# Shouldn't we all be eating more collard greens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542 "2009-06-03T03:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/41 "2009-06-04T02:53:39Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Not all of us – I eat pierogies. (Like I said, I hate saurkraut, unless I’m eating the leftover soup) From [Wiki:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierogi) “Pierogi (also perogi, perogy, pirohi, piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, pyrohy), from the Proto-Slavic “pir” (festivity), is the name most commonly used in English speaking areas to refer to a variety of Slavic semicircular (or, in some cuisines, square) boiled dumplings of **unleavened dough** stuffed with varying ingredients.” Ooooo, Pesach! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/42 "2009-06-04T02:59:11Z")
I’ve always liked collards much more than any other greens. But until recently, they were damn hard to find unless you grew your own. The bagged ones at Wal Mart are good if you don’t have time to clean and sort them, (and if you just want leaves), but the most delicious part is the stem. The stems are tender and juicy and have 10x the flavor of the leaves. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/43 "2009-06-04T03:34:25Z")
I love collard greens! I eat mine Brazilian style- cut into super fine strips and sauted in olive oil with piles of garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/44 "2009-06-04T04:43:56Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Sounds like a Texas BBQ, not necessarily one from the rest of the Southern US. 🙂 I’m a Texan. Oddly enough, most of the BBQs I have and attend are Texan BBQs. Imagine that. 😉 I think that the tater salad and cole slaw is common to just about all of the US South, though, and only the beans in some sort of tomato sauce is truly Texan. I don’t know for sure, but it’s probably from traditional ranch/cowboy cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/45 "2009-06-04T07:38:05Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I love Collards, sign me up! Yup. Me too. Unfortunately, about the only time I make them is New Year’s Day, because the store where I can get them (if at all) is thirty miles away from me. > [@](#): > > I have often wondered why there arent more “stuffed” collard recipes because their texture, dimension, leaf, and flavor would seem perfect for rolling up some long stewing savory fillings. The texture kind of reminds me of a grapeleaf. I’m thinking maybe a New Orleans stuffed Grapeleaf… Some rice, lamb, pork, and sauteed trinity and garlic all rolled up in a blanched collard leaf… then slowly stewed in a creole sauce or sauce piquant. Sign me up for your newsletter. That sounds super yummy if you ever work out the details. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/46 "2009-06-04T07:45:15Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Do this: > > Wash collards (or turnip, mustard, etc.) greens thoroughly. > > Saute fresh garlic (however much you want. I usually use a couple of minced cloves.) in 1/1 mix of butter and olive oil in a heavy pan with a lid. > > Add a couple of splashes of white wine. Allow the sauce to reduce. > > Decrease heat to simmer. > > Pile greens in pan to the top. I mean, stuff 'em in there. Muscle the lid on as best you can. Weight it down, if necessary. > > Let greens steam for a few minutes. They will cook waaaaay down. You always have less greens than you think you do. This usually takes less than five minutes. You want the leaves bright green and not mushy. Turn the greens over occasionally if necessary. > > Toss in pan to mix the garlic/butter/olive oil/wine through the greens. > > Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan in the hot greens. Let it melt and get all gooey, and serve. > > I do this every New Year’s for a house full of guests, and it’s always a universal hit. You must have access to baby greens. The ones I can get need at least 45 minutes cooking to be chewable. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/47 "2009-06-04T07:52:06Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > I’ve always liked collards much more than any other greens. But until recently, they were damn hard to find unless you grew your own. The bagged ones at Wal Mart are good if you don’t have time to clean and sort them, (and if you just want leaves), but the most delicious part is the stem. The stems are tender and juicy and have 10x the flavor of the leaves. How the heck long do you have to cook the stems to make them edible? Are you talking baby greens or full-grown bull elephant ear collards? The ones that I can buy on occasion would likely take hours. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/48 "2009-06-04T07:53:12Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I love collard greens! I eat mine Brazilian style- cut into super fine strips and sauted in olive oil with piles of garlic. Wow. That sounds great. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/49 "2009-06-04T13:20:14Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I think that the tater salad and cole slaw is common to just about all of the US South, though, and only the beans in some sort of tomato sauce is truly Texan. I don’t know for sure, but it’s probably from traditional ranch/cowboy cooking. That sounds pretty typical to this Tennesseean. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/50 "2009-06-04T14:06:14Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > They smell a hell of a lot worse than cabbage. My mother makes them for my dad for New Year’s, because it’s, you know, required. She’s a Yankee, though, so she cooks them outside. She’s doing something wrong, I suspect. I cook collards with a small amount of water, and they don’t smell badly at all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/51 "2009-06-04T14:39:52Z")
