Collards grow like a weed in these parts in the fall, through the winter,
and well into the spring; when it gets hot they typically bolt and go to
seed, making the leaves bitter.
They descended from wild cabbages that once grew in Europe. They
are a continuous crop, meaning that you can harvest the outer leaves
while the center continues to grow.
Collards can be seeded, or planted as starts – and It's About Thyme
is currently well-stocked with the local standard variety known as
“Vates,” which has crumpled dark green leaves and is winter hardy.
(6 packs $3.29 4"sqaure pots $1.50 4.5" rounds, $1.99)
Collards prefer full to half sun, rich fertile soil high in nitrogen,
regular water, good drainage, and organic mulch. Plant them 1-foot
apart, and expect them to yield for 6 months or so if they are
regularly harvested; increase the mulch when it warms in the spring
to insulate the roots and deter blooming. If you get any insect pests,
expect small beetles or caterpillars.
A pot of collard greens is always referred to in the South as a “mess
of greens”, and the vitamin-rich, bacon-seasoned savory broth in
the bottom of the pot is called potlikker. Traditionally the white
plantation owners of the South consumed the cooked and drained
collard greens while the slave cooks, who understood the high
nutrient value of potlikker, saved the broth to supplement their family’s
diets.
Nothing is better for soaking up the potlikker than a hot piece of
crusty cornbread that’s been split down the middle and slathered
with sweet butter. The Potlikker and Cornpone Debate in February
and March of 1931 pitted Julian Harris, an editor at the Atlanta
Constitution, against Huey “The Kingfish” Long, the backwoods
populist governor and soon to be U.S. senator-elect from Louisiana.
The traditionalist Harris contended that Southerners must crumble
cornpone into potlikker, criticizing Long as an unrefined rube, who
contended that the cornpone should instead be dunked.
What started as a lighthearted fluff piece in the local paper turned
into a 23-day long news event that captivated the South (and much
of the rest of the nation, once it spread on the wires), and ended up
dealing with all sorts of cultural affairs, including race relations,
gender, social class, elitism, and regional chauvinism. For what it’s
worth, we prefer eating our potlikker-soaked chunk of buttered corn-
bread with a spoon, so as not to lose any of that precious elixir.
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Mick’s Collard Greens Recipe
2 bunches of collard greens, washed well, central ribs removed,
chopped coarsely
¾ pound thick-sliced bacon, sliced thinly
1 large onion, halved and sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups rich chicken stock
3 to 4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons white sugar, to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
Cornbread to soak up the potlikker
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In a large stock pot with a lid, sauté the bacon over medium low
heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon golden brown. Add the
onion and sauté over medium heat until transparent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add the collards and stir well,
briefly sautéing the greens in the bacon fat. Add the chicken stock,
stir well, and place the lid on the pot. Allow the greens to cook down
for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add 3 tablespoons of
the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the black
pepper. Stir well for a minute and taste for seasonings. The broth
should be rich from the bacon and stock, there should be underlying
saltiness from the bacon, and the vinegar and sugar should add a
ubtle sweet-tart flavor. Cook for another 5 minutes and taste again,
adding more vinegar, sugar, and pepper if desired. Do a final tasting
for salt just before service.
Serve in a bowl with plenty of the pottliker. A piece of crusty hot
buttered cornbread makes an excellent accompaniment.
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Mick Vann: cookbook author, food writer, chef, restaurant consultant,
horticulturist http://gustidude.blogspot.com/
Next Week: the recipe for Mick's Mile High Cornbread!