Without collard or turnip greens and blackeyed peas the new year cannot begin in our family. I was born in 1928 and hence am familar with the depression era. My parents and myself and one sibling lived on a farm as a sharcropper family to the land owner. My mother, 97, still insists on preparing her turnip greens and blackeyed peas from scratch.

Not only on New Years Day were greens and black eyed peas served as the main and sometimes only food on the table except for a thick pone of cornbread and lots of milk from our cows. Of course, we had hog jaw or fat back well salted that was produced on our farm.

Money was something that rich people had...we had lots of love for family and the neighbors cared about us and we caared about them. So we were far from poor...we had what God allowed our sweat and efforts to produce after the landlord was given his share.