All my young life I didn’t like the phrase “turnip greens.” I don’t know why, but the phrase irritated me, and consequently I didn’t eat them. Then with the first baby on the way and the eating peculiarities that soon-to-be mothers sometimes develop came along, I began not only to enjoy turnip greens but also to want them often.
Which was a good thing, because the body needs greens. In almost any list of foods, “green, leafy vegetables” are near the top of desired food for their nutritional content.
The most commonly available greens during the fall months are turnips, collards, mustard, kale, Swiss Chard, beet greens, spinach, cabbage, etc. If you buy beets or turnips, you get the beet or turnip root in addition to the greens. Not all varieties of turnips have the large root; some are grown only for the leaves, or “greens.”
These “green leafies” are usually considered cold weather vegetables because many won’t grow in the heat of our hot South Carolina summers. With the coming of fall, we see in home gardens, farmers’ markets and supermarkets an abundance of these vegetables. Usually the darker green the vegetable, the more of the needed nutrients it has. Therefore, spinach, turnips and collards are more nutritious than lettuce.
We should be eating more of them. The food pyramid of the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests we have three to five servings of vegetables each day and two to four servings of fruits.
One cup of raw leafy vegetables equals one serving. When that is cooked, it reduces to about one-half cup. A cooked cup of each of these will provide more than a 23-year-old male’s requirement for vitamin A and riboflavin, and a third to a half of the calcium needs. These leafy vegetables are all high in phosphorus, iron, and potassium, and they also taste good.
It is recommended that the greens be cooked without any seasonings, adding salt, pepper or other things after they have finished cooking and are drained. However, here in the South we often use a cube or slice of salt pork or bacon drippings added to the greens during cooking.
Spinach is often served topped with coarsely chopped hard-cooked eggs.
After cooking Swiss Chard, season it with salt, pepper and a small amount of vinegar.
Cook a few slices of bacon and remove from pan. When greens have cooked, add the drippings to them, chop the bacon and serve on top of the greens.
They keep well in the fridge, so on Saturday cook your green leafies and reheat them the next day for a good-tasting and healthy … Sunday Dinner.
Green Leafy Vegetables
Remove any large stems. With Swiss Chard, cut the stems crosswise and cook with the leaves.
Wash the greens in warm water, to which you add a tablespoon of salt. This will get rid of any little critters who may have set up housekeeping on the leaves. Wash thoroughly two more times in cool water, each time lifting the leaves from the water, not pouring it off them.
Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Put them in a large pot, add only a small amount of water, cover, and bring to a boil. When the water is rapidly boiling, lower the heat to low or medium and cook until tender. Check the pot occasionally, adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking.
Cooking time will vary with the vegetable. Spinach requires only 10 minutes; collards may require 1½ hours.