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Thread: Information please

  1. #1
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    Information please

    It is a perfectly wonderful day for a big pot of collard greens with a cold blowing rain falling while I gather myself up for my return to the office in the morning.

    Yesterday I replenished my supply of double smoked ham hocks, six in total. When I got home five went in the freezer and one was held out for today---my wife had already bought the collard greens (2 lbs) and that brings me to a question.

    I do most of the shopping in the summer but in the winter my wife helps out when the shopping is reduced to the chain grocery stores. The collards she bought were "prepared" and packaged in one pound celopain bags The problem, which I pointed out to my wife, was that they did not cut out the heavy center vein---so there I am trying to cut that out of the chopped up pieces. When I asked my wife to not buy the "processed" kind but full bunches of collards---I got the stock answer---they don't have them anymore.

    It seems post arrival of COVID the previous "free stock" of things like: mushrooms, hot peppers of all kinds, fresh vegetables (like collards, spinach, kale, mustard greens et al) are now only prepackaged. They do still have fruit, potatoes, tomatoes and onions as free stock so I am not sure why the difference with them.

    Have you all seen a similar shift or do you still have access to "pick your own"?

    Oh---and dinner will be collards and smoked pork chops----and not from a "market hog"---from a fat old pig
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Grubb View Post
    .....The collards she bought were "prepared" and packaged in one pound celopain bags The problem, which I pointed out to my wife, was that they did not cut out the heavy center vein---so there I am trying to cut that out of the chopped up pieces. ......
    When I pick my own collards I strip out the large centers. When I buy the prepared ready to cook bags I just cook 'em. To me they are just fine that way.

    One thing I've heard about collards is they are best after a light freeze - supposedly it makes them sweet. I discovered the truth in that this year when I picked a mess from my new garden. I don't like them sweet! I prefer the pre-frost collards.
    The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike View Post
    When I pick my own collards I strip out the large centers. When I buy the prepared ready to cook bags I just cook 'em. To me they are just fine that way.

    One thing I've heard about collards is they are best after a light freeze - supposedly it makes them sweet. I discovered the truth in that this year when I picked a mess from my new garden. I don't like them sweet! I prefer the pre-frost collards.
    That's interesting---I don't know that I have ever had any that I would classify as sweet---nor do I think I would like that.

    About the only thing that I can think of that is improved by a good freeze is persimmons. Do you have persimmons in Texas?

    Back to collards for a moment. I think I make good collards---but all I do is cook them in salt water with vinegar and a smoked ham hock. But---I had collards in a sole food restaurant in (I think South Carolina) and I wish I would have bought a couple gallons just to take along---or take the cook along

    This was no "wannabe" sole food restaurant---this was the real deal---I had my collards with oxtail
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  4. #4
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    I cook collards with bacon or ham hocks. A little powdered garlic, a good dose of Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning, but not too much - it gets too salty. Some coarse ground black pepper, a few shots of Louisiana Red sauce, and sometimes add a little chopped onion. Like most things, they are better the second and third days if any are left.

    Sorry, but I almost never measure anything, I just dump what looks right and add more if needed as they cook.
    The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike View Post
    I cook collards with bacon or ham hocks. A little powdered garlic, a good dose of Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning, but not too much - it gets too salty. Some coarse ground black pepper, a few shots of Louisiana Red sauce, and sometimes add a little chopped onion. Like most things, they are better the second and third days if any are left.

    Sorry, but I almost never measure anything, I just dump what looks right and add more if needed as they cook.
    I'm going to add that this afternoon

    As for measuring---doesn't much work for me either
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

  6. #6
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    Yes, we have persimmons. My mother loved them.

    When I was about 16 I worked at the Boy Scout camp during the summer. I would put some green grapes and some green persimmons in two bags and walk around eating the grapes. I would offer some "grapes" to others and hold out the bag with the green persimmons. Anyone who has ever bitten into a green persimmon knows what happened next. Was I bad?
    The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke

  7. #7
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    I never would have thunk that of you

    There was more than once that I pulled the trigger too soon

  8. #8
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    Fruit trees like a good freeze to ripen as well. I have Grapefruit, Mexican Lime, Tangelo and Orange and they all enjoy a good freeze. Too bad we have not had one this year. The crop sucks.

    I've found my local Sprouts Farmer Market no longer has a lot of bulk items they use to.

  9. #9
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    Come to California. Fresh Veggies and fruits year round in you pick-em bins
    "The only thing that we learn from torture is the depths of our own moral depravity"

  10. #10
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    Produce section of the Lucky's market around the corner from me

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    "The only thing that we learn from torture is the depths of our own moral depravity"

  11. #11
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    So, how did your collards come out?
    The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke

  12. #12
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    They did---thank you for asking

    I would have added more vinegar but I have to be respective of my wifes more "refined" tastes---and I could have added more on my own but didn't. Actually, now that I think about it, my wife added sweetener to hers. There is enough left over to have tonight since I have to prep for a Zoom meeting at 6, so that will compress time for making dinner.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
    "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
    “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis

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