What the hell are collard greens????

Answer 1

collard greens are a green leafy vegetable that have a very unique taste. they are kinda bitter but they are real good. it is an aquired taste. my dad cooks 'em pretty often and yeah it is a southern food. they go real good on side of some ribs, bbq beans and some potatoe sald. i say u should try 'em if and when you come across them. everyone does make them a littel different, too.

Answer 2

Collard Greens
Beet greens, collards and kale, dandelion greens, mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip greens are collectively called greens. They are gaining popularity throughout the country - and for good reasons. Along with being delicious, versatile, and low in calories, greens are packed with vitamins and minerals. An important component of southern soul food, greens are creeping into other cuisine as well. Many of the greens complement each other and can be exchanged in recipes, but each has its own distinctive taste.

Collard greens and kale originated in eastern Europe and western Asia and have been eaten for thousand of years. Kale, also called borecale, has been considered a healthy, hearty winter vegetable in Europe. The Scots are probably the biggest fans, followed by the Germans and Scandinavians. Kale was among the first European plants brought to North America by the colonists. Resembling a giant specimen of curly parsley, kale may be light, dark, or bluish green. It has a mild cabbage taste that is sweetest when the plant is harvested after the first frost. Even if Kale actually freezes, the texture holds up.

Collards have a taste similar to that of Kale but milder. This dark green vegetable has a large, smooth leaf with a slightly ruffled edge and a relatively tough central rib that's usually discarded. Collards spread from Africa to Europe centuries ago and were brought to North America by slaves. They've been popular ever since in the American South. Collards and kale can be cooked like spinach, but they normally require a longer cooking time. Southern cooks often add a bit of bacon, ham, or salt pork to the greens for flavoring, sometimes serving them with pepper sauce or vinegar. Collards and kale may also be added to soups and stews, especially those that contain beans and spicy sausages.

Answer 3

Collards are great. Like most folks have mentioned they are a dark green leafy veggie. They are best picked after the first frost as this takes out a good amount of the "bitterness". Cut out the main stem and chop them up to manageable bites. Gotta use some sort of salted meat and some vinegar during cooking but a healthier variety uses beef bouillon and a little oil.

Answer 4

Honey it's like a tougher spinach. There are collards, mustards, kale, turnip greens. They are very good and healthy if cooked correctly. Serve with vinegar or some like hot sauce on theirs.

Use smoked ham hock or smoked turkey or country ham (simmer in enough water to cover) -- cool and skim off fat (okay to cook a day before and then use this water with meat to cook greens with some water added if necessary).
Buy 2 lbs collard greens (they look like a lot but they cook down)
Soak the leaves in water to remove any sand/dirt
Pull the leave off the stem (some people cut some of the stem up to stretch the pot -- as the old folks say)
Roll leaves up and cut in small pieces
Put in a large pot with water (1/3 ways up pot)
Cook on med-high and then turn down low and cook until done (some like cooked longer then other people)
Serve hot.

Answer 5

Collard greens are vegetables that are members of the cabbage family, but are also close relatives to kale. They are a very nutritious and inexpensive treat.

Only firm, dark green leaves are fit for consumption; any wilted or yellowish leaves must be discarded. The leaves are poorly digestible when raw and cannot be used in salads; they can be blended into a juice, usually in combination with sweet fruit juices to improve the flavor. Collards are usually consumed cooked, as meal fillers and as a source of dietary fiber, especially as a balance to fish and meat dishes.

Answer 6

Well, you apparently aren't from the south. They are a green leafy vegtable, also known as Collards, that is cooked with country ham or some type of ham. They are really the leaves of Kale.

Answer 7

Collard greens are a large leafy vegetable with a slightly ruffled edge. You do have to cook them slowly, with salt, a little sugar (for bitterness), and some ham hocks. they taste better than turnip greens, and are much easier to wash. cook on a simmer for a long time, and once they are tender eat with pepper sauce. warning, dogs love them and my dogs sit in front of the stove the whole time they're cooking, and beg. Most people think of them as Southern, but once a Yankee tastes them, they're hooked.

Answer 8

Collard greens are a green leafy vegetable that to me taste really bitter. I don't like them because my Mother made me eat them as a child. Collards are similar in taste to kale, turnip greens and mustard greens. I won't eat them by them self but I will eat them in vegetable soup. They are high in vitamin d and healthy for you.

Answer 9

Collards, also called collard greens or borekale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), are various loose-leafed cultivars of the cabbage plant. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, and in Kashmir as well. They are classified in the same cultivar group as kale and spring greens, to which they are extremely similar genetically.

The plant is also called couve in Brazil, couve-galega in Portugal, (col) berza in Spanish-speaking countries. The name collard is said to derive from Anglo-Saxon coleworts or colewyrts ("cabbage plants"). It is also said that collard is a pidginized version of colored

Answer 10

They are a really good green. Like kale or turnip greens. The leaves are big. You cut out the fibrous center stalk and chop the leaves coarsely. Cook them up with a bit of salt pork, add pepper sauce.