New Years Day Good Luck Meal, have you made yours? By JR (Read 986 times)

[JR]

Up early this morning and all who know me know I'm going to make a New Year's Day good luck meal feast! Pulled the crock pots out early and opened my a big jar of sealed dried black eye peas, not the ones you buy but the ones I raised this summer and let them dry and then sealed them in jars. When one wants a good mess of peas just add water and seasoning and throw them in the crock pot. Of course most people don't do this so store bought ones will do as well too. I put a big piece of salt pork in with them along with a little black pepper, they are starting to make a nice aroma as I type.

Now it's cold in Arkieland actually had a tiny touch of sleet this morning but it didn't stop me from picking a big mess of fresh collard greens from my garden, nice and crisp from the cold, tender and sweet another must for good luck on new years day. Got them in another crock pot with a little salt pork, a tad of sugar and salt and about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, makes them sweeter! Yesterday went to the supermarket and even though they had a lot of fresh cut packages of hog jowl already cut I had the butcher slice mine up, I don't like it in chunks but rather sliced up like bacon.

Add a big pan of fresh hot cornbread with some of my honey from my bee hives and man you're set!

My wife had to work last night and she's now asleep but when she gets up around 4 she'll have this meal fit for a king waiting on her! My grandkids don't quite understand the tradition but will for sure eat it too. Actually the grandson loves collard greens and both of them are pea and cornbread eaters.

So if you don't have this meal started or don't have the fresh stuff or a crock pot you can still haul arse to your market and if worse comes to worse buy the black eyes and collard greens in a can and anyone can make cornbread! Hurry and get it done, you entire year of good luck depends on it!

JR

[cyborg]

Geez JR if I ate like you I'd weigh 500 pounds,,, that does sound great!!!!!!!!

[JR]

Jan 1, 2015 11:08:20 GMT -6 cyborg said:

Geez JR if I ate like you I'd weigh 500 pounds,,, that does sound great!!!!!!!!

Oh no you wouldn't that is if you kept moving like I do! Yesterday and today the grandkids and I are trimming the low hanging limbs on our place and doing a  lot of brush burning, getting everything trimmed up and in order cause spring and mowing season will be here again before you know it.

On a cold day like today a brush pile keeps you warm! Makes that meal this evening even better!

JR

[richardv]

Unfortunately all of don't live your life. I've been forced into an apartment and the usual sedentary life that goes with it. So, my crook pot got filled with the makings for a lean beef stew this morning.

I have never had special meals for certain occasions as I like variety. But hope you enjoy yours and many more this new year.

[jct842]

Hog jowl and black eyes for breakfast and late supper. Prime rib and ham for dinner. Should not have to eat for a week or so.

[JR]

Jan 1, 2015 13:22:55 GMT -6 richardv said:

Unfortunately all of don't live your life. I've been forced into an apartment and the usual sedentary life that goes with it. So, my crook pot got filled with the makings for a lean beef stew this morning.

I have never had special meals for certain occasions as I like variety. But hope you enjoy yours and many more this new year.

Hey beef stew is great. As far as an apartment goes if you have access to any good supermarket with fresh goods you can make this old southern new years tradition meal unless some of the items aren't as we say native to your area?

I don't even know where the tradition started but I can remember it from way back. Don't even need a crock pot as one can simmer black eye peas and collard greens slowly on a stove top. Hog jowl? I know some people never heard of it but it's basically a very fatty cut of salt bacon, more for flavoring than eating. Cornbread? Got a sister who married a fellow and lives in Minnesota, until he met her he'd never put it in his mouth. Same with okra, and fired green tomatoes but we southernized him pretty quick!

JR

[richardv]

I'm now back in central Wisconsin but spent most of my life in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties where southern cooking was a regular fare. Waukesha county had a very large POW camp that allow prisoners to hold jobs out of the prison and many brought there families here during and after the Union invasion. Waukesha county has the largest chapter of The Daughters of the Confederacy. It also has a very large population of German ancestry, which is where hog jowl comes from.
Fresh greens can be hard to come by this time of year. But, we survive.

[JR]

Hog jowls originated in Italy and is a big southern tradition due to the fact that the south has always been the leading producer of pork in all forms.

As far as greens go all southern supermarkets including Wal mart keep greens in some form year round, turnip, spinach, mustard, tender and the all time southern favorite collard. I'm sure it gets too harsh in Wisconsin to grow them in the winter but in the south turnip and collard greens are planted in the late fall, when rain starts coming back generally in late September and I have planted both as late middle October if the autumn weather is mild. This year so far we have not dropped below 20F but if you get them out early enough where they establish well they will season to the cold weather and you will have greens all winter long even if snow and ice hits them. In fact collard greens are better with several good frosts on them as it makes the leaves turn a purplish color on the ends and adds to their sweet flavor unlike turnip greens that have a more bitter type taste. Collard greens no matter how big they get are good to eat, if they get too big one just pulls the stems out. Turnip greens once you get a good size turnip are not very good to eat and it's time to pull them and cook turnip recipes. I even make a turnip pie.

Right now I have a big patch of both collard and turnips and some turnips as large as a softball. This spring I will plow them under and put other crops there. I even have fresh onions that also can take the cold and broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower along with a little lettuce. The cold weather slows their growth and if it gets below 20F it will kill the lettuce again one has to start these crops in the warm fall and let them season to the cold. We even call these veggies cold weather crops. Where I was raised in SW Arkansas the temps are even milder and I have even grown fall potatoes. Where my father lived the last few years of his life in NE Texas he started a spring garden in December each year, you will even see nurseries selling spring crops right after Christmas. What's nice about fall cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower is I'll get to harvest them in mid February to early March and plant another crop of them at the same time.

JR

[richardv]

This is one of the reason I'm considering moving there when I get to retire. Besides having a decent riding season.

[cyborg]

Considering it myself,,, either Alabama or Arkansas ,,, I thought being a Yankee I'd get run out of town or lynched,,, but they havn't killed Rich yet,, and the fact I would have fought with Lee would ( maybe ) get me a pass,,, sure is beautiful there with lots of great riding right at your fingertips,,,, been chipping away at the wife,,, I see daylight so I may have a chance,,, putting my business up for sale next week,,, have a meeting with a broker tomorrow for an assessment ,, he knows my biz well and says I may get half a mill after taxes ,,, we'll see,,, it's all bullsh!t till I have a check ( and it clears the bank),,,, Hey JR do I get extra credit for lovin grits ? ( I really do)

[JR]

Jan 2, 2015 13:53:02 GMT -6 cyborg said:

Considering it myself,,, either Alabama or Arkansas ,,, I thought being a Yankee I'd get run out of town or lynched,,, but they havn't killed Rich yet,, and the fact I would have fought with Lee would ( maybe ) get me a pass,,, sure is beautiful there with lots of great riding right at your fingertips,,,, been chipping away at the wife,,, I see daylight so I may have a chance,,, putting my business up for sale next week,,, have a meeting with a broker tomorrow for an assessment ,, he knows my biz well and says I may get half a mill after taxes ,,, we'll see,,, it's all bullsh!t till I have a check ( and it clears the bank),,,, Hey JR do I get extra credit for lovin grits ? ( I really do)

Grits? I can eat grits not one of my favorite foods but as a southerner I have had my share. I like them with butter with eggs and toast or with red eye gravy from a good sugar cured ham.

As far as Rich he learned a long time ago how to blend in with the locals and get along, goes to those nightly meetings with the boys of the hood so to speak!

Don't let those glasses and fake hair fool you one moment!

[cyborg]

I like the eggs poached sitting in the center of a big ol pile with a biscuit or two,,,get the f@@k out of the way,,,,

[jct842]

I'll go with the poached eggs but deposit them on top of a couple buttermilk pancakes a half a stick of butter and 2 spoons full of maple syrup/. Never had the occasion for grits, won't rule them out like mountain oysters and brains but would try them.

[richardv]

I got overdosed on grits and lima beans at forts Campbell, Benning and Polk. Yuk!