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COLLARDS
Collard greens are part of the brassica group of vegetables (which are a sub-group within the mustard family of plants). They are
the exact same species as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts. Collards were developed to provide
cabbage-like greens in areas that are too far south to grow cabbage. So the texture of collards is much like cabbage, but the leaves
are large and spread out rather than formed in a large head. Actually, if you ever have the hankering to eat the outer
leaves of broccoli, cabbage, or brussel sprouts--they taste almost exactly like collards. I haven't tried cauliflower leaves, but they are probably ok too.
We distribute collard greens in a big bunch. The leaves are generally a bit tough to eat raw or in salads, so they are best boiled or steamed. If you like pot roast or any hunk of meat cooked in a crock-pot, that is a great way to use collards. Usually people will throw in some potatoes, onions and carrots around the meat--just add the collards as well and they will be nice and tender when the meat is done. We don't eat much meat, and when we do, it's often in the winter when we don't have many fresh veggies from the garden. So we like to blanch and freeze the collards to use later. To blanch collards, remove the stems from the large-medium sized leaves (they can be left on smaller leaves). Take several leaves and roll them up like a fat cigar and chop into 1 inch strips. Steam these for just three or four minutes and rinse in cold water. Then pack away in ziplocs or tupperwares and freeze. Collards hold a special place in southern cooking. If you know anyone born and raised in the south they might even still call cooked collards a "mess o' greens". See recipe below for the traditional southern style collards. RECIPES: Southern Style Collard Greens 1/2 pound smoked meat or salt pork (ham hocks, smoked turkey wings, or smoked neck bones) 1-2 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped) 1 tablespoon hot sauce (tabasco, etc.--or use red pepper flakes or finely chopped hot pepper) 1 large bunch collard greens 1 tablespoon butter In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, salt, garlic, and hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour. Wash the the collards and remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-inch thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add butter. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning. If you don't mind your collards REALLY cooked, you can just throw them in at the beginning of cooking the meat--but they'll turn out really mushy (which can also be viewed as a melt-in-you-mouth texture depending on your preference). |