Kale, yeah! How do you like to grow, cook, and consume dark leafy greens?
Collard Greens vs. Kale vs. Chard
Dark leafy greens are a great category of vegetables to choose from, with lots of tasty options to choose from at the market! Chard, both ‘Swiss’ and ‘rainbow’, and all other cultivars, derive from the beet family. Instead of making colorful, tasty root vegetables, these plants have been cultivated for their leaves and stems, which can also be very vibrant. On the flip side, collard greens and kale belong to the same plant family as cabbage.
That said, we tend to group all of these vegetables because they are all handled very similarly in the kitchen. When cooking a kale recipe, feel free to sub in your chard, and the same for collard greens!
Planting Chard and Other Leafy Greens
Collards, kale, and Swiss chard are fairly cold-tolerant, which makes them perfect “shoulder season” crops. They do well when planted in early spring and can continue to be planted until three months before the first frost (in Southeast Michigan, our first frost is about mid-October). They are also well-suited for planting in hoophouses (high tunnels) over the winter. Frost-kissed kale and collards are sweet and make for a delicious winter or early spring vegetable.
To harvest collards, kale, and Swiss chard in your own garden, start on the outside of the plant with the largest leaves. Snap off 2-3 leaves per plant at the base of the leaf where it attaches to the stem.
Leafy Greens in the Kitchen
Dark leafy greens are some of the most versatile vegetables. Tender baby greens make great salads, fabulous additions to smoothies, and interesting toppings for tacos, burgers, and sandwiches. Larger leaves can be eaten raw in “massaged” salads, shredded into slaws, or as wraps for sandwich filling. Cooking larger leaves in stir fries, as a stand-alone dish, wilted in salads, or mixed into eggs adds flavor and nutrition to many meals. Check out all of our recipes for kale, collard greens, or chard here!
How to Blanch Leafy Greens
Blanching is a way to preserve color in vegetables and make them ready for frozen or canned storage. To blanch these veggies, add greens to a pot with boiling water for a couple minutes, then remove and add to ice water to halt the cooking process. See more on freezing below!
How to Store Leafy Greens
Keep these kinds of greens in the refrigerator. You can either store them like a bouquet in a jar of water, ideally with a bag over the top, or simply loosely wrapped in a damp paper towel. The key is not to let them dry out in the circulated air!
Can You Freeze Collard Greens?
Absolutely! Freezing a bounty of greens is a great way to prevent food waste and add to soups, stews, and pasta dishes throughout the winter. We love this guide from MSU Extension for the how-to on freezing collard greens.
Leafy Greens In the Medicine Cabinet
Dark leafy greens are a powerhouse. They contain a host of vitamins and minerals and are a great source of fiber. Key nutrients found in dark leafy greens are:
- Vitamin A (Carotenoids): antioxidant, supports immune health, night vision, and red blood cell production. Carotenoids are yellow/orange pigments. Usually masked by the chlorophyll in leafy greens, they’re visible in the yellowing leaves of aging produce. ½ cup provides about 50% of the recommended intake
- Vitamin C: antioxidant, supports collagen/tissue integrity (goodbye scurvy and bleeding gums), improves iron absorption, and supports immune health. ½ cup provides 15% of the recommended daily intake
- Vitamin E: an antioxidant that supports immune health. ½ cup provides 23% of your recommended intake
- Vitamin K: blood clotting, bone health, and improved Vitamin D absorption. 1 cup provides anywhere from 50% (1 c. lettuce) to 450% (1 c. raw kale) of your recommended daily intake
- B vitamins: energy/metabolism, detoxification, and DNA repair. Folate (a B vitamin found in leafy greens) also promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects.
Dark leafy greens are also a wonderful source of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium.
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Kelly Wilson, RDN, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and former Director of Community Partners for Taste the Local Difference. Her favorite dark leafy green is collard greens.
Updated on November 12th, 2025.