Grandma Annie’s Sunday Greens

By Genie Deez

Jan 27, 2026

Every family has a recipe that tells a story. For me, that story begins in my Grandma Annie’s kitchen. Her collard greens were famous in our family, especially on Thanksgiving and cold fall days. Any time I make greens, I am transported right back to her kitchen. I can only imagine where making greens transported her —probably back to the small town of Gibson, Tennessee where she’d learned from her grandmother.

A pot of greens is more than food. It carries a history of creativity, survival, and love. “Soul food” began with the resourceful cooking of enslaved Black Americans, who turned discarded ingredients into something extraordinary. Each time we make greens, we honor their spirit and pass their legacy to the next generation.

As a co-creator of Phoebe & Jay, I wanted to celebrate that legacy by dedicating an episode to the Yarber family tradition of Sunday Greens and the memories passed down from Grandma Annie herself.

Recipes are used to help us know how to cook or bake something. A recipe usually includes a list of ingredients and steps to follow in order to make a specific type of food. As you follow Grandma Annie’s Sunday Greens Recipe, encourage your child to help gather the ingredients and to follow along with each step, pointing out any numbers or words they know and helping to measure ingredients.

Ingredients

3-4 bunches of collard greens (Family secret: add some mustard or turnip greens for a peppery kick)
1 cup of vinegar
Oil, for sautéing
1 onion, roughly diced
A few cloves of garlic, chopped
1 smoked ham hock (or pig feet, turkey leg, turkey neck, or skip the meat for a veggie version)
Chicken broth (or water for a vegan version)

Directions

Prepare the greens by removing the stems. There are two ways to remove them:

Method 1: Fold the leaf in half lengthwise and cut along the stem.
Method 2: Hold the stem at the bottom with one hand and slide the other up to tear off the leaf.

Wash the greens – this is key — nobody likes gritty greens! Greens may be full of dirt and sometimes even bugs, so you want to make sure they are well washed. Fill a sink or a large bowl with water and add half the cup of vinegar. Add the leaves and stir. (Kids love helping with this!) Soak for 20-30 minutes. (Set a timer for fun!) Drain the water and rinse each leaf. Be sure to make sure they are clean.

Rip or cut your greens into bite-size pieces. My grandmother was a ripper, and so is my 4-year-old daughter. If that’s your vibe, then get to rippin’ so you can start cooking an amazing “mess of greens!”

In a crockpot or stovetop pot, heat a tablespoon of oil over low-medium heat. Sauté your onions until soft. Add the garlic to heat through, careful not to burn garlic.

Add chicken broth (or water), the remaining vinegar, and the smoked meat. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, add the greens, and cover with a lid. Simmer on low for at least 45 minutes. This helps keep some of the vibrant green color. As Phoebe and Jay always say, “You gotta wait for something great!” This is a good time to make side dishes for your greens or talk about family traditions and ancestors as Grandma Annie does with Phoebe and Jay in the episode “Grandma’s Greens.”

Serve and enjoy! Don’t forget the potlikker or potliquor, the flavorful liquid left behind. Try dipping fresh cornbread or rolls into the potlikker for a delicious treat.