The Soulful Significance of Collard Greens
Waking up to the smell of collard greens on a Sunday morning meant it was time to get ready for church. My three siblings and I would pop our heads out of our bedrooms only to see Mama at the stove, stirring and flavoring the collard greens to her liking. Without even looking in our direction, she would say in such a calm yet stern way, "Y'all better be behind me when I walk out this door." And we were...every single Sunday!
To some, collard greens are simply a leafy vegetable that makes for a healthy side dish. To most, it's a Southern dish that my fellow Southerners will make indulgent due to the various smoked meats we choose to put into the dish. For me, however, collard greens are a culture, it's a vibe. It's my way of paying homage to my Black Southern heritage and giving credit for making me into the woman I am today.
When I'm cooking collard greens, for example, I first think about how I'm going to prepare them. I ask myself, will I sauté them in light olive oil accompanied by apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper? Or will I stew them down with a smoked meat of my choice? If I choose to cook them with smoked meat, which one will I choose? Smoked turkey wings, smoked neckbones, ham hocks, pigtails, or just some bacon?
Let's say I choose pigtails—that means I would have to drive about 45 minutes to my rural area grocery store because my bougie grocery store will not have them. More than likely it's a Sunday when I decide to cook collard greens, so that means I would either have to squeeze in some time to drive there on Friday after work or Saturday afternoon. I cannot get them on a Sunday morning before or after church, (I'm talking pre-pandemic of course), because they take approximately three hours to cook. I would either be late for church or late preparing Sunday dinner. Now that I have gotten the pigtails, what would I pair with my collard greens? Mac and cheese? Yellow rice? Barbecue chicken/ribs? Meatloaf? I ask myself, do I really want that much pork? Do I want carbs or no carbs? Would I have leftovers for lunch or tomorrow's dinner? I tell myself, a salad is mandatory for the remainder of the week!
So for me, collard greens aren't just a side dish. It's a culture. It's the same Black Southern culture that raised me to respect my elders and that work without faith is dead. It's the same culture that taught me to appreciate my Black Southern vernacular accent instead of oppressing it. It's the same culture that reminds me every day to know my worth and to stand tall in my truth. Collard greens are a constant reminder that regardless of the situation, regardless of how you choose to prepare them, at the end of the day, they're still collard greens.
Chef Sharell Johnson is currently located in Columbia, South Carolina. She is the Owner and Executive Chef of Sharell Cooks, LLC and Food and Drink Editor for Hope Magazine. She holds a BA in Journalism/Mass Communication from the University of South Carolina Upstate. When she’s not cooking or writing, you may spot her in her local thrift store or ice cream shop.