HAPPY NEW YEAR! BRADFORD FAMILY FARM COLLARDS & MOLASSES ROAD TRIP

BRADFORD FAMILY FARM HEIRLOOM COLLARDS & WATERMELON MOLASSES

It has been a long year, and one full of many changes for me. I've had a lot of life changes this year with the death of my husband, and a move from my house to a smaller place, but now I start a new year, and it's time to get back to what I love, and that is writing about food and people. This road trip story to the Bradford Family Farm in Sumter, South Carolina, is perfect start for my new blog format, because it involves great food and the wonderful people who grow it.

It all started last summer when a Facebook friend posted about the Bradford Heirloom Watermelon. On my Facebook page, I saw the owner of that farm, Nat Bradford, as he delivered those beautiful watermelons to excited Charleston chefs.  I didn't put my name on the list, because I didn't think it would be possible to get even one watermelon, because they seemed to be in great demand.

Then, last month, I saw the notice from the same FB friend that the grower of the heirloom watermelons was growing heirloom collards. Since I had grown up in the Alabama Black Belt and had eaten some of the best food in the land (according to me),  I wanted to try these new, "old collards". These "heirloom" collards were supposed to represent all that we had lost in flavor and tenderness through the years of mass farming, hence my personal introduction to Nat Bradford, and the Bradford Family Farm.

Nat Bradford, the great farmer behind the heirloom collards
now growing in South Carolina.

I wrote to Nat, and he was very gracious and told me that I was on the list. Finally!  Every few days, Nat Bradford would pop on FB and give us an update. He would say, "the collards should be ready by the end of next week". I waited as patiently as a woman who has been pregnant for 10 months.

The day finally came, and Saturday morning I got in my car, and drove over a hundred miles, to the Bradford Family Farm up above Sumter, South Carolina. I loved that Nat and I introduced ourselves and the next thing he did was to give me a hug, and he hugged everyone who came up to get collards, while I was there. I think that says a lot about someone. It means to me that he cares about people.  Yep, he is my kind of people. 

Bradford Family Farm

While there, Nat, gave a tour of the collard field, explaining to me and to two other chefs who were from Myrtle Beach, how he had grown the collards and what he looks for in this heirloom variety, while we occasionally chatted about how we cook our greens.

Nat gave each of the chefs a young, raw collard leaf to taste. It was amazing the distinct flavors that were present with just one bite. First the fresh collard taste, the peppery taste and in the taste of the stem there was an incredible amount of sweetness. It was a great experience.

It started to get very busy there, so after getting my collards and Bradford Family Watermelon Molasses, I said my goodbyes to everyone, and started my hundred odd miles back to the Charleston area to get ready for the holiday. But, before I got home, I shared one bag of the collards. We always need to share.

Now for the preparation. You have to remember that these are not the big leaf collards that we are getting from the grocery store. The collards at Bradford Family Farm are tender, crisp, young collards that could be eaten raw if you chose to. The collards are also just out of the field, so you can't get any fresher than just picked greens.

The preparation of the collards is very simple. Just cut, wash and cook for as short or as long as you like and finish any way that you like. The collards are so tender and fresh that you won't need to do much for flavor, it's there already. 

I had two pounds of collards and I prepped the collards for each cooking preparation the same. It was in the actual cooking that each pound was different. To begin preparation, I cut off the stems just above the root area, and chopped the remaining stems, which are very tender. I rolled and cut the larger leaves. This is called a chiffonade. "made of rags". in French. This is how our cook in Alabama would cut them for cooking when I was a child.

Roll leaves and cut across to chiffonade

"Rags"

Applewood smoked, uncured bacon, for the first cooking

Greens including the tender stems go into the skillet

A triple cover for the iron skillet

After the collards, including the tender stems are cut, wash the greens 3 times, changing the water each time. On the last wash, lift the collards gently out of the water and place them in a bowl.

When you have finished your collard preparation, cut 6 slices of applewood smoked, uncured bacon,  into pieces and add it along with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, to a large iron skillet. Cook the bacon until  brown and crisp, remove the bacon from the fat, to a small bowl and set aside. Have your greens ready at this point. Keep the bacon fat and oil at medium high (6 on the electric range dial) in the skillet.

Add the wet collards to the fat in the skillet over medium high heat (6). Be careful, because when the collards hit the fat, so to speak, they will hiss, sputter, spit and splatter at you. But, this is a good thing. This is what we call frying collards in Alabama cooking, and after the frying, this water on the collards will be used to steam them.

Stir the collards a few times to coat them with the fat, and place a piece of parchment, and foil over the collards and then a tight top. Turn the burner down to 4 or medium low. Uncover every few minutes to stir. It won't take but about 15 minutes for the collards to be cooked and ready. Use your own judgement on how tender you want them to be. Salt carefully. Remember that you have a bunch of collards that will shrink down a lot, so don't salt until the shrinking starts.  If the collards become too dry before they are done to suit you, add a small amount of water or chicken broth to finish cooking.  When the first pound is ready, but before removing from the heat, stir in one teaspoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon or to taste, red pepper jelly, and one a dash of red pepper flakes. When ready to serve, add the bacon.

The best one-
The second pound was cooked in the same method as the first but without the bacon. Just add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. I used a California Olive Oil with a butter flavor. Use a medium high heat (6 on an electric range). When the oil is very hot, add the collards and after a few stirs, turn heat down to 4 or medium low. Add a small amount of water if needed to keep them from getting dry. Salt to taste.

This was the best one of all. Nat Bradford told me that after I'd cooked the collards, to drizzle a little Watermelon Molasses across the top of them before serving, So, I put the cooked collards in a bowl, and  I not only drizzled the molasses across the top of the collards,  but drizzled a little apple cider vinegar to balance it out. Toss slightly before spooning onto a plate. "Oh, my gracious alive", is what my late mother would have said.

Happy  New Year!


For information on the Bradford Family Farm, and to order any of their delicious products, go to BradfordWatermelons.com.