I know how to make a delicious pot of collard greens. I have mastered the technique for many years. Collard greens take a long time to cook, but a good pot is worth it. Collards is the type food item that has to be prepared one day in advance, because there are so many steps.

Selection of collard greens

When shopping, ONLY select the cleanest collards. Inspect closely. Never select dirty collard greens. Make sure the leaves are not yellow or orange in color. Inspect the bunch carefully.

Ingredients

• Water
• Smoked ham hocks
• Chicken bouillon
• Wiley “Eat Your Greens” greens mix pack…. or any preferred greens seasoning mix pack.
• Red pepper flakes
• Collard greens
• Turnip head / turnip root or rutabaga

Cooking the smoked meat

I prefer smoked ham hocks, but any type of smoked meat or poultry will work. Using a crock pot or slow cooker, place the ham hock (s) in and over with water. Cook overnight or for about 5 hours. When soft and tender, remove from slow cooker, drain and set aside covered.

Picking and cleaning collard green leaves

Remove collard leaves from the thick stems. Cut stems into smaller length, wash, rinse and set aside.

Using a basin, wash collards in cold water for several rinses. Make sure no sand remains. Then add salt, soak, then rinse. This is a meticulous process. It takes time to clean collards.

Chiffonade the large collard leaves into smaller cuts.

Cooking the collard greens

In a large pot, bring cold water to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder, 2 packs of Wiley’s green seasoning mix and red pepper flakes. When at a rolling boil, add the cut collard stems and cover large pot. Boil stems for about 1 hour.

Add the drained, chiffonade collard green leaves, bring to a boil then simmer for 3 hours covered. Check frequently. When water level goes low, just add more water to cover collards.

In the 3rd hour, add peeled, cubed turnip head or rutabaga cubed. Simmer covered for 1 hour.

Finally, cut ham hocks into smaller chunks. Add to greens and turnip tops and simmer for about 10 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!!!