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Ancestral Kitchen

Alison Kay & Andrea Huehnerhoff

The Ancestral Kitchen is a twice-monthly podcast hosted by Alison, a European town-dweller and Andrea, living on a family farm in northwest Washington state. Pull up a chair at the table and join us as we talk about eating, cooking and living with ancient ancestral food wisdom in a modern-world kitchen.

Find us here: http://ancestralkitchenpodcast.com

Podcast theme and audio production by Robert Michael Kay, find him at www.robertmichaelkay.com

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Avg 1 hr 35 min
English

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Monday · 1 hr 39 min
#139 - Swimming Upstream: Ethical Salmon in an Era of Farmed Fish with Sam Pflaum of Ketchikan Sam's
What does ethical and sustainable seafood look like, and how in the world do we even begin to find such a thing? In this episode Andrea sat down with Sam Pflaum, owner and operator of Ketchikan Sam’s up in Ketchikan, Alaska, USA. Sam’s family has been living and fishing in Ketchikan, Alaska for several generations, and he understands the nature of the fish and the nature of the fishing industry. We asked him about farmed vs wild-caught salmon, different varieties of salmon, salmon hatcheries, ethics of salmon and eating fish when you live away from the ocean. We talked about alternatives to salmon and other types of fish that are good to eat, and we discussed seasonality and storing of fresh fish. This was a fascinating and eye-opening episode - seafood is a topic we are often asked about but we are not deeply educated on ourselves, and it was a relief to have someone to ask these questions who really understands the industry from all angles. After we finished recording the main feed episode, Sam took us on a walking tour of his fish plant, which you can see on our Ancestral Kitchen Podcast YouTube channel; supporters of the podcast can also listen in to the audio of this on the private podcast feed. Nothing beats seeing the visuals and walking outside to see the salmon running down the creek right outside the fish plant! Sam is educating us on how to find ethical suppliers wherever we may be, and the quality of fish to look for; we have also shared links to his online store for frozen fish shipping everywhere in the USA, in the show notes. There are plenty of other great resources in the show notes today too, so check them out for additional video content from Ketchikan Sam’s! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What We Talked About: What was the last thing you ate today? Let's do a deep dive on salmon - current sustainability issues, fishing ethics, regulations, as well as farmed vs wild-caught Should someone who lives away from the sea be eating ocean seafood? What are some reasonable alternatives to salmon? The rising cost of seafood - prices double as tariffs block global imports of cheap, net-caught seafood Fish seasonality - when to look for certain fish? How long can we store them in the freezer? Jakob wanted to know: What sea animals can you smoke? Visit Ancestral Kitchen Podcast on YouTube to see a walking tour of the fish plant and smokehouse, as well as hear Sam's favorite ways to cook and serve fish! The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Sam's online freezer shop and use code ANCESTRAL26 for $10 off your order! Alaska Vibes interview and tour with Sam Ketchikan Sam's on Instagram Ketchikan Sam's on Facebook Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
August 31 · 1 hr 45 min
#138 - Fermenting Vegetables - Your Questions Answered (with Holly Howe of Make Sauerkraut)
Fermenting vegetables is a topic we all have questions on, whether we’re just starting with fermentation or we’ve been doing it for years. Today I welcome Holly Howe of makesauerkraut.com and we answer your real-life fermenting veg questions. Holly is amazing. I personally learned so much from the hour and a half I spent with her, and I know that wherever you are in your fermentation practise, you will too. Supporters can also access an after show - I persuaded Holly to stay on a bit longer and talk to me about how to know if a ferment has gone bad and what steps you can take to combat mould. Holly is super busy right now organising her upcoming event, the fermentation summit which will run from September the 15th to 17th this year, 2026. If you would like to get access to a whole load of free video presentations by fermentation experts that will move your practise forward no matter where you are at, sign up at ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/hollysummit. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we cover: Equipment for fermentation The use of inoculants What the best cabbage is for sauerkraut What to do if your sauerkraut is dry The importance of salt in fermentation and which salt is the best What will make the difference between succeeding and failing How long to ferment your sauerkraut for How to make a year’s worth of sauerkraut Cucumber pickles, talking about how to avoid them going soft The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: To sign up for The Fermentation Summit go here Holly’s website Holly’s book Mouthwatering Sauerkraut Fermentation Made Easy Kitchen Table Chat #36 (about 'snotty' ferments) Hollys post, How to Make Sauerkraut In a Crock in 7 Simple Steps [Healthy, Flavorful, Easy] Holly's cranberry and orange relish is within this post: Fermented Cranberries Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
