Black History Month Food Facts: Greens
This post begins with a shameless plug for my IG page, @FoodForYummies. This month, as you know it is Black History Month. In the words of Kanye (the old Kanye #RIP) “I make black history erryday, I don’t need a month!” However, this month does provide us with a nice opportunity to reflect on the leaders and followers that built this country and helped us all be great. ON MY INSTAGRAM, I am posting Black History Month Food Facts all month long. Definitely go check it out, because I open up with GREENS.
There are 5 main greens of “soul food.” Soul food is the down home cooking that Blacks in slavery brought with them all across our great nation. It is high flavor, multi-faceted in spice, and full of nutrients often at a cut rate. For the greens of soul food: turnip greens, mustard greens, cabbage, kale, and collard greens.
The most cost friendly of the group is indubitably cabbage. I can find it for around .69 cents a pound in my neighborhood. But we are here to give a spotlight on my favorite greens: COLLARD GREENS. They are traditionally made with pork (hambone, salt pork, wuteva) or turkey neck if you don’t eat the swine. I have also prepared them with garlic and onion in my vegetarian friendly life…but any way you do it, they are amazing. My number one tip for beginner home cooks in making this amazing side is to let it simmer! Too often I see bright green greens that end up being bitter to taste and overly cruciferous. For that soul food feel….let it simmer. I won’t be sharing the recipe on here today, but I definitely am planning a video on it in the near future. Today I am here to spit straight facts.
Three amazing facts about collard greens
They are rich in Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps with vision, the immune system and the reproductive system. It works to help your organs functioning properly and is very helpful especially during the winter months when these levels are down.
They are rich in Vitamin C
This vitamin is known for being present in oranges…but if you’re not a citrus person or you hate the film that peeling oranges leaves on your skin, then collards are the answer. Vitamin C boosts the immune system immensely, and this is a dark green leafy way to get this in. In addition to this, vitamin c also helps in tissue repair throughout the body. So if you are in training, this is an extra source to keep you going strong.
They are bosses for Fiber
Fiber moves everything through and keeps you regular. Think of fiber as the doorman in a club who is pushing in the quality men and pushing out the trash dudes…but for your colon. Fiber helps your digestive system work properly, and eating collards tastes way better than a shake.
So there you have it. Don't pass these up when they are on sale in the supermarket! A good price is anything under 1.79 a bunch. These are usually around in the fall and you can find them for way less than that…I love the ones in my mom’s garden, which I get for Free.99. Anyway, stay happy and stay healthy.