My New Favorite Greens

[so lucky]

I had only tried collards once or twice in my whole life, only remembered something tough, thick and strong tasting. But out of desperation for greens I bought a bag at Big Mart a couple of weeks ago. They were shredded, big bag, not expensive, quite dry so they didn't rot in the bag.
I cooked half of them with bacon grease and garlic, and water, for maybe 20 minutes. Topped with crumbled bacon. OMGoodness! Fantastic flavor and texture. Didn't sog up like most greens do. We had leftovers for 3 days, good to the last bite. Then after the second half of the bag sitting in the fridge for two weeks, I cooked them up the same way a couple of days ago. Just as good. We have eaten on one 3 dollar bag for at least 6 days. Two of us.

So now I'm thinking.....maybe I need to grow some of these!

 

[digitS']

But, you are from "south" east Missouri! Don't people grow and eat collards in that neck of the woods?

Green vegetables are important and good food. They don't have to be same old/same old: cabbage, spinach and lettuce.

I'm pretty sure I grew collards once. There is memory of their flavor and I'm also pretty sure that the memory isn't from my travels in the South. It has been a motivation to grow different types of kale. That, and wondering what all the kale hoopla is about.

I don't think I've got the collards flavor right with anything I've tried. Can't blame me for trying ... eh?

Nothing very radically different in my exploration of Asian greens has shown up, either. I do grow some mustard greens every year but they wouldn't encourage much exploration.

You don't boil the collards for a couple of hours with meat, like some folks do, right So Lucky? I've had mustard greens like that - not what I'm interested in, in "fresh" vegetables ...

Steve

 

[nachoqtpie]

EEEEEEWWW!!!!! I DO live in the south and I can't do collards! BLECK! I was talking to my uncle once and he told me that I needed to pick some up because they make you poop

 

[so lucky]

I guess some people around here grew up eating collards, but not my family. Just 30 miles south of me is where "South" begins, Steve, beyond Crowley's Ridge.
My family was more likely to be fed wild greens; poke and dock. Mom called it "nardock" but I think that was a shortening of "narrow dock." We had mustard and turnip greens, too.
There were other greens too, can't remember. Should have paid more attention.

 

[digitS']

I've never eaten either. My relationship with dock is not the best. We see Ducks' fight with it on TEG.

I'm curious about poke and have had it growing in the corner of my yard. It survived 1 winter. Pretty berries ... there was a volunteer in the salad garden last year. I'm curious if it survived. I think I carried it there with some parsley and it wasn't competing with anything.

If someone likes collards but doesn't live where it's able to grow well - there's Portuguese kale. One of these first days, I should have turnips again but I don't really like the roots. I don't believe I tried the greens and that is a shame.

Bok choy has to be a favorite because it is versatile and I've learned what little is needed to know about growing it. Orach is nearly a wild green in that it self-sows so readily. No one who likes a spinach salad should miss a chance to try orach.

Steve

 

[jasonvivier]

 

[seedcorn]

Bacon, bacon grease, garlic, could have done a piece of wood and it would be good.

Collard greens sound good that way. Impressed you didn't eat all of it. It did shrink correct?

 

[so lucky]

The thing is, it doesn't shrink down like mustard or spinach. It keeps a lot of substance, for lack of a better word.
And I agree, bacon, garlic and bacon grease would make even a piece of wood tasty.