New Year's Day

The traditional meal for New Year's Day is black-eye peas, greens, and ham. Supposedly the peas bring good luck, the greens bring wealth and prosperity, and the ham represents moving forward (because hogs root forward). Other fun sayings about New Year's Day:
"Don't do laundry on New Year's Day because that will bring bad luck."
"Don't sweep the floors because you will be sweeping someone out of your life."
"Place a penny on your kitchen windowsill for good luck."
"If you eat beef on New Year's Day you will have a tough year."

Superstitious? If so, here's my Mama's recipe for collard greens to wish you and yours a prosperous 2011!

First, cook a cured hamhock and fat back until tender. While meat is cooking, wash collards thoroughly. Remove meat from the pot. Add collards to the broth. Cook until tender (about 30-40 min). Remove collards from pot and drain. Sprinkle a little salt and sugar, and chop collards. Enjoy!

Cozy Fires

If you haven't stocked up on firewood, now's the time to visit the Market and load up the truck. Nothing beats a warm, cozy fire on a cold winter night. Hope you are able to enjoy such comfort during the Christmas season!

Recipe for Turnips and Greens

Pictured here are turnip roots and curly mustard greens, a staple to any Southern meal. How to cook 'em? Let me tell 'ya how. You will need -

2 lbs fresh turnip greens
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 cups water
3 medium turnips, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash greens thoroughly; drain. Tear into bite-size pieces. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until browned. Drain bacon, and set aside; reserve drippings in Dutch oven. Add greens and water. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. While the greens are simmering peel and dice turnip roots. Then stir roots, sugar, and salt into Dutch oven. Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes until roots are tender yet still firm. Spoon into serving dish. Chop bacon and sprinkle over top.

Winter Berries

Strawberries in December? Can it be true? Are they really grown in NC? The answer is yes, yes, and YES! Berries from Lewis Farms in Rocky Point. Pictures courtesy of Jason Cox.

Thanksgiving

Hope all my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving feasting and visiting with family. Our tables were prepared with all kinds of yummies - collards, peas, green beans, sweet potato casserole, cheeesy mashed potatoes, chicken pastry, all alongside the turkey and dressing. After lunch I took pictures at the farm for the website http://www.wisechoiceproduce.com/untitled1.html

While out on the farm I saw the old pecan tree, forlorn and barren, still standing on what we call the family homeplace. It brought back memories of an old family Thanksgiving tradition. When I was a child we would eat lunch at my Grandmother's house, along with all my cousins, aunts, and uncles from my father's side of the family. Afterwards, we would trek out to the family homeplace to gather pecans. My dad's youngest brother, Eggbert, was about 20 years old or so, and he would climb the tree to shake the limbs. I remember my grandmother yelling constantly, "Eggbert! You be careful now! Don't you fall out of that tree!" We'd all work together, filling the baskets, and later divide our harvest between all the families. Pecans for the winter!

What are your fond or favorite Thanksgiving memories or traditions? Please share by posting a comment.

Pretty Colors

This dish was prepared with red pepper, sweet potato, butternut squash, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion. Tossed about in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and rosemary and roasted for about an hour. Prepared by Dina with yummy veges from Wise Farms. Perfect for any Thanksgiving table.

How Well do you know your Roots?

They can be red, white, or orange. They can be round, oval, or oblong.  They can be sweet, bitter, or mild. Even the tops are edible. They are fall's favorites - root vegetables.

1st picture (l-r) - beets, turnips, daikon radish.
2nd picture (l-r) - turnips, rutabaga. Notice the difference in the color.

They can be roasted, boiled, stir fried, baked, juiced, or grated into salads. When eaten with greens or orange roots such as sweet potatoes and carrots, the food combinations work together to provide the highest nutritional value because the lighter colored roots release chemicals in digestion that aid the absorption of the beta-carotene, or cancer-fighting agents, found in the the darker colored veges.

Beets and Spinach Salad

First, wash 3-4 small-to-medium-sized beets really good. Boil in water for 50 minutes, or brush with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly. Then, dice the cooked beets.

In a heavy-bottom saucepan (I prefer my fam-favorite iron skillet) heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add 1/3 cup orange juice, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp fennel seeds. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add diced beets; stir gently to coat. Remove from heat.

Wash, pat dry, and arrange spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Spoon warm beets on top and drizzle the remaining orange juice syrup mixture over salad. Serve and enjoy!