Kale!!

[gbrown]

I'm from the South and down here it's mustard, collard or turnip greens. Nothing better than a pot of greens, some pinto or navy beans, rice and cornbread. That's a meal! May seem alien to some of you, but that's what I had when growing up. When I went North in 2003, of course, I couldn't find my greens. I did find Kale. Looked at that frilly stuff and thought, "Hmmm. Greens". I experimented with it--Olive oil, rendered bacon grease and sausage. Smothered it down like young, tender mustards. Loved it! Ate it all the time. I shop at Kroger's, and they have started carrying them. I had some for supper. Super stuff!

[DIRT Farmer]

I have a hard time finding seed, I saved it for several years. I always sowed it in the tobacco patch and it really helps the ground plus it is good eating. The deer love it to.

[gbrown]

Are you using a hybrid? I would think you would let it go to seed and then save the seed. My Dad did that with mustard.

[DIRT Farmer]

The problem was crop rotation, I just dident plant any where I could let it go to seed. Some years it freezes out, so mainly bad planning on my part.

[Mooseman]

We southerners living in Alaska grow collards and turnips and Mustard greens as well as spinach. We discovered Kale and added it to our greens List.It doesnt go to seed like the Mustard greens. I cooked some tonight in chicken stock, garlic salt and butter...Yummy.

[Rick N Bama]

Every fall I plant a patch of Turnips, Mustard, Rape & Kale. No problem finding Kale seed here, at least so far I've never had a problem finding it.

Rick

[Bill*]

Every fall I plant a patch of Turnips, Mustard, Rape & Kale. No problem finding Kale seed here, at least so far I've never had a problem finding it.

Rick
Didn't know Rape was a plant but I noticed Bullshops address was Rapeseed way, now it makes sense.

[gbrown]

Rapeseed is in the same family as mustard, kale, cabbage, etc. if I'm not mistaken. It's oil is good. They had a hard time selling it, until it became known as Canola oil.

[Rick N Bama]

Rapeseed is in the same family as mustard, kale, cabbage, etc. if I'm not mistaken. It's oil is good. They had a hard time selling it, until it became known as Canola oil.

Are you saying that Rape & Canola are the same plant?

Rick

[gbrown]

If you google up canola, there are several articles about this. It is my understanding from what I have read. Here's a link. I use Canola oil or Olive oil. One day I just wondered, "What the heck is Canola, anyway?" and started looking.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/canola.html

[Rick N Bama]

If you google up canola, there are several articles about this. It is my understanding from what I have read. Here's a link. I use Canola oil or Olive oil. One day I just wondered, "What the heck is Canola, anyway?" and started looking.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/canola.html

Interesting! Some Canola is grown around here, but I had never associated the plant with my fall greens:) My greens patch is mowed down & the ground cut up for the spring/summer garden by the time it would be producing the flowers & seed.

Rick

[Boz330]

Rape seed oil is an ingredient for boolit lube. Deer also like it. They grow it every couple years on the farm I hunt on in the winter rotation.

But how about some recipes for a Yankee. I use to work with a bunch of black guys on a construction crew and they brought in some greens with some sort of sausage in it that was to die for. Been on this diet for a month now that calls for lean and green and I've gotten some canned greens that were pretty good but others not so much. The southern spiced were the best but they don't say what's in it for seasoning. Help me out here, I've just rediscovered greens.

I lead a pretty sheltered life when it comes to greens although my grandmother tried to feed me dandelion greens once. You can't fool me though, those are weeds. Of course had I survived the depression I might have seen it differently.

Bob

[gbrown]

I make a 50/50 venison sausage with bacon for fat. Probably 70/30 for meat/fat--more like a kielbasa. Smoked lightly with oak/apple. Use Your favorite sausage. Pan sausage will work. Saute, brown, fry, whatever you call it, the sausage first and then add the greens. Any greens(mustard, turnip, kale)--get a little fat, throw in the greens, cook them down, add a little water--1 tablespoon to 3 depending on how many greens you have. Add lid and smother 5 min. Turn off fire, let sit for another 10 minutes and EAT!! I have bottles (like clean Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce) of cayenne peppers and serranos. OMG--gotta love them.

[Rick N Bama]

But how about some recipes for a Yankee. I use to work with a bunch of black guys on a construction crew and they brought in some greens with some sort of sausage in it that was to die for. Been on this diet for a month now that calls for lean and green and I've gotten some canned greens that were pretty good but others not so much. The southern spiced were the best but they don't say what's in it for seasoning. Help me out here, I've just rediscovered greens.



Bob

Bob if you live in KY & can't get fresh greens then you must be somewhere around Lexington:)

If those black guys were from the deep south, then I imagine the greens were Collards.

For myself I only eat Collards at New Years in a dish that is made with the greens plus Black Eye Peas, Hog Jowl & plenty of Onion, Garlic & other spices to cover up the taste of the Collards:) The dish is said to bring a person wealth, health & good luck in the coming year, I'm still waiting for that to happen:redneck:

If you have a local farmers market you should be able to find fresh greens there. There's all the difference in the world in the taste of Fresh VS Canned!

