the goodness of greens

It has been an eventful week in our kitchen processing all of that beautiful food that is flowing in from the garden and our CSA share. With temperatures as high as they have been it has gotten a bit hot over the stove and I caught myself letting go of a bit of a sigh of relief when those bags of lovely heart shaped leaves started turing up. For me sweet potato greens are on of the first signs of fall coming on. Will I miss summer? I always do but I welcome Autumn with a happy heart and a pot full of sweet potato greens.
Sweet potato greens are mild and tender. I think I've heard Trisha describe them as summer spinach which is a good way to think about them. They are packed with nutrition and especially good raw in smoothies or in salads with a sharp citrusy dressing. That actually sounds good right now. Tossed in at the very end of cooking a pot of rice or couscous makes a nice quick side dish. But as light and delicate as sweet potato greens are they stand up beautifully in a braise with say  caramelized onion and garlic, pork chops and sliced sweet apples. A flavorful one pot meal to welcome Autumn, just not right away.