Coconut Collards

Now's the time of year that we have to harvest all the greens from the garden for freezing and using all year.  It's one of the few things that I can grow enough of to last us nearly all year.  Green beans come close.

This year I grew lacinato kale, Scotch curly kale, collard greens and mustard greens.  We already have about 3 lbs of mustard greens and 8 pounds of curly kale washed, chopped and frozen in the chest freezer.  But all of the lacinato and collards are still out in the garden waiting to be processed!  Please don't freeze, please don't freeze...

Here's Mike all bundled up, harvesting the curly kale in our big cooler.  It makes a great kale transporter!

Until we can do another big harvest, wash, chop, freeze assembly line, I'm trying to eat as many fresh greens as I can.  Tonight we had some awesome coconut collards.  This is my favorite way to prepare collard greens- I thought I had posted the recipe already, but then couldn't find it.  So here's the recipe as I made it tonight.  It's a little different every time.

Coconut Collards
Serves 4-6


1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 fat carrot, diced
1 lb. collard greens, thick stems removed and sliced into ribbons
1 large tomato, diced
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. dried ground ginger (or use more fresh ginger)
Sea salt to taste

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add onion and carrot and cook until onion is transparent and beginning to lightly brown.  Add collard greens, tomato, coconut milk and ginger. Stir to combine and then put a lid on the pan.  Turn down the heat to medium-low.  Simmer the greens for 20 minutes or so.  You don't want to cook them into oblivion, but they should be tender and the coconut milk thickened.  Add salt to taste.

Tonight I served these greens with wild rice and roasted vegetables on the side (or all mixed together if you're Mike).  These greens are also really nice over basmati rice with some dal.  I really like to add some hot red pepper to the mix, but the kids would never stand for that.  They did, however, devour these collards!