Rick

[Boz330]

Bob if you live in KY & can't get fresh greens then you must be somewhere around Lexington:)

If those black guys were from the deep south, then I imagine the greens were Collards.

For myself I only eat Collards at New Years in a dish that is made with the greens plus Black Eye Peas, Hog Jowl & plenty of Onion, Garlic & other spices to cover up the taste of the Collards:) The dish is said to bring a person wealth, health & good luck in the coming year, I'm still waiting for that to happen:redneck:

If you have a local farmers market you should be able to find fresh greens there. There's all the difference in the world in the taste of Fresh VS Canned!

Rick

Closer to Louisville than Lex, but not quite the season for greens yet from the farmers market. As a kid I worked for a greenhouse and in the summer we grew greens but I never ate them just weeded and cultivated them.

Bob

[Tom-ADC]

Like kale and the others listed also swiss chard, we have been getting rainbow swiss chard lately, taste pretty good.

[gbrown]

Boz330--Down here in S.E. Texas, greens are a fall/winter crop. Like Nov. till the freeze kills them off. My Dad grew greens, turnips, radishes, broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbage in the fall/winter garden.

[Rick N Bama]

Boz330--Down here in S.E. Texas, greens are a fall/winter crop. Like Nov. till the freeze kills them off. My Dad grew greens, turnips, radishes, broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbage in the fall/winter garden.

I plant mine in the fall as well. Right now all I have left is some Brussel Sprouts that are still bearing, but they're headed downhill with maybe one more picking to be had. My Kale lasted until we tired of it so I cut it down & tilled the area for the beans, etc.

My SIL sometimes plants greens in the early spring which gives him a couple pickings before it gets hot & they die off.

Rick

WOW!! I've just noticed this is my 1000th post:)

[gbrown]

What is really neat for me is that a fellow on my lease plants greens as feed for deer. It's not far from one of my blinds. I can walk down there and pick young greens and stuff in my pockets for supper! Talk about good! I'm thinking I'll do my own planting this fall. Love 'em.

[Tom W.]

I don't like the stuff. I'll eat boiled cabbage or spinach, broccoli and asparagus, and lettuce, but the other green things y'all can keep.

[10 ga]

Love my greens! The collards, kale, 7 top, mustard all gone to seed here and have mowed and tilled all in cept for last of the cabbage and collards. There are several types of kale: smooth, curly, russian, scotch and blue dwarf. I like all cept the smooth. My favorite greens is fried creesy greens ie fried cresses, land cress. As with most greens cook lightly as overcooking is what makes them "strong" or taste bad. Ya don't need to cook them to eat through a straw! I always get the sidemeat, jowls, hocks, ham skin etc... in the water and boiled real good and then add the greens to the boiling liquor, get done really quick and don't overcook! Dandelions are in the same family with endive and are really good greens too, different taste and tend to be "sharp" and good with spinach, (bland), cooked or raw, and are a good summer replacement for the others which need cool weather. When I was in college in Blacksburg, found wild watercress in the streams and wet areas of the area cattle pastures and hay fields, now that is a treat and haven't had any for 30+ years. Good eating to all, 10 ga

[gbrown]

1. If its green, I'll eat it, except for brussel sprouts. Too bitter for me. 2. +1 on 10 ga observation about over cooking greens. A long, long time ago, my father would take my brother, sister, and me on afternoon hikes up the Blanco River. Along the way, we would stop at springs where wild watercress grew. We gathered it and brought it back. A hot cast iron skillet, a little left over bacon grease or fresh rendered, toss them puppies a few times, about 1 teaspoon of vinegar + 1 teaspoon of sugar and about a 1/4 cup of water. Stir or toss, turn off the fire and cover for 10-15 min. Whoa!! Still fix my tender young mustards that way.

[WRideout]

I am an expat Californio, who lived for a time in TN. While I was there, I found that depending on where you are from, there is actually only one plant that can be officially called "greens". In some places it is collards, in others, it is poke. There is also something called creece greens, that I have never tried. I once made the mistake of referring to my garden-grown Swiss chard as greens; I was quickly corrected.

Now that I live in the frozen north, my gardening has changed somewhat, but I have a patch of chard that wintered over this year, due to mild weather. I like it cut up and steamed, with a touch of lemon juice. Also put it in my homemade minestrone.

Wayne

[gbrown]

Down here, greens are anything ranging from collards to poke salad. The poke greens here are wild greens with a reddish stalk that grows to about 4 feet. The story I have been told is that you had to boil poke greens 3 times--supposedly there is something bad in them. Boil, pour out water, boil, pour out water, boil, season and eat. I have done that several times. Taste good. Never had a problem. Never tried chard, nothing we get down here. Tonight, fish, carrots, baked potatoes, KALE!!!