Field of Greens

So, here’s the thing about “part-time” farming, if that’s really such a thing: Periodically, I’ll be walking around the farm and notice an entire field of edible stuff, just sitting there, growing. Upon further investigation, I’ll confirm that yes, the better part of this 100-foot-long plot is indeed full of turnip greens and before much longer, sizeable turnips will be attached to said greens.

Oh. My.

When I ask my sometimes-farmer husband about this, he has to stop and think back. Oh yeah, he says, he needed to put a cover crop down and had a handful of leftover turnip seeds so figured, what the heck.

In his scientific mind, he knows that turnips have the capacity to extract some of the minerals from deeper in the soil and make them available to future crops, but in my mind, we could be feeding an awful lot of people.

I often have a hunch that my soul last resided with someone who perished during the Great Depression. That is to say, I have a very hard time watching food go to waste. Fortunately, there are several local outlets that will purchase our surplus, and I have called my friends at the Food Bank before. But by golly, since we have to eat, too, you can guess what’s for dinner (tonight and for many nights to come).

Over the years, I’ve encountered quite a lot of people who have absolutely no idea what to do with an armful of greens. I’ll admit they can be a bit intimidating (and cumbersome), but once you know the basic process you can pretty well handle any sort of greens.

The ones you’re most likely to find around Athens this time of year include collards, kale, mustard, Swiss chard, beet and of course, turnip greens. You may also find mizuna or other Asian greens at the farmer’s market. If you’ve never experimented much with greens, I encourage you to give each variety a try to see which you particularly like.

Mustards (including a lot of the Asian greens) and turnip greens tend to have more of a bite, while collards and chard impart a milder, sweeter taste. I tend to think of kale as being somewhere in between.

Now, hopefully you haven’t been brainwashed into thinking that greens taste good only if they’ve been cooked in bacon grease for 15 hours. You’ve probably heard by now that dark, leafy greens are considered “superfoods,” because they’re so chock-full of nutrients.

However, the longer you cook them, the more all that nutritious goodness will end up down the drain(literally). As a general rule, the larger the leaves, the longer they’ll need to be cooked, but I’ve rarely cooked any greens longer than 15 minutes. Below are basic instructions for preparing greens – either by boiling or sautéing.

If your greens have tough stems, strip them away by folding the leaves in half lengthwise and pulling down on the stem to tear off. If the greens are very dirty, wash them in a sink full of cold water (possibly twice), then shake off excess water and transfer to a large cutting board. Chop greens
coarsely and cook one of the following ways:

Boiled Greens

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Submerge greens and boil anywhere from 30 seconds for young leaves to 10 minutes for more mature greens. Remove a piece every minute or so and taste. The greens will be vibrant in color and void of bitterness when done.

Sautéed Greens

For every 8 cups of chopped, raw greens, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or wok. Add several cloves of minced garlic to the skillet and sauté a minute or so before adding greens. Using tongs, turn greens frequently in the pan until they’ve turned bright green and have just begun to wilt. Remove from heat and add seasonings.

Next week, I’ll share some of our favorite, slightly more involved recipes for greens, but greens cooked just right need little more than a sprinkle of salt and pepper, a dash of rice or balsamic vinegar, and perhaps a few drops of hot sauce.

This treatment is bound to get old though after day 4 or 5 of our turnip green-eating-fest. I'll try to bear in mind that what goes uneaten will, at least, be good for the soil.