Collards

When I (finally) became a fully fledged Master Composter, along with my certificate Garden Organic sent me two packets of seeds from the Seed Library. One was a pack of Georgia Southern Collards. I wondered if anyone had grown them and/or eaten them. Any cultivation advice? How do you cook them? What do they go well with?

Largely, they'll do well as you'd do any other for their greens, i.e. spinach or mustard greens. And like many others, are gentler to the palatte when taken younger. They can be a cut and come again. There's a bit of a bitter to them, so some folk blanch them first before adding to the final dish. They're often slow cooked with ham hock, my favorite. Sometimes also with Black Eyed Peas (field peas I believe they're also known).

Usually I have the peas beside, not along with, but that's my preference. In Southern U.S. it's customary to have greens and black eyed peas on New Year Day. Peas for good luck in the home, Greens for good luck in money. So, yeah, they can be cooked the way you'd do any other cut greens, maybe a bit more dilligent in de-stemming if it bothers you. They'll add their own type of distinct flavor to your dishes.

It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens. Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens.

Baa-ba-bada-baa.