I know your mom always told you to eat your veggies…and I’m not your mom, but really, I’m going to tell you the same thing… I’m going to tell you to eat your greens every month through the spring (and probably the rest of the year too). Why? Because it’s annoying. No, really, because the spring is THE season for greens, and well dammit, they’re tasty, they’re good for you, AND (this is the best) eating them regularly can help you shed some of the winter weight you packed on (it’s okay, we all packed some on. it’s normal, and natural. so there.).

Collard greens mean business. They are a hardcore vegetable, and a nutritional powerhouse. They’re loaded with proven cancer fighting phytonutrients, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C, as well as folate, B vitamins, potassium, and of course fiber. While I may gently pester people about increasing the amount of raw foods they eat, collards are one of those vegetables that actually increases in nutritional value as you cook it. It’s still super healthy when eaten raw, but gently cooking these sturdy leaves breaks down cell walls, and releases the good stuff. So to all those raw-foodists out there (mom, I’m talking to you!), go crazy and cook your collards!

Cooked for over an hour with ham hocks and bacon, they are known in the south as a “mess o’greens”, and have been eaten that way for centuries. While tasty I’m sure, traditional “mess o’greens” are not the most healthful way of eating collards.   It’s not really fair to call collards a “Southern thing” though… they have been eaten all around the world just about forever. In fact, collards date back to prehistoric times, and both the ancient Greeks and Romans regularly ate them. So really, eating collards is a “prehistoric thing”.

They may seem daunting at first, considering their size (single leaves can easily be bigger than your head!) but they are really one of the easiest greens to work with. Their smooth flat surface makes them a snap to rinse…no little crevices for dirt or bugs to hide. Simply fold them in half lengthwise, and either gently tear or use a knife to remove the stalk from the leaves. Stack and roll the leaves into a fat cigar and then slice into long strips. Or you can just roughly chop them. Sautee them, boil them in stock, use the broad leaves, cooked or raw as “wraps”, or throw them in a pot of soup.

However you decide to eat them, just do it. They are delicious, and excellent for you! If you don’t, I’ll call your mom and tell on you.