Tender spring leaf lettuce and green onions 'killed' — wilted — by a spoonful of screaming-hot bacon grease and a splash of vinegar. The first fresh green of the mountain year.
In Black mountain households, the spring garden's first cutting of leaf lettuce was a small celebration after months of dried beans, kraut, and canned goods. 'Killing' the lettuce with hot grease made a fragile leaf into a satisfying meal and stretched a little fat across a whole bowl.
Leaf lettuce and green onion are dense in vitamin K for bone and clotting health and in lutein and beta-carotene for eye protection — meaningful given higher rates of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease in Black Americans. The vinegar's acetic acid blunts the post-meal glucose spike. Eaten as the first fresh green after a winter of preserved food, this dish was a seasonal infusion of vitamin C and folate.
Tear young leaf lettuce and slice green onions into a bowl. Render bacon or pour hot grease, then pour it sizzling over the greens to wilt them; immediately add a splash of cider vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Toss and eat right away while warm.
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