AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS
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Vegetables and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chard, chicory, collards, cornmeal, endive, frisee, green onions, grits, herbs, horseradish roots, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, pecans, polenta, popcorn, radicchio, radishes, sorrel, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips and greens, winter squash
From local reports
In the early part of the year, those wanting to eat local are deep into a diet of greens and roots. Tables at local farmers markets feature kohlrabi, beets, carrots and lots of greens. Mustard greens, turnip greens and that staple of Southern gardens and tables, collard greens.
Jeff Anthony and Rodney Gabriel operate the Family Farmer. Farming on leased land in Kennesaw since 2014, they began selling their produce that year at the Marietta Square Farmers Market. “And our customers asked us, ‘When will you have collard greens?’”
Anthony says sometimes they were asking when collards weren’t really in season, but as soon as the time came to plant greens, Anthony and Gabriel made sure collards were in the rotation. Like many metro Atlanta farmers, they found that collards are a hardy, dependable crop. Collards do so well in this area that Georgia is the nation’s second largest grower of collards.
This fall, Anthony and Gabriel planted collards again. Their favored variety is “Georgia” collards and they planted in late September. The mild fall and early winter was a boon to collard production. They had collards for their customers by Halloween.
Georgia collards are known for being a good variety for harvesting the way the Family Farmer manages its crop – by cutting just the leaves and leaving the plant to keep growing on. Some farmers have been known to remark that the plants end up looking like a mop because it has a long stalk and a crown of leaves at the top.
Anthony and Gabriel are in the process of moving their farm from Kennesaw to land with a Stockbridge address but just over the line in Rockdale County. With their recent purchase of over 42 acres, they plan to focus on a range of produce and husbandry they weren’t able to do in Kennesaw. They aim to be back with their loyal Marietta customers come early summer and perhaps to expand to other markets.
In the works for the new farm are many projects, including raising quail for both meat and eggs, specializing in unusual produce such as golden raspberries and black peanuts and raising goats, which they’ll rent for clearing out patches of kudzu. “We are carrying over some 5-gallon buckets of aji amarillo, a hard-to-find Peruvian pepper. That’s the only produce we’re bringing with us. We’re also in the UGA Extension Class for certified goat farming and we bought a franchise from a company called the Rent-a-Ruminant to help us market the services of our goats.”
It’s all a big turn of events for these two young men who are holding onto their day jobs for the time being.
In the meantime, collards are available at local farmers markets until temperatures really heat up.
That’s good news for folks looking to eat healthy. According to the University of Georgia, collards have more nutrients than kale and steamed collards can help lower cholesterol better than any other leafy green.
Table & Main’s Collard Greens and Pot Likker
Chef Woody Back of Table and Main says, "The secret to making good greens is all in what Southerners call 'pot likker.' It is the aromatic broth that the greens are braised in. After each use the pot likker can be reused and made more flavorful each time. Each home has their own pot likker recipe used to cook not only greens but peas and beans."
Back provided the restaurant’s recipe with a one tweak for home cooks. No ham hock stock? Substitute chicken stock instead. He suggests using a really smoky bacon in this recipe. And for the hot sauce? He likes Tabasco or Texas Pete. He likes his collards to have a little “tooth” so he stops cooking at about 45 minutes. You can cook longer if you want a more tender result.
The ideal pairing? Back says it’s cornbread and fried chicken.
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 ounces bacon, diced
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup ham hock or chicken stock
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce
Salt and pepper
2 1/2 pounds collard greens, roughly chopped with stems on, rinsed
In a very large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, stirring constantly. Drain bacon and leave rendered fat in the pan. Set bacon aside. Lower heat to medium-low and add onion. Cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in stock, vinegar, brown sugar and hot sauce. Stir to heat and taste for sweetness, acidity and seasoning. Add more sugar, vinegar or salt and pepper if needed. Now stir in greens in batches. Bring heat to medium and add the first handful of greens, stir into pot likker and cover the pan. After a few minutes, uncover pan and add more greens. Repeat adding greens, stirring, covering and checking until all greens have been added. Cover the pan and braise about 45 minutes or until they reach the texture you prefer. Serve with pot likker. Makes: 10 cups cooked greens
Per 1/2-cup serving: 123 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 6 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 7 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 439 milligrams sodium.
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