Southern-Style Collard Greens and Ham Hocks start with a rich broth made from smoked ham hocks. Fresh collards greens are added and cooked until tender. Serve with cornbread, pepper vinegar, and fresh diced onions.
Another season is behind us. I harvested the last of my collard greens today. As excited as the prospect of spring makes me, I get a little melancholy at the same time. In the spring we will gather tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, cantelope and radishes and onions from our little kitchen garden. The gladiolus and sunflowers will make everything bright and sunny. The orange blossom’s perfume will be carried throughout our yard. Bees will be buzzing. Birds will be chirping. The spring season in Florida is glorious, no doubt about it. But the turnips, mustard and collards are gone for another season. Certainly, they are available almost all year round in the freezer cases, but I will be missing them from my garden.
Greens make me feel connected to my ancestors several generations back. As far back as we know, my ancestral line lived in the southern US and were poor people just doing the best the could to stay alive. Greens are well suited to southern climates. They grow rather quickly, produce prolifically, have a moderately long growing season and give up their seeds easily. In addition, they produce a nutrient rich green leafy, fiber filled vegetable. You can cook them with some smoked meat in large quantities to feed a whole passel of hungry folks at one time.
Add some Hot Water Cornbread and you have a complete meal that contains all the essential amino acids. After the greens are gone, the life of the meal can be extended by feasting on the pot likker, the nutrient rich soup that’s left in the pot. I imagine my ancestors had access to corn meal because corn was, and still is, a major crop in the south. Farmers would raise pigs for the meat and smoke cure the biggest part of it. Then, they all shared with their neighbors. Sharing and helping each other out was a way of life. They had a different mindset back then. Often times my grandparents would speak of the notion of being neighborly and sharing when they barely had food to eat themselves.
My granddaddy once said, “You might have a gracious plenty one year because your crops come in good. Next year, you could go through a spell of bad luck, sho’ as the world.”
For people who lived such meager lives, greens were a perfect food source.
Tomorrow, I will clean the greens, make a good rich stock from ham hocks and throw in the greens for the last time this season. I will be cooking the same food that sustained several generations of my ancestors. My kitchen will have the same grassy smokey aroma that their’s did. And I will eagerly await a bowl of fresh greens, just as they did. We will welcome the spring and say goodbye to the winter as we eat the last bowl of greens. And I will give thanks for our good fortune, sho’ as the world.
Before you even start messin’ with your greens, get your ham hocks started. Cover them with water, add a little salt (not too much just yet), and let them cook for a good hour.
Now, you can start on your collard greens.
Get rid of the big vein in the center. It’s tough and bitter.
You can fold each leaf in half, then cut the big vein with a sharp knife. I just tear my leaves off the vein. I can do that faster than cutting. You can do it either way. Now, the greens are ready for the triple washing. That’s right. Triple washing. Don’t cheat. I’m watching.
After the triple (three times) wash to remove all the grit, chop the greens. Just roll them up and chop in ribbons.
Add to the pot of boiling ham hocks and stock. Cover. Let them start to cook down. Don’t be afraid. They won’t completely disappear on you. They just cook down an awful lot.
After the greens have cooked down and are starting to get soft, then you start tasting for seasoning. I like my greens cooked in a simple fashion: in a good rich ham hock stock with salt, black pepper and honey as needed to cut the bitterness.
I have a friend who says, “I just go on and put everything but my foot in my greens.”
I LOVE THAT! Some people, including my friend, add vinegar, hot peppers, prepared mustard and who knows what all else. I do like to eat my greens with pepper vinegar and chopped sweet onions after they are done. But that’s about it. Oh, and cornbread, of course. It just a taste preference. And I happen to have one.
Once you’re satisfied you’ve got the balance of flavors just right, pour up the greens in a bowl. Shred the meat from the ham hock, eat some and throw what’s left in the bowl with the greens. Make you some good hot cornbread. Sit down at the table.
I have a brother-in-law, Andy Jackson, who grows Tabasco peppers and makes homemade hot pepper vinegar. He gifted us a bottle and I’m mighty proud to sprinkle that on my greens.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to love and appreciate good collard greens. Some of you are still stuck on the kale trend. Many of y’all don’t even have a brother-in-law who grows Tabasco peppers and makes hot pepper vinegar. For the love of all that is good and decent, learn to good cook collards or find someone who knows how. Collards are about as popular now as they’ve ever been. Just like with biscuits and sweet potatoes, which we’ve been eating for 400 years in the South, the rest of the country is catching on to our awesome iconic dishes. We’re glad y’all are finally getting on board with us.
