Collards

[Ole Joe Clarke]

This is not a recipe.

My brother brought us a couple of stalks of collards yesterday morning on the way to church. Later in the day I washed and stripped the leaves from the stalks. This morning put the pot with the collards on the stove, put a slice of bacon in and a little salt, and turned it on medium.

In a little while the whole house started smelling good from the greens cooking. Before long they were tender and we had them for lunch. Gonna finish them off in a little while along with a fresh pone of cornbread. Thank you Lord for such good food.

Even though they were not frosted on yet, they sure are good.

[Beagle333]

That kinda meal is sure hard to beat!

[HarryT]

Have you tried fried collards? They're good but no pot liquor.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

No I haven't had fried collards. Would like to try some. Right now I'm stuffed, no collards left and just a small piece of cornbread. I need a nap.

[waksupi]

I like to chunk up some bacon and brown it, then add the collards and some garlic. Takes about twenty minutes or so.

[rush1886]

I like to chunk up some bacon and brown it, theu add the collard s and some garlic. Takes about twenty minutes or so.

Works good with Mustard Greens, too. Or even a combination of the two. Don't forget just a splash of Tobasco or Franks. Or, my personal favorite, "Chef Paul's Magic Pepper Seasoning".

[DougGuy]

Regular collards:



Cabbage collards:



After years of the traditional collard side dishes (and sometimes the main dish) I tried some cabbage collards and danged if they aren't GOOD! They taste exactly as the name suggests, like a cross between the two. After cooking, cabbage collards are just a tad bit sweeter. I think we will have cabbage collards for holiday fare this year.

[jsizemore]

Add a cold glass of buttermilk and life is good.

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Doug,
Those cabbage (both kinds) are about the prettiest I ever saw. I used to have a big ole garden, now the chert in my yard won't hardly grow grass.

[MaryB]

Bucket garden! Or find rotted out on the bottom cattle waterers and fill with potting soil.

Doug,
Those cabbage (both kinds) are about the prettiest I ever saw. I used to have a big ole garden, now the chert in my yard won't hardly grow grass.

[Boaz]

Regular collards:



Cabbage collards:



After years of the traditional collard side dishes (and sometimes the main dish) I tried some cabbage collards and danged if they aren't GOOD! They taste exactly as the name suggests, like a cross between the two. After cooking, cabbage collards are just a tad bit sweeter. I think we will have cabbage collards for holiday fare this year.

That is a fine mess of collards in one hand ! I do love em , I like a little bacon in mine and just a tiny bit of red pepper . Heck ! I like any greens but collards are king .

[leeggen]

Waksuppi that sounds like the way the wife fixes the beety greens. Sounds good and tasty.
CD

[Dark Helmet]

Somebody's a collard growing hoss!

[Greg S]

Just made 4 bunches tonight with some smoked neck bones I simmered up last night for the liquor base. Uh huh, tastey! I think you could stew up a dozen pair of old Army boots in neck bones and it would taste good. Always liked them (greens) just never new how to make them until a dear GA peach turned me on the the receipe for 'Al's Legendary Collards'. Easy receipe, set it and just let it simmer till they are tender.


2.5 lbs of Collards, Mustard ect.
1 Ham Hock
2tsp Salt or to taste
2/3C Cider Vinegar
1/3C Chopped Onion
2.5 TBS Corn Syrup
1.75 TBS Worcester Sauce
1/3 tsp Garlic Powder
1/3 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2/3 tsp Hot Sauce
1/8 tsp ea of white, black and red pepper flakes

[Duster340]

Beautiful greens Doug Guy!

In addition to the standard cooking with bacon, garlic S&P I tried something different recently. Kinda like cabbage rolls, I blanched the leaves and fill them with a mixture a season ground meat, rice, dash of cayenne and a bit of shredded cheese and roll em up nice and tight, lay them in a glass baking dish then poured a mixture of fresh stewed tomatoes season with S&P, spices/herbs over the top. Covered it with foil and baked for about 1 hour. Served with crusty bread to sop up the juices. My wife and kids loved them. We put the hurt to those suckers! Gotta love them collard (and chard, kale and mustard) greens!

Be well folks

[DougGuy]

^^^^ That sounds awesome!

I would grow collards in my own garden but the ones in the photos are grown near me on a farm that is a local favorite. Whatever is in season, you go out there and you ride out into the fields on a golf cart with one of the hands and they pick or cut whatever it is you want, you ride back to the barn and they weigh and sell you whatever it is you brought in from the fields. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peanuts, corn, taters, turnips, collards, they grow a lot of good stuff. I think those collards were $2 a head.

http://thecollardpatch.net/

"The Collard Patch is a pick-your-own roadside farm market. It is designed to help you obtain the freshest locally grown vegetables in this area. A lot of pride has gone in to growing the finest, tastiest garden vegetables, maintaining all the nutritional benefits.

If anyone needs convincing as to why picking at the Collard Patch is a good thing, here are a few of the reasons below:

Local food tastes better. It is fresher and has been ripened in the field rather than in a shipping container.

Local food is better for you. The shorter the time between field and table, the fewer the nutrients lost.

Local farms often grow a greater variety of plants that are well suited to local conditions.

Local food supports local families.

Local farmers sell directly to their customers, cutting out the middleman and enabling them to support themselves by what they grow. It also means that local dollars stay within the community and have three times the impact on the local economy."

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I bookmarked the page, anybody that makes a collard pie deserves a second look.

[Blackwater]

Wow! What a wonderful way to get a guy HONGRY! I'm partial to th' smoked neckbones, too, but bacon will work all day long, too. My favorite of all is mixing collards, mustard and turnips (the sweet ones if you can FIND some!) together in appx. equal parts. That makes the absolute BEST pot liquor that you'll EVER have! And I usually put pepper vinegar (liquid from pickled peppers) and a little La. hot sauce on mine, but like 'em straight with no chaser at times, too. I'm a lot like ol' Justin Wilson, and cook according to what I want at the moment, or fancy that I'd like to try that day. No sense in cookin' everything th' same ALL th' time, an' greens of all types lend themselves readily to all manner of variation, but all the above recipes an' little variations are the essential experience. Like said, a little cornbread (pan type or the "lacey" type) an' ya' got one FINE meal in front of ya'!

Why is it every time I come here I gits HONGRY?

[tommag]

I've always browned a hock or two, then filled the kettle with cut up collards and let them simmer in the water released by the collards until tender. The gelatin in the hocks made the greens really rich and (not sure how to to describe it, maybe creamy?)

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Blackwater: You are preaching to the choir. I like collards and collards, collards and greens with pepper sauce. Everything you described.