What's Cropping Up: Winter Greens

By Mandy Hobby Texas Department of Agriculture  January 2010 Check your expiration dates and clean off a few shelves because Texas winter greens are moving into a refrigerator near you. From lettuce and cabbage to kale and turnip greens, this month's seasonal suggestion serves as a tasty foundation to salads, appetizers and sides. According to USDA, Texas is a major producer of winter greens in the United States, with nearly 12,000 acres producing almost 300 million pounds of greens. Cabbage is the state's No. 1 winter green crop with 8,200 acres worth $46.1 million grown in 2008. Spinach is Texas' No. 2 greens crop with 1,200 acres yielding $3.4 million in 2008. Even with the state's outstanding production numbers, Texans still consume much more than they grow. Each year, Texans eat more than 1.2 billion pounds of green leafy vegetables, nearly 50 pounds per person. Nationally, Texas ranks in the top six producers of turnip greens (No. 3), spinach (No. 4), cabbage (No. 4), collard greens (No. 5), kale (No. 5) and mustard greens (No. 6). To read more about Texas winter greens, go here. For a delicious recipe using Texas greens, go here.