Even though it took you 400 years, we never gave up on you.
Y’all come see us!
Southern-Style Collard Greens and Ham Hocks
Instead of exact proportions, I’m giving you the list of ingredients and the cooking instructions. Cooking greens isn’t precise. The proportions go up and down easily depending on how much you want to make.
2 or three large ham hocks
1 or 2 bunches fresh collard greens, triple washed and big vein removed
water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
honey
Place ham hocks in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add about a teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let cook for one hour until they are good and tender.
After an hour, uncover and bring stock back up to a boil. Add greens, a little bit at the time. They will cook down rather quickly. Continue until all greens are in the pot. Reduce heat and cover. Continue cooking until greens are cooked to your degree of doneness. This is purely a matter of taste preference. I pretty much cook mine to death, but that’s how we like them.
Keep tasting for seasoning and degree of doneness. Adjust seasoning as necessary. If the greens are too bitter for your taste, add honey or your favorite sweetening.
Before serving, remove ham hocks from pot. Take off any of the good meat, shred it and put it back in the greens pot. Stir and serve.
Southern-Style Collards Green with Ham Hocks
Ingredients
- 2 or three large ham hocks
- 1 or 2 bunches fresh collard greens triple washed and big vein removed
- water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- honey
Instructions
- Place ham hocks in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add about a teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let cook for one hour until they are good and tender.
- After an hour, uncover and bring stock back up to a boil. Add greens, a little bit at the time. They will cook down rather quickly. Continue until all greens are in the pot. Reduce heat and cover. Continue cooking until greens are cooked to your degree of doneness. This is purely a matter of taste preference. I pretty much cook mine to death, but that's how we like them.
- Keep tasting for seasoning and degree of doneness. Adjust seasoning as necessary. If the greens are too bitter for your taste, add honey or your favorite sweetening.
- Before serving, remove ham hocks from pot. Take off any of the good meat, shred it and put it back in the greens pot. Stir and serve.
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Nana Ann says
I know collards are supposed to be winter vegetable, but I just planted them and turnips in my spring garden and they are growing like crazy! (they had plants at Home Depot) I had planted collards before and as long as you kept cutting the leaves off they would keep producing. Anyway hope I get to enjoy some cause I grew up eating them too with some good ole cornbread!
Jackie Garvin says
Nana Ann,
Enjoy your collards and turnips as long as you can. I didn’ t replant them just because the warmer weather makes them seem somewhat bitter to me. If you pick the young leaves, they will probably taste better. I’ve kept some collards, turnips and mustard in my garden so they will go to seed. I will be all set for planting season this fall.
Gooseberry Patch says
YUM! Thanks for linking up this classic comfort food recipe, Jackie…it’s a keeper!
If you haven’t already, hop over to http://www.gooseberrypatch.com and enter this recipe for cookbook consideration. We’d love to have it on file for Farmstand or another upcoming title.
Thanks again! 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Gooseberry Patch….you folks are just the best! I will enter this recipe for cookbook consideration. Just this past week, I entered one of my stories called “Blackberries and Summer” in your “Memories” category.
Marilyn Burdette says
Jackie, my grandfather, Tread Clayton, was a farmer in S. Ga. He planted collard greens just for his little Fl.granddaughter-Me. I loved collards as a child and to this day they are my favorite green. I cook them the same way you do and the memories of the days on the farm where I spent so many summers and most vacations because we couldn’t afford to go anywhere else and going to s. Ga. was going home, come flooding back. As a young teen-ager I even “handed”tobacco and my brother had to pick it. Guess my daddy wanted us to learn early that an education would pay off. I love your blog!!
Jackie Garvin says
Marilyn,
I didn’t know that Tread was named for his g-g-grandfather. I love that!! I’ve tried different ways of cooking greens and have settled on the way described in this bog. Simple is best, as far as I’m concerned. The more I write, the more I hear from folks, like yourself, about their strong food/memory connections. I have long since held the opinion that food nourishes our soul as much as our bodies. Thanks for your comment, Marilyn. I love having you as a reader!!
