do you like to make canned collard greens?

[cookin]

i like to add bacon and they taste just like fresh

[shanagain]

I have an odd secret. My mom used to have to hide canned spinach when I was little because I would steal the cans and eat the spinach cold. Cold.

Now, I will occasionally make canned collards (or mustard, or mixed greens - Old Glory Southern Style) for myself because no one else likes greens... and always grab a bite cold when they go in the can.

I was a weird kid, and a weirder adult.

[Will Owen]

I like cold cooked spinach. I was delighted when I found out it's a Japanese favorite, too, especially with sesame oil. Cold canned spinach = cold cooked spinach, so I'll have to give it a try...

My big problem with Glory is that they sweeten everything, which annoys the hell out of me. I got a can of their sauerkraut to make a quick version of choucroute garni, and the added sugar just screwed everything up. Too bad, because the stuff is otherwise very nicely braised.

[Will Owen]

I am not crazy about canned spinach, but I do enjoy canned collards, as well as canned turnip or mustard greens and canned poke sallet. The amount of cooking involved isn't much more than how much most Southern meat'n'threes subject the greens to anyway, so you can just cook up some chopped bacon and stir in the greens, and maybe a pod or two of red pepper, and simmer it for a bit. Fry you some catfish and heat up some frozen mac'n'cheese and you can pretend you're in Hendersonville or wherever. Don't forget the sweet tea and the cornbread...

[LaLa]

I am happy this works for you, but I don't think they are anywhere near the same.

[Naco]

I can't stand canned collards. If I don't feel like making my own, I just buy a quart of them already cooked, for around $9.

[Toni6921]

I much prefer fresh over frozen or canned..But I have made canned in a pinch. I'll saute some bacon with onions and garlic, add the greens with a little sugar and dash of cider vinegar. I like the Margaret Holmes brand. When I want some greens in a hurry, I'll throw these together.

[c oliver]

I've used frozen as a substitute but canned to me is dreck.

[alanbarnes]

Canned collards are like canned spinach. If you're going to cook the life out of 'em anyway, they don't suffer too much by comparison. But why not aspire to something better?

[junescook]

I do like to use the bag of frozen collard greens. They require quite a bit of cooking but you avoid the cutting and cleaning. I will often use them with smoked turkey legs.

[c oliver]

I agree that there's a ginormous difference between canned and frozen.

[Passadumkeg]

Compost; same w/ canned okra.
Damned Yankee Keg

[c oliver]

OMG, is there such a thing as canned okray?!? Triple gag.
Damned Southern (Ex) Belle

[Passadumkeg]

Yup and even my food obsessed Lab won't eat it.

[c oliver]

Nuf said then. Our Labs would eat any and everything.

[FoodFuser]

PICKLED okra, however, lovingly arranged in a glass jar, and vinegared, is a beautiful thing. The crunch remains.

As to factory-canned collards, they played a fun role in family car camping. Mixed with equal amounts of canned spinach, they were memorable. Not necessarily repeatable in the home kitchen, but memorable. Campfires and tents and times outdoors do interesting things to our palates and sensibilities.

[c oliver]

When I saw this, I thought you were talking about canning fresh collards. I must disagree with you strongly however. To me it's like comparing most any canned green vegetable to fresh. It's like eating an entirely different thing. And I've been eating collards since I was able to crawl/scramble/climb onto the kitchen table when Mother had her back turned. That would be about 62 years ago! But if you like that, then that's all that matters.