2009.The last year of the decade in the new millenium. Amazing. We made it! Y2K a distant memory and the human race still bumbles and bumps along. Barrack Obama, America's messiah according to some, will whip the economy around, end two wars, bring peace to the Middle East, and save the planet. How's that for Change? My heart goes out to the man. Hard times, come again no more.
Down South when the going gets tough, the tough eat collards, and these are tough times. In the natural world the lowly collard plods on getting no respect. A grave injustice. Much reviled, like grits and pig feet, collards just can't get traction in the culinary world. I have seen the poorest of poor folks cooking collards outside in a cast iron pot over a wood fire. To this backyard gardener they are a money tree. They grow, in fact thrive, when the thermometer dips into the 20s when all other cole crops wilt. Collards are food for the gods when cooked simply and quickly. Cooked long they are stinky, faded and slimy. Here's my best shot:
Bert Greene's Collards
Washed and chopped collards
Small amount of water and a knob of butter
Braise 10-15 minutes
Squirt of lemon juice to taste
That's it. No canned broth, please. The lemon juice is my personal favorite but vinegar is an acceptable substitute.
Blooming camellias are a sure sign that winter has come to the south. They are a true gift of the Christmas season. They cannot be bought in a store and begin to bloom just in time for the holidays. These were collected from the neighborhood. It is a southern tradition to always have flowers blooming in the garden and camellia bushes make it possible. I took a walking tour of our neighborhood this morning and realized that nearly every yard has a least one camellia bush. Almost all are different yeilding a fantastic display of dozens of similarly dissimilar flowers.
