Greens are Back at the Market This Weekend!!

I love greens and I am very excited that Mr. Edward Lenoir will be back this weekend with greens picked fresh from his garden - beautiful greens. But, I have always wondered - what is the difference between collard greens, turnip greens and mustard greens? Of course, I guess that I could just get a bunch of each, cook them and then eat for a "side-by-side" comparison, but, honestly, I don't want to do all the cooking and, inevitably, the cleaning that would involve. So, I decided to do the next best thing - go to the Internet.

First came the technical info:

Collard greens are members of the cabbage family, turnip greens are the tops of the turnip plant and mustard greens, surprise, are the leaves of the mustard plant.

OK, but that didn't help me figure out the difference in flavor. So, back to the search button.

Then I stumbled upon this:

Collard greens: It's a little bitter. Eat the light green leaves for the best flavor.

Mustard greens: Usually peppery. Look for newer leaves.

Turnip greens: A little sweeter.

I also found this great information which encourages supporting your local farmer's market:

A note about nutrient density - food grown on today's commodity farms are not as nutritious as they were 25 years ago. The soil has been drained by years of use and the addition of petroleum based fertilizers. If you can buy locally you have a better chance at improving nutritional quality for a couple of reasons. Nutrition declines from the moment a plant food is harvested. It continues to decline until eaten. Also, small farms are learning about remineralizing their fields along with adding typical amendments. Food should do more than fill our stomachs and satisfy our taste buds - it should be giving us the nutrition we need to stay healthy.

And then there was this great recipe that made me hungry just reading it:

Mustard Greens Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup thinly sliced onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces

2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

So with all of this information, I can't wait to go to the market this weekend and get me some delicious, fresh, beautiful mustard greens.

Do you have a favorite greens recipe? Share it with us.

hattip: Simply Recipes and City-Data