Delectable collard greens

From the headline here, you can easily see I’ve encountered a lot of people who don’t think that the greens of my acquaintance are really fit to eat. Growing up in the south, I never questioned the acceptability of the likes of kale, collards, turnip greens, and their first cousin, potlikker. Yes, in my household growing up I saw adults spoon out the potlikker from cooking greens, even with expressions of pleasure.

Supposedly, because the slaves got the leftovers, which included tops of edible root plants, like turnips, they originated eating them as a staple. I can’t attest to the truth of that. I can assure you that I never learned to turn up my nose at a ‘mess’ of greens, usually cooked with some flavoring like porkbelly. Soaked into cornbread, it was a delicacy to me.

Lately, I have developed a preference for ‘nuking’ my greens in the microwave, but cooked in a Dutch oven is just as good. My recipes tend to be visual, and I cook for one, so I’m putting in here an acquired recipe from Google.  . . .

Collard Greens Recipe
How To Cook Collard Greens

This is a family recipe from my friend, Andra Cook of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Andra says, "It is difficult to measure weight and size for each serving. My mother-in-law, Belle Cook, says she buys a grocery bag full and can serve four with that. Collard greens are available eight months out of the year in the South. I don’t include June through September because the greens are much better after they have a ‘good hard frost.’ That’s not to say you can’t get them in the other months (June-September), but the taste is much better after the frost."

Collard greens (whole collard heads or leaves)
2 ham hocks
Water
Salt to taste
Toppings (suggestions follow)

Wash greens thoroughly, approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of insects. Remove large stems.

Place ham hocks in an extra-large pot with enough water to completely cover them. Add salt and cook ham hocks at least 30 minutes before adding collards greens.

Add collards, big leaves first (let them start boiling), then add remainder of greens. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once about midway to ensure thorough cooking. Test for tenderness of stems at 45 minutes by piercing with a sharp knife. Cook additional time if necessary.

Remove from heat and drain in a colander, reserving the juice (pot likker).

Chop collards with a collard chopper or a knife, leaving no large leaves or pieces. Add some of the pot likker if the greens are too dry. Salt to taste.

Serve hot or at room temperature with your choice of toppings.

Sounds good to me.

Incidentally, greens are a great fall crop. Here in N. TX., they will keep growing until December unless there’s an unusually early frost.