A Southern Tradition and a Recipe for Collards

Here in the South, we have a traditional New Year's Day dinner...black-eyed peas and collard greens. They are supposed to bring you good luck, good health and plenty of money for the new year. I've eaten them almost every New Year's Day since I was a little girl and it has become a meal that I really look forward to. But I'll bet your first question is...does it really work? Well, let's just say that the year I didn't have them was not a good one and I haven't skipped them since! Let me explain how it works. Let's start with the black-eyed peas. If you are from the South, you know that these represent the coins you will get in the new year. My money tree is shriveling, so I'm eating a lot of peas!

Ohhhhhh...alright!! Now here's what I really love...collard greens!! They are sooo good and good for you, too. No...really...they are. And besides, they represent the dollar bills you'll have next year. You can even add a well-scrubbed dime to the pot for additional luck. The person who gets the dime is considered extra lucky. Now some people say they don't like them and to that I say...no bragging here, but...you've never had my collards! I am a stomp-down good Southern-style cook...nothing fancy...just plain old fashioned country cooking. And since I am getting older and worried about my recipes out-living me, I'm going to give you mine.

The traditional recipe calls for ham hocks as pictured above. They are supposed to bring prosperity. But I'm sorry... I just have to draw the line here. I figure pork is pork. My secret ingredient is a HoneyBaked ham bone. I checked online and they seem to have stores in every state. Now you can cut most of the meat off of your Christmas HoneyBaked ham and use the bone or you can buy one at their store for about $6.00. If you buy the bone, you will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of meat that's still there! You can even cut most of that off and use it to season your other veggies...maybe even have a sandwich!

New Years Collard Greens
Wash thoroughly and strip the stems out of 2 bundles of collard greens. Strip the greens by folding them in half lengthwise and just tearing out the stem. Some people eat the stems...I think they're tough. Next cut or tear the remaining greens into smaller pieces.
While you are doing this, put the HoneyBaked ham bone in a large pot and fill 2/3 with water. Bring to a boil.
Add:
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic diced fine (or about 1 teaspoon of the already diced in the jar.)
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning ( I know...you're thinking...Old Bay in collards? But I saw this in Southern Living magazine and tried it. I really like the way it tastes!)
salt
pepper
Add the collard greens a double handful at a time. You will think the pot is too small, but don't worry. They will cook way down. I usually cook them about two hours. When they are done, remove the ham bone and serve! It's that ham bone that makes the difference!

The wonderful liquid in the bottom of the pot is called pot likker and it's really yummy with cornbread. Besides that, it's full of nutrients so it's good for you, too!

All of these foods have grown out of African traditions from the plantations in the South where the slaves had to do the best they could with the cast-offs from the kitchen of the main house. The saying goes...Eat poor on New Year's Day and eat fat the rest of the year.
You might poo-poo this whole thing, and it's OK if you do, but in this economy, I'm not taking any chances! I'm covering all my bases. As we say here in the South...I'm gonna eat me a whole mess o' greens!