Collard Greens

During the Antebellum period collard greens were one of the few vegetables that Blacks were allowed to grow. Therefore, it is not hard to see why it was natural for collard greens to become ingrained within the soul food tradition. The adding of the small amount of meat that they were given was used to flavor the collard greens, as the greens would have been bitter without the flavoring. Moreover, the use of the of meat helps with the taste of what came to be known as the "pot likker"--the juices from the greens. Soul food would not be what it is without collard greens and the heritage behind them.

Prep Time: 10 mins |Cook Time: 1 hr 31 mins | Total Time: 1 hr 41 mins

Ingredients

4 lbs collard greens cleaned and cut
1 lb bacon ends chopped
1 large onion diced
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
2 to 3 tbsp of white distilled vinegar

Instructions

Place the bacon ends in a pot, and place the pot over medium heat.
Brown the bacon then add in the diced onions, and cook until the onions start to sweat.
Add in the minced garlic,then cook for 1 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth, and turn the heat up to high and let boil for 20 minutes.
Pour in the 2 cups of water, and turn the heat down to medium.
Start adding in the collard greens into the pot.
Once all of the greens are in the pot, sprinkle in the seasoning salt and ground black pepper.
Add the vinegar and stir the ingredients.
Cover the pot, and let simmer for 1 hour and 10 minutes over medium heat. Be sure to peak in and stir periodically

Rosie. Photo of Soul Food Collard Greens. I Heart Recipes, 7 May 2018, Accessed 10 May 2018, iheartrecipes.com/soul-food-collard-greens-southern/.

References

Rosie. “Soul Food Collard Greens.” I Heart Recipes, 7 May 2018, Accessed 10 May 2018, iheartrecipes.com/soul-food-collard-greens-southern/.

“Why Collard Greens?” Latibah Museum, www.latibahcgmuseum.org/why-collard-greens/.