COLLARD GREENS

Collard Greens are a delicious vegetable and are in the same cultivar group as kale.

Storage: Store your Collard greens unwashed in the refrigerator drawer.

Preparation: Wash the collard greens well by swishing them in a bowl of water with a little bit of salt. Cut or rip the center rib of the large leaves. Young early leaves have tender ribs that will not need to be removed. Cooking collards causes them to reduce down to ¼ or 1/8 of their original volume. Allow 4-8 cups of greens per person.

A famous way to prepare collards is by cooking them for many hours with a ham bone for flavoring. Unfortunately, this method robs the vegetable of most of its nutritional content. Try steaming or sauteing collards with olive oil and garlic. Combining collard with other greens like kale, mustard or chard is a wonderful way to prepare this vegetable. Smaller, young collards are good fresh in salads or lightly cooked in omelets or stir-fries.