Today I finally went and pulled up the collards and decided to cook them.  To some of us, Jett and I, this was a good thing..... to Shawn, not so good.  But that is besides the point....

Collards might be a bit intimidating as they can be sold in such big packages at the store, or you might remember them as being yuck, but they can be yummy and easy to prepare if you have the time.

You can buy collards, or any green, already washed and cut, but I didn't have that option.  Jett and I cut them up ourselves. 

The main thing is that they need to be cut into pieces and washed well.  Most people recommend filling up your sink with water and washing them well before you start.  This bothers me on many, germ-filled levels, so I cut mine up first. 

To prepare them you need to remove the hard, center rib.  I either slash on either side of it, or fold the leaf over and do one cut removing the rib. 

I then cut what is left into managable pieces.

Washing them is easy to me in my salad spinner.  You could also just dunk them in a bowl of cool water and then lift them out or use a strainer.  I usually rinse them a couple of times and then just let them drain.

Before cooking you might want to gather all of the left-over stems and disgarded leaves and head out to the compost pile.  You'll be thankful come time to replenish your beds if you have a good compost to add.

How I cook collards, or any green.....

2 large bunches of collards (this will be alot)

1/4 pound of bacon (4-5 strips)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup basalmic vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 cups of chicken stock (may use 3 cups stock and 1 cup bourbon)

salt and pepper sauce to taste

. Cook bacon in large, heavy pot over medium heat.

. Add onion and garlic, cook until golden.

. Add the vinegar and stir to scrape any pan drippings.

. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.

. Add the collards in small batches, stirring them until all the leaves are wilted and coated in the pan juices.  They will cook down in volume very quickly and you can get alot more in the pot than you thought you could.

. Add the stock.  My recipe actually calls for the bourbon-stock combo, but I tend to like bourbon a bit too much so I won't keep it in the house.  I would recommend Southern Comfort if you are so led.

. Add salt and pepper sauce and bring to a boil.

. Reduce to simmer and cover the pot.  Cook at least 2 hours until greens are tender. 

Now it is time to think about the beginning of a new year.  I always feel that New Year's is similar to the first day of the school year.  There is a sense of  anticipation of the plans you have for the New Year as well as their being  a sense  of  newness.  You can let go of any negativity that happened during the last few months and start all over again in January.   You can start with a fresh slate.

The New Year is a time to take stock of all that has happened in the first part of the school year.  Are you happy with the results?   If you are not happy with how the last few months have played out then take time to think long and hard as to why, exactly, things are not working.  

Is the problem with your curriculum?   Is it too workbook-y  for your child?  Is it too teacher-intensive for you?    Does it meet your child's learning style, as well as your  teaching style?  

Is the problem with your schedule?  Is it too rigid, too time-intensive?  Or is it too relaxed to the point that you aren't getting anything done?  Maybe a rhythm-type schedule would work better for you.  Many homeschoolers start their learning time  first thing in the morning.  Maybe that doesn't work for you.  Maybe starting later in the day, even in the afternoon  would work better for your family.   After starting  school in the morning for 5 years, our family has started our learning time after lunch and that has worked so much better for us 

The problem might just be with your philosophy.  It just might be that the way you are educating your child resonates with you but not so much with your children.   I found myself in that situation.  A Classical Education resonates so strongly with me.  I know that if I could be educated over again,  I would  love to be educated in this manner but it doesn't work for all of my children.  So I have spent this last year   trying to think if it is possible to achieve a happy medium.  So far,  it isn't working very well, but I am not giving up.

I want to encourage you if you are having difficulties in your learning time, to take  the next few days and think deeply as to what exactly is the problem.  Then slowly  try to come up with some solutions.  These ideas might not work, so be ready to go back to the drawing board and fool around with more ideas.  It is very much a trial and error process but once you hit pay dirt, it is so rewarding for both yourself and your children.

Julia lives on the  Canadian Prairies  with her husband,  homeschooling their  3 children (10,8,6)  and is attempting to give them a Classical Education.  You can read more  at her blog.