I have lived in five different southern states, and each place people ate greens and beans as a New Year's tradition. Black-eyed peas and turnip greens were tops in some places, red beans and collards in others.
All of these folk food traditions echo the same centuries-old story: if you still have beans and greens to eat on New Year's Day, you probably won't starve by the time winter ends.
At my house, we finished off the last fresh tatsoi and Chinese cabbage, protected from cold and deer for two months with rowcovers and blankets. A nice pot of October beans harvested in September rounded out the ceremonial meal.
Hungry? I think there may be one piece of cornbread left…
