Collard Greens

We have a 21-year-old son who is rooming with three Auburn tennis players from Germany.  It's been a good experience for all four of these young men so far.  Matt said Lukas wanted to try grits today, so he made him some.  Now, I'm pretty sure they were the instant kind, which don't measure up in my opinion, and nor did they in Lukas' opinion because he quickly spit them out.  LOL!  That got me to thinking about Southern cooking and how to explain it to a non-Southerner or foreigner.  I'm not sure I'll be able to that because I'm certainly not a cook and defninitely not Paula Deen, in fact, I had to call my best friend to tell me how to cook collard greens today, but I'll certainly try.

We're blessed to live in a small community made up of genuinely loving people who care for their neighbors.  I came home late this week and found a bag of collard greens on my front porch swing from Mr. Walker.  Mr. Walker enjoys two things, talking and gardening.  He brings me such joy every time I see him because he's full of stories and he reminds me so much of my father.  He has been in poor health recently and has difficulty keeping a garden, but has a very large one nevertheless.  His daughters recently told me that their mother told him that he shouldn't be out there, if he died in  his garden she was simply going to leave him there and cover him up.  :P

Since I haven't cooked collards in ages, I had to call my best friend, Cynthia, for help.  This is her recipe.  Thanks, friend.

First, you have to clean the greens.  Cynthia uses sissors to cut out the middle stem from end to end.  My dad simply tore them away.  Either way is good.  Then soak them in cold water and clean throughly to remove any dirt.  You don't need any grit in your greens.

Second, layer several leaves together, roll tightly, and cut into thin slices.  Here again, my dad used to tear them into bite-sized pieces.  Either way is good.  (And, yes, that's my hubby helping deomonstrate and, I know, that's an old 1980's Tupperware cutting board, but that's what I use.  If it's not broken, don't fix it.  I'll keep them both, thank you.)

After thoroughly washing, cleaning, and cutting, put the greens in a pot, adding just enough water to cover.  Add bacon (yes, I use the fully cooked kind, although the regular with the drippings is probably more flavorful), salt and pepper to taste, and about 3 tablespoons of sugar to cut the bitterness.  Cover and cook on medium-high until boiling and then reduce the heat to or a softer boil.

Cook until done.  Cynthia said that you can add some butter or bouillon for more seasoning, although mine was perfect without.

Serve up with fried ham and black-eyed peas and that's what's for supper.