Swiss Chard and Other Greens

[BakerAunt]

The recipe I made this evening (see Tuesday under December 3 Cooking thread) called for Swiss chard, which I could not find in the one grocery store in town. Unsurprisingly, they did not have any of those fresh greens such as mustard greens or collard greens. I found frozen collard greens, so I used those.

My question: What is the difference in taste with these greens? My guess was that the recipe wanted a slightly bitter flavor to offset the sweetness of the butternut squash.

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• This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Mike Nolan]

You're in the North now, you won't find mustard greens or collards much, and especially not this time of year.

Chard and kale seem to be easier to find, maybe they were just out.

[BakerAunt]

Hi, Mike. I actually was not expecting to find any of those fresh greens in the local grocery--and I was not going to do an hour's round trip to the next town, where I might have found them. I was hoping for frozen mustard greens, but I was glad that the collard greens were there.

I'm not that familiar with these greens, so I was hoping that someone who is would let me know if my speculation about their taste is accurate. I have used mustard greens in soups, and I once used Swiss chard in place of kale in a soup. I am wondering if the frozen collard greens are less assertive than the fresh, as they seemed a little bland to me, but my sense is that the Swiss chard would have had a slightly more assertive flavor.

I'm bemused that Cook's included a recipe in an Autumn collection that features an ingredient that is not seasonal in the northeast where their kitchen is located. It would help if recipe writers would include alternatives for some of their specialty ingredients.

[Joan Simpson]

Baker aunt here in South Ga. we eat a lot of greens,and tend to believe they are best after the first frost,they are always sweeter then as the frost is suppose to take the bitterness away.I generally season my collards with smoked ham or bacon,turnips and mustard with fresh pork neck bone which is basically
pork chops.I put the meat on in some water and cook till done I add a little sugar like a tablespoon ,salt and add greens,cook a long time like an hour or more then when they are done we cut them up in the pot.Collards have a different taste than mustard and turnips.I found my last mustard greens at Walmart in the produce section bagged but had to buy 2 small bunches of turnips green leaves fresh there and they sell the roots separate so that was added in the pot when cooked too peeled and diced up small like you would for potato salad.I've seen tv shows how some restaurants or chefs saute them in a fry pan for a few minutes and serve,NOT down here.I have cooked the frozen collards but the taste is not as good as fresh.I hope this doesn't sound confusing.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Joan Simpson.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Joan. Your reply gave me lots of great information!

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