August 17 · 1 hr 36 min
#137 - Your Questions: Handling Social Food Obligations, Children and Ancestral Foods, and more
Every month we ask our supporters to send us their questions so we can tackle them on a special podcast called kitchen table chats, which is shared exclusively with our supporters as a special bonus and a thank you for keeping the podcast on the air for all our beloved listeners around the world. In these episodes we are much more informal and perhaps a bit more forward than we are in the main feed. In the summer, it has become our tradition to take one or two of these episodes and post them to the main feed so you can step in and enjoy this casual, more intimate time with us. Many of our supporters tell us these are their favorite episodes, maybe because sometimes we get a little bit obnoxious and opinionated. In this episode we answered questions from Hannah, Brittney and Ella, four questions in all. We tackled how to handle potlucks and events where you share food with others, and others share food with you? We talked about how to help children adjust or transition to ancestral food, and do we have thoughts on bringing ancestral food to the plates of foster children that may be in our homes? We also discussed the fun question, how did we meet? Lastly we talked about attending social obligations with young children, with all of the junk food and potential scenes that can come from repeatedly telling children they cannot have all of the good things being put in front of them or even handed to them by well-meaning people. There is also a lot more in this episode including discussion of good books we have been reading, and several good titles we recommend; Alison’s quick pancakes; and a contribution from our supporter Rebekah, the most interesting cock-a-leekie soup! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What We Talked About: Welcome to our 50th KTC episode!!! Cock-a-Leekie Soup from Rebekah November's KTC Live Zoom call with podcast supporters Alison's quick pancakes Hodmedods and YQ Wheat - another wheat Rob can have? The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable The November KTC 49 recording of Andrea with 3 other ancestral moms - referenced several times in this episode Alison's recording with Marcos Patchett, Episode 119 Plus, the Kitchen Table Chats private podcast aftershow with Marcos Patchett Feminism Against Progress by Mary Harrington Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes (not on Bookshop) The Happy Dinner Table by Anna Migeon (not on Bookshop) Cindy Rollins' podcast: The New Mason Jar with Cindy Rollins First Catch Your Gingerbread by Sam Bilton Against the Machine group read-along * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
August 3 · 1 hr 33 min
Encore: What Fermented Drinks Can I Make?
Today we’re bringing you an episode of the podcast that originally went out in 2023. It’s one of our favourites, all about fermented drinks. In it, we cover over 20 different fermented drinks, including: SCOBY ferments whey ferments grain ferments wild ferments And we talk to you about how you can incorporate these super health-giving, delicious foods into your life. So if you’ve ever asked the question, “What fermented drinks can I make?” or “What other fermented drinks can I make?” This episode is for you. For supporters of the podcast, there is a bonus e-book containing four of our favourite fermented drinks to download from the website. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we cover: Scoby ferments Whey ferments, and how you don't have to use whey Grain ferments, including ale and boza Wild ferments Dairy ferments Gluten-free ferments Sugar and alcohol content concerns Using fermented drinks in smoothies Second-ferments * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Boza course Sowans course (affiliate link) DIY proofing box article Kobo Fermentary (the gingerbug queen) Andrea's Kombucha article Alison Rye Kvass article Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
July 20 · 1 hr 55 min
#136 - Ancestral Habits and Lifestyle Outside of the Kitchen: what we do and why it matters
If we understand the importance of eating nose to tail, preparing bone broth and fermenting our grains, we understand that these ancestral principles for preparing food help our body to benefit more from the food we are eating and to avoid some of the damaging effects of industrial foods. But are there other areas in our life where industrialized habits, behaviors and products are damaging our bodies and lives and are there ancestral, traditional ways of living we can look back at and try to imitate or recreate in our lives today, for optimal human thriving, longevity and happiness? Yes, there absolutely are. There are ways of ancestral living that reach beyond the doors of the kitchen that support our habits in the kitchen, and our habits in the kitchen support our life outside. It’s all inextricably interconnected. In this episode we talk about what some of these ancestral aspects of modern life are, and how we have been integrating them and what you can do to bring them into your life today. We have a further aftershow on our private supporter podcast, Kitchen Table Chats, where we discuss some important habits to cultivate, and we dropped a lot of links and resources in the show notes to support all of what we are discussing today. Rather than push our body to the limits of its tolerance, let's place ourselves in a prime position for thriving and succeeding, and enjoying our life more every day. