We grow Flash and Champion varieties.

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage

Collards should not be stored for too long, as their moisture content makes them susceptible to rot or wilting. Wrap collards in a damp paper towel and store in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator vegetable crisper. They will keep for up to 1 week. Avoid washing them until just before preparation.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Bacon, basil, beans, brown sugar, butter, cayenne peppers, chiles, cinnamon, cream, curry, dill, fresh ginger, garlic, ham, hot pepper sauce, lemon, liquid smoke seasoning, mint, molasses, mustard, onion, oregano, parsley, pork, salt pork, sausage, soy, vinegar, walnuts.

Serving Suggestions

• Boiled or pan-steamed greens are tasty seasoned with onion, garlic, and chopped fresh herbs such as mint, dill, and basil.

• Sauté collards with tofu, garlic, and red pepper flecks for a quick, nutritious, vegetarian meal.

• Serve collards with beans -- especailly black-eyed peas. An avant-garde approach to spring rolls and sushi: cooked collard greens with black-eyed peas and brown rice.

• Add chopped collards to soups and stews.

• Greens go especially well with ham, bacon, and pork fatback. Sauté chopped greens with a little bacon fat or a hunk of salt pork, sugar, and pepper. Splash liberally with hot pepper vinegar just before serving.

• The liquid left after slow-cooking collards with pork is extremely nutritious and delicious, the famed "pot liquor." Drink this broth on its own as a savory soup, or use it as you would vegetable stock.

• Try a vegetarian stew of collard greens, cabbage, sweet bell peppers, garlic, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and hot red peppers, seasoned with molasses, vinegar, and seasoned salt.

Recipes

Southern-Style Greens with Slab Bacon (serves 4)

These irresistible greens are absolutely better the second day. They seem to absorb more of the smoky bacon flavor, and the braising liquid ("pot likker") tastes better, too. In contrast to what you are served in some restuarants, greens prepared this way are neither salty nor greasy. You can almost taste the nutrition in them. Don't throw away the pot liquor. Use it for making vegetable soup or enjoy a steaming-hot cup of it for lunch the next day.

1/2 pound slab bacon (not salt pork), in one piece

2 pounds collards or turnip greens

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hot pepper vinegar

1. Put the bacon in a large pot. Add 3 quarts of cold water and bring it to a simmer over moderately high heat. Decrease the heat and continue simmering until the liquid is reduced to about 5 cups. This will take about 1&1/2 hours, depending on the size and shape of your pot.

2. Meanwhile, wash the greens well and let them drain, no need to dry them. Remove and discard stems. Stack the leaves and slice them crosswise at 1-inch intervals. When the stock is ready, add the garlic, then add the greens a few at a time, poking them down into the liquid with a wooden spoon until they wilt. When all of the greens have been added, simmer them until they become tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the greens below the surgace of the liquid. Turn off the heat, and let them cool in the liquid.

3. To serve, reheat the greens in their liquid; season if necessary with salt and black pepper. Serve in warm bowls, with a smidgen of the bacon and some of the braising liquid. Offer hot pepper vinegar on the sie.

Credit: Janet Fletcher, More Vegetables Please

Braised Greens

• Wash greens in a sink or larage pan of water.  (I cut off about 3 inches of stems before washing.)
• Lift out and drain - greens don't need to be perfectly dry.  The small amount of water clinging to the leaves will help cook the greens.  Finely chop one bulb of green garlic or 3-4 cloves regular garlic.  (More or less garlic depending on amount of greens to be cooked and your tastes).
• Heat 2-4 T. olive oil in a large pan (again - amount depends on how many greens to be cooked and your tastes)  Saute garlic for a few minutes.  Add a little hot pepper flakes if desired.  Add greens (whole or sliced)  and cook, covered, about 5 more minutes.
• Braised greens are good served with a sprinkle of either soy sauce or balsamic vinegar or your favorite hot sauce.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 3

Beans and Greens  (about 4 servings)

Ingredients

4 cups cooked white navy or cannellini beans

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion - or more, to taste

2 cups diced potatoes, uncooked

1 cup chopped carrots (optional)

1/2 cup diced red pepper (optional)

3 cups packed fresh greens (such as beet and a few kohlrabi greens.  You could also use kale, chard, collards, mustard greens or escarole.)

Fresh or dried herbs to taste - use fresh parsley and basil if you have these.   If you have pesto, use a spoon or two of that.   Dried sage and thyme would also work.

Olive oil

About 1 t. salt, red or black pepper to taste

Saute onions and garlic lightly in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Add potatoes and saute another 5-6 minutes.  Add all other vegetables except fresh greens and 2 cups water or broth.  (You could substitute some red or white wine for up to half the liquid.)  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.  Add greens.  Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or so.  Serve in bowls with a drizzle of olive oil.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 5

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm