Cast Iron Cooking

Sometime I just have to revert to my country heritage. My 91 year old daddy planted enough mustard greens to feed an army and they just keep producing.. He has been worried that they might go to waste even though he gives mustard greens to every person who comes to visit.Growing up in the depression era, he is not one to waste food of any kind.  He has given to all the neighbors and still the greens grow. I decided I would pick a 33 gallon bag full and cook them in my black cast iron dutch oven outside on the butane cooker. My husband and I picked mustard greens, pulled the stems out and torn the leaves into small pieces. About that time an elderly couple came to visit daddy. Of course they said yes when I offered them mustard greens. God blessed us with all those greens and sharing made us all happy.
"Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
Be of good courage."
Isaiah 41:6

We had not used the butane burner since last year and it did not work. My husband banged on it and determined that the line was filled with a dirt dauber clay plug. By the time he had the fire burning and the black pot on the blaze, I had bacon ready to sizzle until tender before adding a chopped onion. Once the onion sauteed, we added the fresh washed greens and covered with the lid for about 20 minutes on low heat. When we uncovered the greens they had begun to turn darker. I added a smoked ham hock and about a two quarts of water. We covered the greens and let them cook slowly for over an hour.

My uncle used to call all greens rabbit food and a friend of mine said I was eating grass. I know that southern cornbread served with fresh mustard greens smothered down in an iron dutch oven really make this country woman smile. Try it and you might like it.