Garden greens

Last weekend I went to pick greens. It wasn't the last of the greens from our garden but we really don't have too much left at this point. We still have some turnips greens with turnips and some kale. We have about six collard plants left after we picked the ones above. We felt we needed to pick most of them because we knew the weather was going to get quite cold, even here in middle Georgia we worried about what a freeze might do to them. I don't know how long they will survive if the temperatures stay below freezing for several nights -- the forecast for this week.

I thought the view of the back of my car was wonderful. The collards look like big dark green cabbages to me. I put them in buckets and kept water over the stems until I could wash them and freeze them. I hate it when my greens wilt before I get to them. Because the weather was cool, there was no need for me to rush to get them in the freezer. It took me a couple of days but they were still at the peak of freshness when I washed, chopped and froze them.

For all the collards we picked, we put them in just two 2-gallon bags to freeze. Knowing how they cook down, I am thinking that will make a generous "mess" (as my grandmother called it) for  our traditional New Year's dinner.

We did pick some kale but it is not growing as well as in the spring. I have been using the kale in my green shakes -- very yummy.

I am happy to show this photo of our garlic. It is beginning to come up and looks very healthy. It will be a welcome sight in the summer.

That is probably the last look at our garden for the winter. It was great while it lasted and we will revive it again in the spring.