Let's Cook Collard Greens

Audrey Potter Lewis in early 1950's in the garden. Notice the beautiful collards.
Photo courtesy Lewis Family Collection (C)

          Collard greens. Nothing exemplifies being from Goose Creek Island or Eastern North Carolina than this traditional time-honored dish.  Collards hold an important place on the table and there is no other vegetable that is more unique to a Goose Creek Islander.  I am willing to bet there have been more collards harvested on the Island than any other food crop.
     When you mention collards you've got yourself a conversation, lecture, argument and even a sample from your neighbor.  Native Islanders have strong feelings about their collards.  It's one of those no-nonsense vegetables but it has always been something that Island folks could count on to put on the table.  If there were no fish caught, you could count on a pot of collards to fill you at the dinner table.
     Maybe us Islanders have an affection for the collard.  Maybe it is because Yankees can't have them nor cook them like we do.  It's too cold up North to grow anything but here in Eastern North Carolina, we have the right region, seasons and soil to grow anything good.  Not to mention, those first couple of coastal frosts certainly make those collards a little bit better for the pot.  Most of us will agree that you have got to be native born and bred to appreciate our collards.
     However, there is one thing that everyone who loves collards can't agree on.  That is how to cook them.  The ingredients are simple but the variations are endless. Some folks use salted pig tail for seasoning. Some use ham hocks or streak o' lean.  Some folks use a combination of all three but its the method of cooking them that prompts various opinions.
     My great grandmother Elma Ballance Potter of Lowland, raised five collard-loving children.  Even the numerous grandchildren were taught the value of eating a bowl full of collards at her table.  Grandmama knew just how to plant, nurture, tend and cook them.  She would select her best growing collard plants and "let them go to seed".   But before all of the seeding and planting of the collards, there were other important events that had to take place to make a great pot of collards.  Hogs had to be killed.  The pork had to be salted, seasoned, brined and made ready for the coming winter and spring.  Pepper vinegar also had to be made with the hot peppers that were grown that summer.
     In the spring, she would plant the seeds.  There are several varieties of collards but I believe she always planted what was called the Cabbage Collard.  Within a few weeks, the plants would have grown large enough to harvest the outer leaves.  She would put a big chunk of salt pork or pig tail in a large cook pot and boil.  While this was boiling, she would wash and clean the collard leaves in the sink, discarding stems and those leaves that the bugs had chewed noticeable holes.  She also had to make sure there were no bugs hiding in the wrinkles of the leaves.
     While the collards were being cleaned, that boiling water was reducing down the salt pork to produce a flavorable base.  She would crush the leaves into the pot.  She would cram all that the pot could hold.  Once the water returned back to a boil, she would add any additional seasoning that was needed; salt, pepper, sugar.  The collards would simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until they became dull green and tender.  They would glisten with fat.  I don't think Grandmama ever worried that the collards weren't ever "greasy" enough. She always knew the right ratio.
     About 30 minutes before the collards were "done" she would make cornmeal dumplings.  Using some cornmeal, salt and enough water to form a paste, she would pat out little cornmeal dumplings (about the size of miniature pancakes) and lay them gently on top of the collards.  There, they would simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
     When it was time to serve the collards, the dumplings were lifted out of the pot and placed in a dish.  The pieces of pork or pig tail was removed and placed in the dish as well.  There is always somebody at the table who wants the pork meat.   Note, don't serve the pig tail at the table if a sensitive soul is eating with you. It has been known to diminish the collard experience of those who are faint of heart. 
     Lift out the collards and place in a large bowl.  Place on the table along side the hot pepper vinegar and a basket of homemade biscuits. 
     There has been no other vegetable in Goose Creek Island history that has served a better purpose than collards.  Whether it is a vegetable side dish to the main course or the main course itself, the collard is king to those who were raised on them.  And what can one do with those leftover collards?  The next day Grandmama re-heated them in a cast iron frying pan and served them up again. 
     I admit that I can not cook collards.  I have eaten my fair share of them and I certainly miss my Grandmama Elma and Granny Audrey's collards. I had asked Granny many times to help me to "learn how to cook them".  She always told me that my problem was that I was trying to make mine taste like hers or Grandmama's. She said, "you've got to make your collards your own way. No two persons collards taste alike."  I really need to learn.  Collard cooking for us younger generation will become a "lost art" if we don't keep carrying on those traditions.
     So for those of you out there who will be cooking up "a mess of collards" this weekend, just remember that those collards are good for "what ails ya".  According to Shape Magazine, collards is the #8 vegetable that makes people happy.  It is rich in Vitamin B and according to research, people who eat collards are less likely to suffer depressive symptoms.  So there you have it, the proof is in the research.....Goose Creek Islanders are some of the happiest people around....all because of those collards!