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth Whoop sleep study (one of many!) Episode 76: Essential Oils in an Ancestral Kitchen Episode 37: A Peek into Alison and Rob's Ancestral Lifestyle Episode 12: Why I Gave Away My iPhone Decluttering help from Minimal Mom on YouTube Whoop Podcast (they are on YouTube also) Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne - signs of PTSD in children in heavily programmed lives matching signs of PTSD in children raised in war zones Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear by Katy Bowman Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman Nutritious Movement, Katy's website Xero Shoes Many, many styles of barefoot shoes for all ages and styles: Anya's Reviews e-Ink Screen devices Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
July 6 · 1 hr 19 min
#135 - 800 Egg Recipes! Interview with Too Many Eggs author Mimi Smith-Dvorak
Eggs seem the simplest of foods, right? Why would someone write a book with over 800 egg recipes? We both have this book: "Too Many Eggs", and it has blown our minds with its plethora of recipes, practical tips and fascinating history. So we were very excited to talk to its author, Mimi Smith Dvorak. In this episode, she shares with us the story of this book. We talk about the crazy lengths she went to when researching and some of our favourite recipes in it. We also talk about the practicalities of eggs, with some really helpful tips on how to work with them including a deep dive into mayonnaise, with her expert tips from having made it over and over again. Along the way, we talk about sustainable food, her incredible historic cookbook collection and much more. This is a fun episode, and with the book that you can buy in hardback or download free as a PDF from toomanyeggs.com, you'll never look at eggs the same way again. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Get a copy of "Too Many Eggs" from Mimi's website. You can buy a hardback there, or you can download a PDF copy for free. You can also, in the US, buy "Too Many Eggs" from our Amazon-free online bookstore. In doing so, you'll be supporting the podcast. Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
June 15 · 1 hr 23 min
#134 - Freezer Meals: Ancestral Foods for busy days, post-partum, and make-ahead food prepping
Whether it's anticipating busy days between work and school, heavy project days writing or working in the garden or canning, postpartum or surgery recovery period - there are many reasons why having a stocked freezer supplied with ready to go meals and ingredients is an enormous benefit to living an ancestral, locavore style life. For many reasons - financial, ingredient concerns, sourcing concerns, access - many of us are not able to rely on the fallback of quick easy prepared foods from a grocery store or restaurants, and many of us don't have a village around us that can supply emergency meals in time of need, much less meals that would comply with our sometimes complicated or weird dietary requirements. Building the routine of freezer stacking has been invaluable for our family, and in this episode I hope to share some of the ideas, meals and ingredients that have been helpful for us. Of course I thought of many more as soon as we finished recording, but there is plenty here to work with! There is a bonus download for this episode available to all listeners, where we included recipe links for many of the foods we are going to discuss. If you are in our supporter community, we look forward to hearing your freezer ideas and contributions in our discussion boards on Discord. Let’s get the ideas flowing and keep those freezers stocked! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we talked about: Leah's business, which relies on freezers! The free bonus download for this episode Why and when freezer meals can play an important role Ideas to consider when planning your freezer meals All-in-one prepared meals and casseroles Sidekicks, or parts of meals that can be paired with more Prepped ingredients, meant to be use in a dish Containers and storage solutions The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Ketchikan Sam’s podcast link or go to Ketchikan Sam’s and use code ANCESTRAL26 For more recipe links and our working notes, check the download here Industrial Sharpie Non-Gummy Masking Tape (I use for everything in the kitchen) Souper Cubes Spaghetti Sauce Swedish Meatballs Enchiladas Mexican Lasagna (not Mexican, and not lasagna) The Pastured Pork Cookbook Meals at the Ancestral Hearth Cookbook Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
June 1 · 1 hr 23 min
#133 - Home Milling Q & A
