State

King Of The Winter Garden Uhat’s the» fairpsl plant on the Tar Heel landseape at this tim<k of th«k year? By MITCHELL JENKINS As wc drive along a country road in Haste m North Carolina on a cold winter day. we see miles and miles of brown fields where corn, soybeans or other crops nourished during the pre¬ vious summer. Along the roadsides and in the nearby forests most trees stand leafless and naked to the cold winds that blow from the north. The whole country seems to be tinted in various shades of brown, tan or grey except for the contrasting greens of the pine trees and broadleaved evergreens such as holly and magnolia. Once in a while we come to a lush green field where someone is growing grain or winter pasture, and in many fields and gardens there are a few rows of green plants that stand defiantly, mocking the cold that blasts and kills their neighbors. These are the kings of the winter gardens — the collards. The lowly collard has become king only in fairly recent years. In times past it was considered to be fit only for those w ho were not able to appreciate the delicate qualities of the other members of its family, vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts or cabbage. People w ho admit¬ ted that they liked and even preferred collards were ridiculed by others who had not been properly initiated into the art and science of collard preparation and consumption! But how things have changed! Now collards are shipped green all over the country, and the fro¬ zen product can be found in the best of grocery stores. North or South. There is a basic reason w hy collards became so popular in the South in the first place. This is one of the lew vege¬ tables that can grow and survive our cold spells during the winter, and the leaves seem to get sweeter and tastier as the cold weather approaches in the fall. That is w hy a few row s of collards can be found by nearly every country home, and many in tow ns and cities as well. They will be there, producing THE STATE. January 1077 succulent green leaves long after the broccoli and cabbage plants have given up the struggle. Some people like to cut entire plants and cook all of the leaves, including the small ones that make up the center of the plant. In fact, there are so-called heading varieties that produce tight central clusters of leaves. But most folks leave the plants growing in the field and just pull off enough leaves for a good "mess." Preparation for the table is not dif¬ ficult. but it is impossible to conceal the fact that collards are being cooked. That aroma, loved by collard fanciers and deeply despised by the uninitiated or the occasional collard hater, seems to permeate the whole house, and may even perk up the atmosphere sur¬ rounding it. Perhaps fortunately, the final product does not taste exactly like RKCOGNITION AT LAST! The lowly collard finally was ele¬ vated to celebrity status in 1975. when the people of Ayden (Pitt County) held their first Collard fes¬ tival. The festival earned the right to be called an annual event last Sep¬ tember; and now the Third Annual Ayden Collard Festival has been an¬ nounced for September 9-11. 1977. The celebration this year is planned to feature a street dance, col¬ lard photography contest, collard cooking contest, parade, collard eat¬ ing contest, pet show, skateboard contest, karate demonstration, and games. For complete information, contact Willis Manning. Jr.. Ayden Chamber of Commerce. P.O. Box 186. Ayden. N.C. 27262. Phone 919 8ХД-2016. one might suspect it would after merely sniffing the air! Most cooks wash the leaves and then boil them in salted water to which has been added a few pieces of salt pork or some bacon drippings. When they have cooked dow n to a delicious tender consistency, and the meat has become very soft and tender, this dish is ready for the table. Hat it as it comes Wiiwtct o' the Collord Cooking conte»l ol Ayden» Ar.nuol Collo*d Ге»1.»о1 lo»t toll -о» Mr» Mom.* Ando**»", -ho ho» boon cooking them unco »ho -о» о »*noll gut Fi*»t iho pvt» о b<g hunk o' count*, hom bon© o«d oil, into о lo*gc pot o* »olo* ond lot» it boil until the moot i» fondo* Then »he pvt» in tho collord» oddmg о »moll omount ol soil The collord» boil »o* obout two hou*» in on open pot. (Cla, Nolen photo lo* NC Travel Oi».) 21