Recipes for Spring greens

I have many request for Spring Greens (Turnips, Collards, Kale, Spinach, and Mustard). I pulled this from an article years old. Hope that it works for you. Have a good week and enjoy your greens. I’ll be seeing you around…Agnes

 Turnip Greens: Cooked turnip greens are a popular southern food. Raw turnip greens, when young and tender, may be used in salads. Greens should be at least 3 inches in height to be picked. Do not pick the bottom leaves, as these tend to be bitter and extremely dirty. Some people pull the whole green up and twist off the roots; others pinch off just the green leaves. For a family of four, a large brown paper sack full of greens should be picked. Fill the sink with tap water and ¼ cup of salt. Put half the greens in this water and submerse up and down to get off all the sand and bugs. Do this with one handful of greens at a time. Transfer to the other sink. Wash the other sink out well to clean, then refill with water and ¼ cup salt and repeat the cleaning process. Do this a third time! If greens are really dirty, a fourth and fifth washing may be necessary. Put about 2 cups of water in a 6 quart pot. Add salt, to taste, and some butter, bacon grease or fatback. I like to chop my greens up before beginning the cooking process; some prefer to just break them apart. Pack the greens down into the pot. Cover and cook until done, stirring often to check the water level. Add garnishes of your… pepper sauce and onion are my choice.

Turnip Roots : The turnip root was probably one of the vegetables eaten by primitive humans. Since they are easy to cultivate, they have been a mainstay in human diets throughout history, especially during lean times. During affluent periods, turnips were relegated to livestock feed. Today turnips are more popular in the South than in other parts of the United States. They are root vegetables, which grow partially above the ground. In fact, the purple tops result from exposure to sunlight. Turnips may be eaten raw. They are usually shredded for use in coleslaw or sliced for crudités. The strong flavor of turnips is mellowed by cooking. They may be roasted, baked, and added to soups, stews and casseroles. Popular ways to serve turnips is to mash or purée them and serve with potatoes. The most common variety of turnip found in supermarkets has a creamy white skin that changes to purple, lavender or green at the top. Wash turnips under cold running water, scrubbing them with a brush, if necessary, to remove soil. Trim off the top and roots. Peel turnips with a paring knife. (Very young, fresh turnips may not need peeling.) Slice, cube or cut them into strips. In order to retain their mild flavor, avoid overcooking turnips. Cook cleaned turnips in a small amount of water until tender and season.

Corn Dodgers: Prepare dumplings while turnip greens are cooking. Slowly stir 1 cup plain cornmeal and 1 teaspoon salt into 1 cup boiling water. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; remove from heat and let cool. Sift together 1/2 cup flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Dissolve1/4 teaspoon baking soda in ½ cup sour milk. Alternately add flour and milk to cornmeal. Then add one beaten egg and beat for 1 minute. Remove greens and drop dumpling batter by spoonful on top of the liquid. Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. TO SERVE Remove dumplings with slotted spoon to a deep serving and pour the “pot likker” over the dumplings. Drain roots and greens, on serving platter along with any meat that was used for seasoning. Add any liquid to dumplings if needed or reserve for later use.

 Turnip Slaw: Grate the roots on the coarse side of the grater and add salt, pepper and sugar to taste along with a little cider and salad oil. Serve as a side dish. Orm Grate the roots and add ingredients just like for regular cabbage slaw.

 Mustard Greens: Mustard greens are like turnips. They are grown like turnips. However, they do not have the edible roots like turnips. There two basic types of mustard greens: the curly and the broad leaf. The broad leaf is a milder green and is not as hard to clean as the curly. The curly tends to get bitter before the broad leaf does. Most old timers would mix turnip, rape, and mustard seed together and plant because the greens are so good mixed together when cooked.

The seed of the rape plant is what we get canola oil from. The mustard seed is ground and refined and mixed with vinegar and salt to make the prepared mustard that we use on our burgers and hotdogs.

 Collards: One bunch collards cleaned, de-stemmed (if older), washed, and cut up. In a large pot put a piece of seasoning meat and add one quart of water. Bring to a boil and cook until meat is tender. You can use butter or margarine for seasoning. To the boiling broth, add the clean, cut up collards and bring to a boil, adding more water (boiling) if necessary. Reduce heat; add ¼ to ½ cup red wine and one tablespoon olive oil. Stir to blend the seasonings and cook over medium heat until done (tender). The length of time is determined by the tenderness of the greens.

 Kale: Wash young tender leaves and cut up. Put in a pot 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Heat and add wet greens. Salt and cook until tender. If you have to add water, add very little. Just before taking up to serve, stir in ½ Tablespoon of cider vinegar. Lift the greens out of the broth and serve or freeze. The broth is an excellent drink (with a little hot pepper sauce added.) Note: Kale is very rich in vitamins and minerals and is a good addition to a lot of soups.

 Salad : Kale is also a good addition to a salad and holds up when used with the meat of a main course is served on it.

1 small bunch tender kale

1 bunch spring onions

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ pound bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

Tear kale into bits size pieces and place in a bowl. Clean onions and chop. Mix kale, onions, mushrooms, and walnuts in bowl and toss. Add your favorite dressing…I prefer oil and vinegar …toss, sprinkle bacon on top and serve with a fresh tomato sandwich.

 Olive Garden Potato and Kale Soup with Sausage

1 bunch Kale washed and coarsely cut up

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large pot and add 1 package of Italian sausage sliced in ½ inch slices, 1 rib of celery, minced, and 1 small sweet onion, minced. Cook until the sausage is almost done. Add 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed and 2 quarts of water. Cook until potatoes are done. Stir in Kale and add a little thickener to the soup, if needed. Cook until Kale is tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). Stir in 1 large can of evaporated milk or 1 pint of half-and-half. Adjust seasoning and serve hot with grated mozzarella cheese on top and corn bread sticks or muffins.

 All greens are always better with hot pepper sauce, corn bread, and some fried streak-of-lean or slab bacon.