We get lots of questions from supporters and listeners about milling your own flour and thought it was about time we brought them all together a Q&A. This episode is packed with information: We start with troubleshooting bread made with freshly milled flour, including: why your bread might not be rising as much why you might have experienced your bread pancaking and why freshly milled flour breads need more water and how best to transition to that We then go on to talk about sifting, how to do it, and the nutritional effects. We talk about storing grain, whether we're personally concerned with the heat that grinding grains at home produces, and then how we store excess flour. We cover freshly milling gluten-free grains, including a deep dive into oats. And we talk about all the other things you can use your home mill for, and there are lots of them. Whether you have a mill or whether you're just thinking about getting a mill, this episode will bring you something new. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Ancestral Kitchen Podcast Guide to Home Milling The Grain Flavour Wheel Project Alison’s article on making stone-ground oatmeal in the mockmill Mockmill Milling Guide Bread Lasagna Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
May 18 · 1 hr 50 min
#132 - A Week of Ancestral Meals: what we really ate
What was the last thing you ate? This is the question we always begin our podcast episodes with. The reason is because we always want to know what the other is fixing and cooking! What’s going on in your kitchen these days? What’s fresh and good? One of our earliest episodes recounts everything in our refrigerators at the moment! That was a lot of fun to record. Part of what drives this interest in what we are eating is developing the ideas and understanding of what a day in the life of ancestral food looks like in a world where you may be the only person you know who is eating anything like an ancestral or ancestrally inspired diet. A world where once upon a time it would have been the norm to eat this way, but now you are trying to create a life, habits, rolling tasks, completely on your own, and without the benefit of examples from your childhood or the people around you or expert cooks who live nearby and can give suggestions and show you a good way to use up chicken carcasses or how to feed a lot of small children filling food day after day. And another reason why is - there is something intangible we learn when we travel to a place, stay in a home and break bread with someone. It is an intimate communion that tells us something about that person. For this episode, we decided to track our meals for an entire week so you could see the shape of them - where some were more interesting, some were new and exciting, and others were leftovers, scraps, things we were just trying to use up. An ancestral diet is often made up of the mundane and simple, but exquisite foods. Pure in their sourcing, flavour, freshness but simple in their preparation and humble in their serving. To create a supporter bonus, I reached out to our supporter community and asked if they were willing to contribute a week of their meals as well, to be published as an accompanying booklet to the episode. The incredible booklet for podcast supporters that accompanies this episode includes at last count 50 pages with about 20 delicious menus, real menus made by families eating ancestral and home prepared meals ranging in size from empty nesters to 7 children in the home, including a special weekend with 12 children to be fed! There is also an aftershow - we wanted to go over some details from these contributed menus and we were really pushing the limit on podcast length so we continued recording some of those discussions as an aftershow which supporters can find in the podcast feed. Now without further ado, let’s find out what is on the menu in ancestral homes today. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we talked about: What we ate A lovely review from a listener Why talk about a week of meals? An incredible download for supporters, contributed to by supporters! The beauty of the mundane Where our concept of mealtimes came from Alison's upper-class menu style Alison's notes on her menu: low histamine, gluten-free, and more Andrea's notes on her menu: winter fare, gluten-free, an outdoor week Our week in meals, alternating days The most common concerns listeners had about their menus Sharing samples from some listener menus Supporters can visit the private podcast, Kitchen Table Chats, to see the aftershow for this episode and hear more from the listener menus. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Supporters can download A Treasury of Ancestral Menus, Volume I in the downloads section today! The Evolution of Mealtimes Why and How to Study Food History - hour long YouTube lecture The Little-Known Evolution of Lunch The Regency Town House: Mealtimes Megan's Ranch Seasoning Sending in a menu? Include how many adults/children (and the children's ages!), any special dietary needs, and roughly where you are in the world (country/state or major city if you like), and Firstname/Last initial. Any other details you feel are pertinent such as sourcing, what you grew, special processing info or food prep, is all delightful and adds to much color! Photographs and recipes or instructions are welcomed. We are most interested in the menu you actually ate, not the menu that was planned - it's what actually ends up happening that tells us our story! We cannot guarantee your menu will be used in a future volume, and we are honored to receive it regardless! Volumes may be available for sale in the future and submitting information implies you consent to your material being included. Menus can be sent to info@ancestralkitchen.com. Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
May 4 · 1 hr 50 min
#131 - Behind the Scenes (The Parts You Don't Hear!)
