Sharing a love of collard greens

ROCKINGHAM —Carl “Big C” McCullough has only lived in Rockingham in the Lenox Station Apartments for about a year, and he’s got one accolade to be proud of — the largest collard green plants he’s ever seen or grown.

“I have had collard greens maybe a third of this size, but never this big and I’m been doing this for 27 years,” shared McCullough. “I had a guy walk by yesterday and say ‘Man, that’s not real.’”

McCullough said he’s bought the seeds from Morris Plant Farm in Maxton like he’s always done, but he’s never seen this sort of growth. He wakes up everyday at 5:30 in the morning to water them for the past four and a half months.

Two of his collard green plants he’s estimated have grown to be about 10 pounds with massive leaves. “When I hold it open and look down in there, I see nothing but love,” McCullough said. There planted in a former fenced in dog park at Lenox Station, where he received permission to plant. His front porch is littered with many other smaller plants.

His largest plant is planted in a bed of kale and mustard greens and is still growing despite some onset frost. McCullough plans to wait another his week until his sister arrives from San Antonio before he preps any meals from his beloved plant, but is tempted to wait until Thanksgiving to see if it will get any bigger. He suspects the plant wouldn’t survive in the cold until then. He’s already got collard green soup on his mind, with some black eyed peas, carrots and small pieces of ham mixed in with chicken broth.

Paige Burks Clark with the NC Cooperative Extension said that these are some impressive collards, but it’s not the largest ones that she’s seen. She suspects these are Morris Heading collards, which are notorious for getting larger and rounder than typical collards.

McCullough has many smaller collard green plants that he’s shared with about 12 neighbors so far. A former caddy and chef at Pinehurst No. 2 and the Pinehurst Hotel Country Club and Resort respectively, McCullough has always had a love for planting that he loves to impart with others.

McCullough moved to the area to be closer to family members following a diagnosis of prostate and bone cancer.

“The doctors told me to do something to occupy my mind. As you can see, I did just that!” McCullough laughed. “Planting gives me something to get problems on my mid. Instead of worrying about my illness, I tend to my babies. I just thank God he gave me the spirit and the inspiration to keep doing what I’m doing.”