She’s probably cooking them too long. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/52 "2009-06-04T15:20:28Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Glory Foods Sensibly Seasoned lower sodium Mixed Greens (turnip, mustard, kale - smoke flavoring and lots of others, hot red pepper flakes). As I am the only one who eats them, I can highly recommend them as a side dish. No, you are not the only one. I’m southern and grew up with Ma cooking 'em straight out of the garden. However, Glory does a great job with the canned ones and I always keep a couple in the cabinet. I prefer the mixed ones though. Anybody every tried the vinegar and eating them with your fingers, squeezed with bits of cornbread? Now that’s southern! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/53 "2009-06-04T18:20:44Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > How the heck long do you have to cook the stems to make them edible? Are you talking baby greens or full-grown bull elephant ear collards? The ones that I can buy on occasion would likely take hours. The full grown ones. Although the stems are big, they’re very porous. I cut the stems into 1" pieces and cook them with the leaves, for about 1 hour. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/54 "2009-06-04T18:36:35Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > The full grown ones. Although the stems are big, they’re very porous. I cut the stems into 1" pieces and cook them with the leaves, for about 1 hour. You cook the leaves for an hour? Holy crap. You must reduce them to paste. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/55 "2009-06-04T19:01:42Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > You cook the leaves for an hour? Holy crap. You must reduce them to paste. No, mature collards can cook for a really long time without becoming mush. They retain their basic collardness, for lack of a real term, without getting to that boiled spinach stage. My mama will throw fully cooked collards into soup and cook that for a half hour to an hour without the leaves losing their strength. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/56 "2009-06-04T19:23:49Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > You cook the leaves for an hour? Holy crap. You must reduce them to paste. That would take days! Even if they were boiled, I don’t think they would reduce much in 1 hour. That’s the best thing about collards. You’ll end up with almost all of the same amount you started with. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/57 "2009-06-04T20:06:26Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > No, mature collards can cook for a really long time without becoming mush. They retain their basic collardness, for lack of a real term, without getting to that boiled spinach stage. My mama will throw fully cooked collards into soup and cook that for a half hour to an hour without the leaves losing their strength. Yeah, collards – at least the way I cook them – take anywhere from 45-60 minutes to reach the consistency I like. Other greens, like mustard and chard, take much, much less time to cook. While I tend to prefer most of my vegetables cooked lightly and quickly, there a few – like collards and green beans (really) – that I like cooked slowly and for an extended period of time. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/58 "2009-06-04T20:45:54Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > That’s the best thing about collards. You’ll end up with almost all of the same amount you started with. Counting the pot liquor, you’ll have more. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/59 "2009-06-08T19:13:13Z")
This thread, and the fact that collard greens were on sale at the supermarket, made me decide to try my hand at making them yesterday. Started off with about 8 slices of turkey bacon (which is what I had on hand) chopped up. Browned that in some olive oil, took it out and put it on a paper towel. Added a sliced red onion, some hot pepper flakes, and 3 cloves garlic to the oil. Sauteed that for a little then added the chopped greens and let it steam in the water that was on the leaves from washing them. About 30 minutes later I deglazed the pan with some wine (about 3 oz of dry rose because again it was what I had on hand) and finished it off with a little salt and a splash of cider vinegar. Add the bacon back in and some hot sauce and mmmmmm, was that good! Luckily I have leftovers in the fridge for later consumption. Thanks for inspiring me, folks! ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542/60 "2009-06-08T21:30:30Z")
I don’t know if I’ve had collard greens, but Swiss chard is pretty darned good–a bright green when cooked, and with a more delicate flavor than spinach. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-all-be-eating-more-collard-greens/498542.md?page=4)