Granddaddy’s Greens

Everyone has a traditional dish they like Grandma to make at the family gatherings. 

For us, it's actually Grandpa. 

Terry Baker, the original founder of Baker Farms, is also known as 'Granddaddy' to his steadily expanding family. As a greens grower for over 50 years, he has since retired and passed his farm knowledge and work down to the next generation. Being out of the hustle of the farm, he’s found a new passion in the kitchen.

Cooking for his family is the opportunity to bring his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren together. These gatherings usually take place over a fish fry. No longer on a tractor, he spends most of his free time on his fishing boat. But he’s not just fishing for fun. He’s got a family to feed, hosting a fish fry at least once a month for family and friends. We won’t give away his fried fish recipe because that’s a family treasure, but we will give out his next-best one: Granddaddy’s Greens. 

When he’s ready to cook, Terry believes in old-fashioned preparation and simple recipes. Although the Baker Farms facility is located less than a mile from his house, he prefers to go down the road and pick his greens fresh from the field. While it may lengthen the cooking process compared to grabbing a bag of our triple-washed greens, he believes a good meal takes time and a little effort. He rinses grit and removes any hard stems before ribbon-cutting his greens so that they are finely shredded. 

And the secret to what makes his children and grandchildren title his greens the best in the family? Bacon grease. “Don’t be afraid of it,” he says. It may be simple, but add a little salt & pepper, and it delivers every time. 

Terry was once working greens in the fields, and now he's cooking them up in the kitchen. When it comes to family gatherings, that’s something our family is truly grateful for. More often than not, you’ll find him out on a pond. The Baker family keeps growing, and that just means he’ll keep right on fishing.

Check out the simple recipe below that the Baker family knows and loves. 

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb bag of Baker Farms Greens (Mustard, Collards or Turnips)

2. 2 tablespoons of Bacon Grease.

3. Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Fill a pot with water about 3-4 inches deep. Heat up water nearly to a boil. Drop in handfuls of greens, allowing them to wilt down as you stir.

2. Drop in 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and season with salt & pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

3. Serve warm with cornbread.