Worn out jeans and collard greens
flying by the seat of my pants
Friday nights at the local club
learning the newest dance

Black eyed peas and corn bread
cooked in cast iron pans
Chillin at home watching Soul Food
sittin in front of the fan

Chicken fried and pecan pie
made by my grammas hands
Sunday visits to the country,
she was the best cook in the land

Sippin iced tea under the old shade tree
life couldn't get no better then that
Listnin to tales told by old man Hale
whether they be fiction or fact

Kool aid stains on happy faces
drinkin from a jelly jar
Riding the bus to the football game
cause we didn't have a car

These are memories of a simpler life
to a time lived way back when...
Collard greens tasted better it seems
when girls were girls and men were men
Copyright © 2002 Island Princess....All Rights Reserved

"But I have never tasted meat,
Nor cabbage, corn nor beans,
Nor fluid food on half as sweet
As that first mess of greens".

James T. Cotton Now (1869-1953),
American writer and poet,
from the Loom of Life, 1912

Southerners love their greens. A time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, greens have held an important place on the table for well over a century, and there is no other vegetable that is quite so unique to the region. Greens are any sort of cabbage in which the green leaves do not form a compact head. They are mostly kale, collards, turnip, spinach, and mustard greens.

In the South, a large quantity of greens to serve a family is commonly referred to as a "mess o' greens." The exact quantity that constitutes a "mess" varies with the size of the family.

The traditional way to cook greens is to boil or simmer slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time (this tempers their tough texture and smoothes out their bitter flavor) until they are very soft.

Typically, greens are served with freshly baked corn bread to dip into the pot-likker. Pot likker is the highly concentrated, vitamin-filled broth that results from the long boil of the greens. It is, in other words, the "liquor" left in the pot.

The cooking of greens came with the arrival of African slaves to the southern colonies and the need to satisfy their hunger and provide food for their families. The slaves of the plantations were given the leftover food from the plantation kitchen. Some of this food consisted of the tops of turnips and other greens. Ham hocks and pig's feet were also given to the slaves. Forced to create meals from these leftovers, slaves created the famous southern greens. One-pot meals also represent a traditional method of food preparation, which is linked directly back to West Africa.

In spite of what some consider their unpleasant smell, reaction to the smell of cooking greens separates true southern eaters from wannabes.

According to folklore, collards served with black-eyed peas and hog jowl on New Year's Day promises a year of good luck and financial reward, hanging a fresh leaf over your door will ward off evil spirits, and a fresh leaf placed on the forehead promises to cure a headache.

There are many different ways southerner's cook their greens. I guess every family has a favorite way or special ingredient. I know in my family it is my beloved father's famous homemade hot sauce.  We have kept this family secret going since my father's passing and many friends and relatives come to get their pepper jar replenished. It is very hot and very delicious, especially basted on meats as they are grilled on the barbeque. We of course use it in our Caribbean dishes. It just makes them so much better.  Here is one of the basic Southern ways of making greens.

 Basic Southern-Style Greens
2 pounds fresh greens (turnip, mustard, collards, etc)
1 1/2 gallons water
1 or 2 ham hocks (can use salt pork)
1 tablespoon salt
1 or 2 dried red peppers or cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
In a large pot, boil the water with the ham hocks and salt, plus any optional seasonings/ingredients. Clean and add the greens a few at a time. Cover and boil for about 1 hour. Serve with cider vinegar or pepper sauce.

Now you have the basics for making a mess of greens, why not try them.

This great painting is entitled "Collard Greens" and is by the very talented artist Roosevelt Davis