vegetable garden at the Winston County Self Help Cooperative building in Winston County. The garden provides cooperative members with fresh vegetables.
The Cooperative members enjoyed being outdoors in the garden as they discussed collard green harvesting techniques to promote continuous growth. By working and learning together, the cooperative members increase their skills to have more productive gardens, supplying abundant vegetables. The three members socialized while discussing the harvesting techniques for individual leaves, not the entire plant.
While some people harvest the individual collard leaves with a knife or shears, other people do not use a knife or shears. To harvest individual leaves without a knife or shears, mildly grasp the base of the leaf close to the stem and pull the leaf downward and outward with a slight twisting motion. To harvest individual leaves with a knife or pruning shears, cut the leaves from the stem, leaving a few inches intact to allow the plant to grow and produce more leaves for future harvests. Thus, harvesting individual leaves and not the whole plant allows the plant to remain intact for continued growth. Emma Goss, who expressed substantial interest in improving her gardening techniques, stated that her mother and grandparents did not use shears or knives to cut collard green leaves from the stems.
After harvesting the collard greens, each member said they enhanced their harvesting skills and were delighted to have fresh-picked nutritional collard greens to take home. In addition, the members delivered freshly harvested greens to Carolyn Hopkins, Clara Brown, Dorothy Steele, Leora Miller, Daisy Miller, and Mary Kelly. Some people who received the greens said they would cook and eat them immediately, while others said they would cook and freeze them until Thanksgiving.
After today’s harvest, the members should have another abundant supply of collard greens to harvest in about two weeks to donate to other cooperatives and community members. For numerous years, the Winston County Self Help Cooperative has promoted agricultural sustainability in Winston County and the surrounding areas.
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