Melissa says
I’ve never had fresh collards before… gonna have to try this : )
Thanks for stopping by Keeping Up With The Rheinlander’s! I email subscribed so I don’t miss a thing : )
~Melissa
Jackie Garvin says
Melissa,
We love our collards down south. They have to be cooked right though! 🙂 I hope you give them a try.
Tammy says
I grew up in the Pacific NW and I have never ever had collard greens. I have seen them on cooking shows etc. Maybe one of these days I will have to look in the grocery store for them.
Thanks for joining us today for Thursday’s Friends Cafe. Have fun! :
Jackie Garvin says
Tammy,
Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed Thursday’s Friends Cafe!
Le Chateau des Fleurs by Frenchy says
This is a must plant ! Thank you for the tutorial !
I will go to Home Depot 🙂
You have wonderful recipes !
Very nice wordpress blog. Enjoyed your post about the ranch too. I love animal…I want chicks so bad LOL.
Anyways, drop by and follow me back on GFC !
XO
http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/
Le Chateau des Fleurs by Frenchy says
I don’t think my first comment went through…Hick
I love your blog ! I have to plant green now that i have seen your tutorial. I loved the post about the ranch !!!
big hugs
Jackie Garvin says
Frenchy,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a sweet comment. Love your blog!
kay keen says
These collard greens look so good, I have some in my garden. Thanks for sharing this. Have a great day. Kay
Jackie Garvin says
Kay,
You are welcome. Enjoy your greens!
Connie Carpenter says
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http://threwourtearsandlaughter.blogspot.com/
Thank You and Many Blessings to you and yours,
Connie C
tiarasandtantrums says
Thanks for visiting my blog on this UBP 2011 party! I love to meet new blogs! I couldn’t find your UBP11 pot though – so am posting here. I can say that I have never had collard greens in my life – but your red velvet cake looks divine!
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks so much for stopping by. Sorry about the link to the UBP 2011 page not working. I guess it was those computer gremlins, again!
Jenny says
Your link on the party linky is broken so I had to go through your facebook page to find your blog 😛 Just thought you should know!!
Happy partying! 😀
Leslie Limon says
I want to have dinner at your house, especially if your serving collard greens with ham hocks! 🙂 Looks positively delicious! 🙂
Visiting from #commenthour
Cindy says
Had to laugh just a bit. I’m waiting for the snow to leave so I can plant ANYTHING! And here you’ve been done with your collard greens for almost a month. I am putting the peas in this weekend though 🙂
CindyP, CITR
Jackie Garvin says
Cindy,
Here’s hoping for spring for you soon! We have already been hitting high 80s and low 90 degree temps. Looks like we are in for another brutal summer.
rocky says
I made this recipe today except I let the hocks cook for an hour and a half. For my first time they turned out great! The hock broth is fantastic. I would’ve used my fresh chicken stock but fortunately didn’t have to. Thanks for sharing!
Linda Cates says
Is that hot water cornbread in the picture? if so what is your recipe for it?
Jackie Garvin says
Here you go, Linda!
https://syrupandbiscuits.com/hot-water-cornbread/
Linda Cates says
Thanks so much for the recipe. We make it the same only we use boikinh water. Will try with hot tap water next time.
Janet Lynn says
Where did you get the enamel pan you have your greens in? I had one years ago like this and gave it away as someone loved it and I can’t find one. There were different patterns and I bought a few and gave them away to friends/family as they loved them and now I want them back…..lol!
Jackie Garvin says
Janet,
Some of my tonatoware pans were in my family and some I bought at various antique shops. They’re not that easy to find anymore.
Denise Daniel Spann says
my mother-in-law taught me to put a pinch of baking soda in to cut the bitterness
Jackie Garvin says
Denise,
I use just a little bit of honey to serve the same purpose. I’ve never tried baking side but I’ve heard of it before.
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says
I love all of the regional differences in food! This is a dish that would be hard to find up here in Minneapolis!
Jackie Garvin says
I’m just as sorry as I can be.
Dan says
I have to say I’ve never had collards before! Will have to try them now – now that you’ve mentioned ham hocks!
Jackie Garvin says
Dan,
Greens, cooked the right way, are mighty fine eats. I hope you try them.
megunprocessed says
Love collard greens. This looks fantastic.
Jackie Garvin says
Thank you, Megun!