Need help with greens

[breezy]

Calling all Southern Cooks.
I have a bunch of both kale and collard greens. I am originally from Montana and I seriously have no clue what to do with these. We dont do collards that far north and in fact I had to have someone identify them for me. ( its ok go ahead and roll your eyes I know you want to LOL)
Is anyone willing to share their recipes with me for either of these greens?
I do know that one or both of them have to be cooked drained and cooked again? Do I have that right or is that something my warped brain made up?
Also does one cook beet greens like the other two?

Am feeling kind of dumb here....I can cook elk , moose or even bear but the greens have me beat:/

 

[joebryant]

An old black woman from the deep South taught me how to make "greens"...
That's all a lie that I tell everyone who raves about my greens, and if anyone tells the black music teacher at school who used to pick many bags of them in my garden and taught me how to make greens that I said that, I'll deny my ever having said it.

Do not use kale, beet greens, or Swiss chard for this. They get brittle... not good.

The idea is to have lots and lots of collards, mustard greens, and turnip greens (like black plastic bags full) to mix together in a very large pot. Just keep cutting them into small pieces and adding to the pot. You'll be amazed how quickly they shrink down to fill the pot.

To start:
Fry some pork belly or jowl bacon squares in the pan's bottom until brown. Add some hot pepper to the grease. Add a couple cups of water. Salt to taste.
Just keep adding the greens (collards, mustard, turnip all together or two of or individual green - best if you have all three) to the large pot until no more greens will cook down and the pot is full. Once boiling begins, add a pinch of soda to remove the acid taste. Add more water as needed to cover the greens.
Cover and simmer on low heat for at least twelve hours, eighteen's better.

Drinking the resulting liquid (pot liquor) might give you diarrhea, but it's so delicious that it's worth getting the runs for; just be ready in case.

If you want to see if you qualify for membership in the NAACP, send some to Joe so he can judge.
I made them so well that the music teacher paid for my membership. You never know, maybe...

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Quote:
lmao - your wit made my night . . . so far

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

If the leaves are young and tender you can stir fry them, fry a little bacon in a wok or frying pan and add the greens and cook until tender.

For older leaves remove the main stem and chop the leaves. the big stems take forever to cook and are bitter we feed them to the birds. toss them in a pot as you chop with a little bit of water and cook them down. Just cook until tender it doesn't take long at all. Around here they are cooked with "seasoning meat" either pork neckbones or pig tails.

If you grow them until fall after the first light frost the leaves of the collards and kale get a sweet taste to them.

Beet greens are cooked without the seasoning meat.

Steve in NC

 

[CedarRidgeChicks]

Collard greens are my DH favorite food..I prefer mustard greens..I do the above..use whatever seasoning meat is available..country ham, jowl or plain bacon..sometimes I add a little sugar if they are strong..DH likes them to be refrigerated for a day after cooking..he says it enhances the taste..they are much better after a light frost and when young leaves.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
I like Mustard greens to

Steve

 

[Schultz]

Gosh now I want greens!
I make them pretty much the same as most people, boil, boil, boil!!
What I did not see here is that they need to be rinsed, soaked and rinsed again! My granny would scour out the bathtub and she would fill the tub with greens. Rinse, Soak, Rinse!! She would also fry a big mess of okra with a few ham hocks and then combine all that with the greens. For the longest time, that was the only way I would eat okra!

 

[Judy]

I love them too -- originally a Yankee, learned to eat greens as an adult.

I get the big stems out and simmer a couple of hours with some sort of seasoning meat, or even a few boullion cubes. Cook some sort of corn bread to sop up the "pot liquor." I usually toss the oldest, toughest leaves, so this may be why 2 hours seems to be enough to get them good and tender.

I also like the young tender ones stir fried for just a few minutes, expecially mustard.

Agree, a bit of sugar helps if you get a bitter batch -- hot sauce helps this, too.

 

[2DogsFarm]

I grew up waaaaaay North of the Mason-Dixon line so I make greens the yuppified way:

Saute stems & leaves separately (stems go in the pan first as they take longer, then add leaves) in a skillet with olive oil & plenty of chopped garlic.
Stir-fry until leaves wilt, then cover & let steam until tender - maybe 10 minutes for a big skilletful.
Serve over pasta or as a side.
Squeeze fresh lemon or hot sauce over, or both.
Works with kale, collard, chard or beet greens.
The beet greens cook quickest and turn the pasta pink

 

[Imp]

A couple weeks ago chef at work made greens.
Just steamed for a couple minutes plain.
Dumb chef.

Imp