Raleigh cookbook author (and News & Observer Weekend Gourmet columnist) Fred Thompson will try to replicate his mama's beloved collard recipe on the Live Well Network's "My Family Recipe Rocks" show this Saturday.

Thompson wrote about "the collard belt" and his 86-year-old mother's collard recipe for the N&O in November, including the fact that until recently, she traveled from Greensboro to Smithfield each collard season to pick and cut her own greens from the same farmer's patch.

For the TV show, which is hosted by Joey Fatone, Thompson will prepare collards as he learned from his mama, and then see how his effort compares.

"My Family Recipe Rocks" airs at 9 p.m. Saturday night (Feb. 4) on Time Warner Cable channels 109, 112, 1109, 1112 and over the air channels 11.2 and 11.3.