Collard Greens - Mess O' Greens - How To Cook Collard Greens
 History of Collard Greens - Collard Green Recipe


© copyright 2004 by Linda Stradley - United States Copyright TX 5-900-517- All rights reserved. This web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission and appropriate credit given. If you quote any of the history information contained below for research in writing a magazine or newspaper article, school work or college research, and/or television show production, you must give a reference to the author, Linda Stradley, and to the web site What's Cooking America.


  Home    |   Recipe Indexes   |   Dinner Party Menus   |   Food History   |   Diet - Health - Beauty

Baking Corner |  Regional Foods | Cooking Articles |  Hints & Tips | Culinary Dictionary | Newspaper Columns


field of collards

But I have never tasted meat, nor cabbage, nor corn, for beans, nor fluid food on half as sweet as that first mess of greens.
James T. Cotton Noe (1912)

Collard greens are vegetables that are members of the cabbage family, but are also close relatives to kale. Although they are available year-round they are at their best from January through April.

Collard greens date back to prehistoric times, and are one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. The ancient Greeks grew kale and collards, although they made no distinction between them. Well before the Christian era, the Romans grew several kinds including those with large leaves and stalks and a mild flavor; broad-leaved forms like collards; and others with curled leaves. The Romans may have taken the coles to Britain and France or the Celts may have introduced them to these countries. They reached into the British Isles in the 4th century B.C.

According to the book, The Backcountry Housewife - A Study of Eighteenth-Century Foods, by Kay Moss and Kathryn Hoffman:

The 17th century Lowland Scots had greens or potherbs "from the yard" along with their oat cakes or oatmeal. The switch to corn cakes or mush along with their greens in 18th century American was most likely not too difficult a transition for these folk.

John Lawson remarked on the many green herbs, wild and cultivated, growing in Carolina in the early 1700's. These greens included lamb's1quarters, plantain, nettles, rhubarb (dock rather than garden rhubarb), comfrey among "abundance more than I could name." The "abundance" most likely adds dandelion, sorrel, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, endive, cresses, and purslane to the list.

Collard greens have been cooked and used for centuries. The Southern style of cooking of greens came with the arrival of African slaves to the southern colonies and the need to satisfy their hunger and provide food for their families. Though greens did not originate in Africa, the habit of eating greens that have been cooked down into a low gravy, and drinking the juices from the greens (known as "pot likker") is of African origin. The slaves of the plantations were given the leftover food from the plantation kitchen. Some of this food consisted of the tops of turnips and other greens. Ham hocks and pig's feet were also given to the slaves. Forced to create meals from these leftovers, they created the famous southern greens. The slave diet began to evolve and spread when slaves entered the plantation houses as cooks. Their African dishes, using the foods available in the region they lived in, began to evolve into present-day Southern cooking.

June 2, 1011:  Collard greens became the official vegetable of South Carolina when Governor Nikki Haley signed Senate Bill No. 823 (S823) into Law on June 2, 2011. The proposal to name collard greens the official state vegetable was prompted by a letter from Mary Grace Wingard, a 9-year-old Rocky Creek Elementary School student. Mary Grace said that she was inspired by a talk given by Governor Haley during a field trip her class made to the Statehouse.

A BILL TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 1-1-681 SO AS TO DESIGNATE COLLARD GREENS AS THE OFFICIAL STATE VEGETABLE. Whereas, the State of South Carolina ranks second in the nation for collard green production; and Whereas, Lexington County ranks first among counties in South Carolina for collard green production; and Whereas, collard greens are a healthy addition to any Southern meal. Now, therefore, Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina: SECTION 1. Article 9, Chapter 1, Title 1 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding: "Section 1-1-681. Collard greens are the official vegetable of the State." SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Southerners love their greens. A time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, greens have held an important place on the table for well over a century, and there is no other vegetable that is quite so unique to the region. Greens are any sort of cabbage in which the green leaves do not form a compact head. They are mostly kale, collards, turnip, spinach, and mustard greens.

In the Southern states, a large quantity of greens to serve a family is commonly referred to as a "mess o' greens." The exact quantity that constitutes a "mess" varies with the size of the family.

The traditional way to cook greens is to boil or simmer slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time (this tempers their tough texture and smoothes out their bitter flavor) until they are very soft. Typically, greens are served with freshly baked corn bread to dip into the pot-likker. Pot likker is the highly concentrated, vitamin-filled broth that results from the long boil of the greens. It is, in other words, the "liquor" left in the pot. It is said by southern grandmothers that "Pot likker will cure what ails you and if nothing ailing you, it will give you a good cleaning out."

In spite of what some consider their unpleasant smell, reaction to the smell of cooking greens separates true southern eaters from wannabes.

According to folklore, collards served with black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year's Day promises a year of good luck and financial reward, hanging a fresh leaf over your door will ward off evil spirits, and a fresh leaf placed on the forehead promises to cure a headache.


 

Follow What's Cooking America on Facebook


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."
 

Recipe Type: Collard Greens, Vegetables
Cuisine: Southeast, Deep South
 Yields: serves many
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min


Ingredients:

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


Preparation:

Wash greens thoroughly, approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of insects. To prepared the greens, tear each leaf from its thick center stems; discard stems. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards don't need to be stripped. Discard all 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 the collards greens.

Add prepared collard greens, big leaves first (let the water start boiling), then add remainder of greens. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once about midway to ensure thorough cooking. Throughout the cooking process, check the water level and add more as needed to replace what's lost through evaporation. Test for tenderness 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.


Topping Ideas:

  • Hot pepper
  • Vinegar
  • Onions and vinegar (chopped onions and vinegar mixed together)
  • Salsa
  • Small whole tomatoes