Greens for a Cold Winter Day

Tasty Mustard Greens on a Cold Winter Day

If you are a fan of leafy greens our mild mustard greens can’t be beat. The leafy greens are very tasty but also very nutritious, providing iron, potassium and other nutrients for our bodies.

The following is not really a recipe but the basic southern way for preparing these greens.

Ingredients

Mild Mustard Greens, Collards, Turnip Greens or other leafy greens of your choice

Smoked Ham Hock  (We have them at Country Gardens and they do provide a lot of flavor for your greens and beans)

Vinegar flavored with hot peppers (Pepper Sauce)

Fill a large bowl with cool water and greens. Bounce the greens around in the water letting any grit or sediment sink to the bottom. If they are very gritty you may have to change your water a time or two to be sure that you remove any grit that may be on the leaves.

When you feel like they are clean remove them to a chopping board and cut to smaller pieces.

Fill boiler with about an inch or two of water and put in your smoked ham hock.  Bring this to a boil and then lower the temperature to keep it at a simmer for about 10-15 minutes before adding your greens.

Add your greens to the boiler and let them simmer in the ham hock water mixture till tender to your liking. You may have to add some more water if the liquid cooks down too much. I usually add some of the vinegar flavored with the hot peppers for a little kick of flavor. Taste and if you feel like you need it add some salt to them. Delicious served with cornbread for a cold winter day lunch!

Enjoy!