Does anyone else freeze pot liquor to use as a soup base? I grew up in Pa. I don't remember ever having collards until I moved to Fl. or any other greens except spinach. The first time I cooked collards I was certain the bunch would feed an army for a year Was amazed at how they cooked down...gave 2/3 of the bunch away and was lucky to have enough for dinner Anyway this here Yankee now cooks a mean pot of collards. I have for dinner twice and freeze the rest and always freeze the pot liquor for use as a soup base. YUM...usually add a container of collards to the pot of soup as well.

Fairly new to the south and I haven't gotten into collards yet. Not sure I ever will, just not much of a "greens" person. But I can imagine it would enhance soup.

I wasn't a greens person either, but now I love collards...at least mine

Yes, I use pot liquor that way and also some of the liquid left after I boil a chicken carcass and strain it down. I love greens of any kind and cook them in a little of the liquid or make soup stock with it and add greens and whatever other veggies and beans I have on hand. Maybe a little chicken or sausage for flavor. I call it "Refrigerator Soup". Delicious, if I do say so myself. My favorite greens in soup are turnip greens, collards, and mustard greens. I do like spinach but it's a little too "wimpy". I add it to the soup more toward the end, but if I have leftovers and have to reheat the soup, it sort of just melts away. But still good.

I don't much like spinach unless I'm doing a raw spinach salad....that and a roll is dinner

I don't usually eat much salad in the late fall and winter. That's when I switch over to my soups, stews, stewps, and chilis menu.

Bill always made the chili and stew here....guess I need to try my hand at them as I really like both.

Leaf broccoli produces strongly-flavored greens, and soup would be a good application for them. And they are very cold-hardy.

Mine over-wintered in Zone 8, often covered with ice and snow, them flowered next spring. I saved a lot of seeds, will share for postage. Or join the Piggy Swap.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea 'Spigariello')
Spigariello Liscia = Broccolo Spigariello = Brassica oleracea var. 'Spigariello'
Very cold-hardy. Full Sun Annual (I got seeds the second year)
Italian Heirloom O.P. 45-65 days
12" - 24" tall
16"- 24" spacing
deep blue-green leaves & tops: sweet, strong broccoli / kale flavor
Strip center rib off old leaves. Cooked leaves freeze well

I'm interested in cold-hardy veggies and must try that broccoli. Sending you a treemail, Rick.

Sure thing. If you like "cold hardy", also consider Tatsoi and 'Tyfon'.

'Tyfon' = Holland Greens OP 20-40 days first cutting, 60 DTM
Cut-&-come-again every 35 day. Very productive.
Cross between stubble turnips & Chinese cabbage.
Forage, cover crop, salad, greens.
Very hardy: to 10 F,
Tender when young, very mild flavor. No "mustard" flavor.

I have Tatsoi but not familiar with Tyfon yet. Looks like it must be a type of mustard greens. I really like them. But, then, I'm a "greens" fanatic.

Holland Greens (Brassica rapa 'Tyfon')

Yup, "mustard greens without the mustard". One of the breeding goals was "forage", and the total lack of mustard flavor means it can be fed to cows without making their milk taste weird.

I just found the seeds recently and haven't grown them out yet. Supposedly, they taste so mild that they take on the flavor of whatever you cook them with. They are also supposed to be good for 2-3 cuttings, but they are supposed to get hairy and tough when old. I don't know yet if the regrowth after a cutting is tough and hairy!

Someone else said "reasonably palatable ... by itself", but came out "tasting great" when cooked with other things, and "They make a good substitute for spinach"

http://blueboathome.com/blogs/...

These links are from the above article:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-a...
http://www.recipetips.com/glos...

http://www.nicholsgardennurser...
https://www.superseeds.com/pro...

And they are supposed to grow so rapidly that "one row would feed the whole Red Army".

Maybe that would be true with the downsized Red Army, and a very, very long row!

Pot liquor...


guess I'd never heard the term before....I thought this was going to be a very different topic....

I grew up in Pa. and never heard the term either until I moved to Fl.....however a nice "pot" of liquor while cooking with pot liquor does sound like a workable idea...a slug for me and a splash for the pot

Bad choice of words there SLUG

All righty then...a GULP for me

much better!

Someone gave me a bunch of kale recently from their greenhouse. I chopped it up and fried it with some bacon, garlic and onion, black pepper. Then I stirred it into a can of mushroom soup and some cooked pasta. Topped with mozzarella and baked it on 375 until the cheese was starting to brown. YUMMY!

Pot Liquour?

http://www.nytimes.com/1982/02...

I have tried and enjoyed mustard, turnip, and even dandelion greens and I liked them all. At first I just added them to my vegetable soup but once in a while I will stir fry a bunch. I love spinach but the best way I enjoy it is when deb makes her spinach and strawberry salad with her special dressing. We have that mostly come warmer weather.