Collard Greens
Collard greens come from the same family as cabbage, broccoli, and kale. They have dark-colored, edible leaves that grow on an upright stalk and can grow year-round. While stereotypically thought of as a Southern staple, collards are actually eaten throughout the world. Smoky and slightly bitter, collards can be eaten raw or cooked. Collard greens contain loads of vitamins K and A, as well as plenty of vitamins C, B6, manganese and calcium. One of the most amazing things about collards is that they can actually lower your cholesterol when you eat them by binding to bile acids in the digestive system, which makes it easier for them to exit the body. Storage Tips Storing Fresh Collards: Collard greens can be stored, unwashed, in a loosely tied plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, where they should remain fresh for 1-2 weeks. Freezing Collards: Like other greens, collards should be blanched before freezing. Once the leaves have been cleaned and trimmed, blanch by plunging in a boiling water bath for 30 seconds. Make sure that the water is boiling for the full 30 seconds. Removed quickly with a strainer and shock in an ice water bath for 2-3 minutes. Gather the blanched leaves into handfuls, squeezing out as much water as possible as you go. Once excess water is removed, form handfuls of chard into baseball-sized spheres, packing them together as if they are snowballs. Freeze these spheres on a baking sheet and then package them into airtight bags or containers. Quick Prep TipsAfter rinsing well and de-stemming (like kale) collards can sliced into ribbons and served raw in slaws and salads. They can also be cooked by sautéing, roasting, or braising. Slice off the woody stems, and then cut or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces before cooking. Further Prep Tips Collard Preparation: Fill the sink or a large bowl with cold water and plunge the leaves in it repeatedly, then rinse under cold, running water. Remove the center stem of each leaf by slicing along either side of the stem with your knife, cutting them in half while removing the stem. Alternatively, you can strip the leaves from the stalk using your hands. For salads and slaws, stack the de-stemmed collard leaves in a single pile and cut crosswise into thick ribbons. Only use the smaller, more tender leaves for raw preparations. The larger, more fibrous leaves are best suited for cooking, and the leaves can simply be torn into smaller pieces by hand, rather than chopping. Collards are very versatile, in terms of what they can handle cooking-wise, and are just as delicious in preparations where they are steamed for 5 minutes as they are slow-cooked for a full two hours! Recipes Vegetable Niçoise Salad with Dijon Dressing and Eggs June 19, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Picnic Beets with Baguette and Creamy Cheese July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com Mexican Style Chopped Salad July 5, 2017info@mainstreetfarms.com
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