I am a southern girl who loves her collard greens. I still remember when I made my first pot of greens not really knowing what I was doing. I recall watching my grandmother on how she made hers and that's how I made my first pot of greens without a recipe. My grandmother would never let me help in the kitchen but she would allow me to watch.
The first batch I made was Thanksgiving in my first real apartment. The one I lived in before was not really an apartment, it was a room with a kitchen and I had a small bathroom. I decided I would invite some friends over for Thanksgiving. A friend of mine came with one of her sons and he absolutely loved my greens. To me they did not taste all that great but he thought they did.
I have come a long way since then with a lot of practice. I would like to share my Crockpot collard green recipe. It is really very simple to make. I have toned down the use of pork in all my cooking. I used to make it with ham hock or jowl bacon but pork is deadly for me. You can use it though, I'll pass. This recipe calls for a 6 quart Crockpot especially if you use 3 or more bunches of greens.
Ingredients
2 to 3 bunches of collard greens
1 large onion
2 tbsp garlic
3 to 4 celery stalks
C cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you do not want the heat)
2 smoked turkey legs (I suggest 3 if you're using more than 2 bunches)
6 oz chicken stock / broth (use plain water if you have none)
Salt and pepper to taste
I remove the stems from my greens. I do not like stems at all on any greens I prepare. Wash the greens well removing all the dirt and whatever else you may find in them. Take the leaves and chop them down into smaller pieces and place inside the Crockpot. Chop the interviews and celery and add the rest of the dry ingredients to the Crockpot. I like a lot of onion and celery in mine so please be generous to the greens, it gives them flavor. Place the turkey legs on top to press the greens down then add the stock and cider. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the meat is falling from the bone. Serve with cornbread.