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Friday Favorite: Greens

May 17th, 2013

I have to admit, I used to be among the folks that didn’t like cooked greens. Fresh salads have always been welcome on my plate, but cooked greens were too slimy for me. That is, until I cooked them myself, in the proper way.
mustard greens 1
There really is nothing better than garden fresh greens, cooked the right way with butter and garlic. Earlier this week we enjoyed cooked mustard greens. They were so good I could have eaten a whole plate full. Since I grow mustard as a cover crop in the garden, there’s always a nice crop of it somewhere. It’s quite easy to mow off the top of the patch with a knife for a meal.
mustard greens 2
How did I make them? I harvested a couple pounds worth, boiled it in salted water for 5 minutes, dunked it in cold water to stop the cooking, then into a colander it went. After a bit of squeezing to remove most of the moisture, into a cast iron skillet it went which already contained minced garlic that had been fried to a golden grown in a few Tablespoons of butter. A quick stir to warm the greens and they’re done. Easy Peasy and so delicious.

Do you like cooked greens?

15 Comments to “Friday Favorite: Greens”
  1. Adelina Anderson on May 17, 2013 at 7:03 am

    Love cooked greens. Our favorite is steamed kale with a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes and apple cider vinegar. The kids love it (they haven’t met a veggie that they didn’t like).

    Reply to Adelina Anderson's comment

  2. kathi Cook on May 17, 2013 at 7:45 am

    Love swiss chard and broccoli raab.

    Reply to kathi Cook's comment

  3. angie h on May 17, 2013 at 8:20 am

    I didn’t realize you did the boiling step and squeezing out the water. Is this also the proper way to cook spinach?

    I need to hone my basic cooking skills! The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know how to do in the kitchen!

    Reply to angie h's comment

  4. elzi de voogd on May 17, 2013 at 8:47 am

    I absolutely hate cooked leaves! Always have, always will i suppose.

    Reply to elzi de voogd's comment

  5. KimH on May 17, 2013 at 9:02 am

    I love cooked greans any way you cook em.. The “right way” is the way you cook & like em. To each his own.

    To me, the “right way” is to add onions, pepper sauce ( hot pepper infused vinegar), bacon grease, bacon, a tsp of sugar & water.. boil the whammy out of them till there is just barely any pot liquor left in the pot and its thick & super flavored.. Yum!

    M’honey likes his greens boiled plain, then add butter & lemon juice just after its cooked. Its ok by me.

    I love all sorts of greens cooked.. and I’ll eat raw greens but I prefer them cooked. I even like lettuce cooked.. When I make a pot
    roast, I often chop up the meat and put on lettuce, then pour boiling hot juice on my lettuce to wilt it.. yum. ;)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  6. amy on May 17, 2013 at 10:56 am

    Love em!

    Reply to amy's comment

  7. Natalie on May 17, 2013 at 11:05 am

    I also like greens. I don’t cook them often, though!

    Reply to Natalie's comment

  8. Daedre Craig on May 17, 2013 at 12:14 pm

    I was never fed cooked greens as a child because my parents didn’t like them. I tried them a couple years ago and loved them. I’m a little bummed my parent’s didn’t bother to expose me to such a tasty and healthy vegetable option as a kid.

    Reply to Daedre Craig's comment

  9. Jaye on May 17, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    YES! Sometimes I just saute them in a bit of olive oil. Hate it when they’re overcooked!!!

    And I love them as a breakfast side with eggs :)

    A friend of mine suggested tossing a few golden raisins in with my collards (I have since tried this with other greens), it’s a nice combo!

    Reply to Jaye's comment

  10. Jennifer Fisk on May 17, 2013 at 9:04 pm

    I love Dandelions cooked with Salt Pork and Potatoes. I also like to use the sauteeing greens available at Hannaford’s. And certainly Fiddleheads are tops on the list this time of year.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  11. Tammey on May 17, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    I love cooked greens and have been enjoying kale that over wintered beautifully!! You cook them in an iron skillet just like I do!! Yum

    Reply to Tammey's comment

  12. Amy S on May 17, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    I actually take a monthly course privately from a woman and this month was cooking with greens. We made all sorts of things I would have never thought to do…arugula pesto, swiss chard quesadillas, dandelion greens in pot stickers, and pizza with kale on it. They were all delicious and was surprised to learn something new to make with them.

    Reply to Amy S's comment

  13. DebbieB on May 18, 2013 at 8:05 am

    Here you go, teasing us with cast iron again. :) I love cooked greens, especially spinach and collards and turnip greens, but I’m not very good at cooking them. I’ll try your method, it sounds tasty!

    Reply to DebbieB's comment

  14. Randy on May 18, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    Is your cast iron skillet a Griswold?

    Reply to Randy's comment

    • Susy on May 18, 2013 at 1:53 pm

      Yes, it’s an old Griswold that the old man left in my parent’s first home when they purchased it. My mom gave it to me. It’s my favorite skillet, I use it daily.

      Reply to Susy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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