A GARDEN AND RECIPE OF LOVE

We lived on a dusty old farm in rural Colfax, Louisiana.  My father and mother were sharecroppers.  We didn’t have much money but it didn’t matter to my sister, Lilly, and I we never had any realization that we were so dirt poor. 
 

My mom and dad kept a huge garden on the side of our house.  That garden, as I recall, helped to subsidize our meals a many of days.  I don’t remember mom and dad going to the store to many times to “make groceries”, as they called it. I guess it didn’t matter anyway, money was short and the cotton never really generated enough money to pay the lease on the land.
 

That garden contained watermelon, cantaloupe, cabbage, greens both collards and turnips, bell peppers, green and yellow hot peppers, okra, green beans, squash of all kinds and sizes, scallions, and yellow onions, and tomatoes.  No we weren’t vegetarians my parents had a few cows, hogs, pigs, goats, and chickens.

Most of you probably do not know about a smoke house, but, once a year my extended family would come to our house and stay most of a night to butcher animals for the winter.  No one had butchering skills or was trained to divide the animal by parts; however, every part of that animal was placed in the smoke house.   Chitterlings, better known as chitlins, and liver would be cooked that night.  Fresh liver and onions was wonderful.  I never had a taste for the chitterlings especially after observing what came out of them; I acquired a taste later in life for chitterlings.
 

I would love to go into the smokehouse after the meat was there for several weeks and pinch off a piece of bacon because I loved the odor that permeated there and the taste of the smoked bacon…it was pre-cooked as far I was concerned.

I loved mom's cooking and it was always a large meal no matter what day of the week. I was always so grateful for what she did and how she always made a way out of no way.

COLLARD GREENS

4 bunches fresh collard greens, cleaned
5 slices of bacon (maple flavored) or

1 smoked ham hock or

Smoked turkey leg
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
sugar (optional), salt and pepper to taste
water

This can be done on a stove top but a slow cooker or crock pot will do.
First, makes sure that the greens are thoroughly cleaned and rinsed. Fill the sink up with warm water and add salt. Please wash several times to remove any dirt or bugs.

Remove the leaves from the thick stock (that runs in the middle).

Combine the greens and the above ingredients into crock-pot or a large stockpot If cooking on a stove top, reduce heat after about ½ hour and let simmer for about 2-3 hours or until the greens have cooked down. You may use smoked turkey necks or a ham hock for seasoning