Turnip: Another Southern specialty, the tender leaves taste like milder versions of the the root. As a child I dearly loved the turnip greens cooked from scratch by the woman who took care of me. Apparently I had trouble pronoucing "turnip greens," because I called them "geens." I tried a few times to locate a recipe that had greens that tasted like that. The only thing that hit the nail on the head was a particular brand of canned turnip greens: Sylvia's "Specially-Seasoned Turnip Greens Tried and True!". I often now serve these turnip greens on New Years Day with Hoppin' John.
Mustard: Russ Parsons in A guide to greens, The Baltimore Sun Taste p.2, wrote: "Wonderfully peppery, mustard greens have strong flavor but a delicate texture." This description fits perfectly with my memory of mustard greens which my father enjoyed, but I disliked because they were more peppery than I liked.
Kale: I don't remember eatting cooked kale as a child. Russ Parsons also wrote: "Today's darling salad green has always been one of the best cooking greens. The flavor mellows nicely; the texture is tender. Befitting its star status, there are a variety of kales available today, and the darkest tend to be the best flavored."
Dandelion: Dandelion is one of the most nutritious leafy greens. I've been told that they are best picked when tender in the early spring, otherwise they tend to be bitter. Indeed, new dandelion greens are the first spring vegetable, and they are credited with making a great spring "tonic." During the 1970's, dandelion greens became a favorite food of some back-to-the-land hippy-type-health-nuts who were always describing how good they were in salads. Russ Parsons described them as, "The bitterest of the greens, with cooking it remains assertive but turns more earthy and nutty." I have never eaten cooked dandelion greens. My mother always viewed them as weeds to be rooted out of the lawn by hand with a particular gardening trowel. As a staunch Conservationist, concerned about the environment, member of the Florida Audubon Society and The Garden Club of Jacksonville, Inc., she never used chemicals to kill "those yellow-ed eyed weeds." Using herbicidal poisons would be "bad for the land, the water table, and the wildlife in the river" four blocks away. Yet, she never viewed them as any possible source of food.
How attitudes about what was tastey and edible had changed in the mid 20th century since the early 19th century. Lydia Marie Child in The Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy (first edition 1829) advised cultvating dandelion greens in one's own yard and because they were easy to grow and made for an inexpensive food.
In a related article, Russ Parsons, Chase away post-holiday blues with a pot of long-simmered greens, The Baltimore Sun February 4, 2015, Taste p. 2, gave two recipes I'll share here:
Southern comfort soup: This is my go-to when the flu calls. Simmer shredded greens and lots of garlic, then stir in cooked rice. A bit of sherry vinegar and a happy grating of Parmigiano at the end makes all the difference.2015, Myth WoodlingCollard greens with roasted peanuts and crushed red peppers: Add peanuts you've toasted in oil to blanched greens flavored with lots of garlic and chile.
Sources:
Russ Parsons, Chase away post-holiday blues with a pot of long-simmered greens, The Baltimore Sun February 4, 2015, Taste p. 2
Russ Parsons, A guide to greens, The Baltimore Sun February 4, 2015, Taste p. 2