Ancestral Kitchen Podcast is five years old! A birthday that, when we started this adventure in late 2020, we could never have imagined. In this episode we will finally take you inside the podcast. You'll hear what goes on behind mic including plenty of the disasters we've had. We'll share with you three exciting announcements about how you can get more Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your life, We'll also go over all the ways we can support you (because we've amassed a lot more than just the podcast episodes). We'll talk about what's happened in our own lives in the last five years and finally we'll share a few things we think you'd never guess! To join the podcast community at the new Fellowship level, or at any of our levels, go here: ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/join If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of the podcast, go here: ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/sponsoranepisode To check out our sustainable, ethical merchandise, go here: ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/merch * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: To access the podcast downloads mentioned in the show go to ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/downloads To access the ancestral kitchen downloads mentioned in the episode, go to: The Beginner's Guide to Rye Sourdough Bread The Heritage Oat Collection Alison's 10 Tips to Create & Maintain a Sourdough Starter The rest of Alison's courses can be found here Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
April 20 · 1 hr 16 min
#130 - Are We Ancestral Enough Yet? A Conversation with Jaycie of Hazy River Homestead & Ranch
How do you know if you are ancestral enough, and what really qualifies as "doing the thing"? Is there somebody out there with a list of ancestral things you need to be doing so you can "count" as being truly ancestral, or is it just a moving, non-linear line we are constantly progressing along with our intention and heart oriented the right way? It is this question, the always-haunting subject of imposter syndrome, and others that we are going to talk about today in this delightful interview with one of our podcast supporters and listeners, Jaycie, of Hazy River Homestead & Ranch in Idaho, USA. Jaycie and Andrea both live off the grid with solar and generator power, and we had fun discussing some of the challenges that come with that lifestyle, as well as some of the benefits! You can see Jaycie's beautiful farm at www.hazyriverhomestead.com. This was a very early-morning call before the crack of dawn and it was a heart-warming, encouraging delight, so grab a hot beverage and let's settle in. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we talk about: What was the last thing you ate? Imposter Syndrome and how to know if you are really doing the thing Time investment: Some rewards we only see after layers of foundational years' work Eating out of our pantries - how this shapes the way we cook (and the recipes we need!) And more! The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: You can find Mason and Jaycie at www.hazyriverhomestead.com Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
April 6 · 1 hr 44 min
#129 - The Science Behind Properly Prepared Beans (and how to do it at home!)
Beans, Beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you absorb valuable minerals and proteins, improve your cardiovascular function and the health of your arterial walls as well as cholesterol and fat absorption, boost your digestion and gut bacteria health, and enjoy an array of bright and colorful foods - but what about that other, turbulent side benefit? In this explosive episode, we will break down, like an enzyme breaks down an oligosaccharide, the compounds in beans and the processes in your body that can cause the possible noxious side benefits, as well as what ancestral peoples did to deal with this - aside from cracking ancient jokes that never get old. We will discuss in detail a patented process purported to eliminate ALL of the potentially thunderous side-effects using only water, time and heat, and we will additionally talk about herbs that can be cooked or served alongside beans to quell the claps of cheeky applause. There is a copious amount of additional material that I could only include in the show notes for reasons of being too inappropriate to read on air, and they can be found on our website, ancestralkitchenpodcast.com by clicking the Episodes drop-down. I tested the absolute technology limits with the length of show notes today and ran out of room on our podcast apps, so go and enjoy the mountains of links and additional text I put there for you to enjoy. In this episode I hope you will find the critical information you need to understand the possible pitfalls of beans and where those pitfalls come from, and leave feeling confident in how to deal with them and enjoy not only beans, but all their benefits - and none of their possible sound effects. Researching this episode left me all the more in awe of the incredible, ancient value beans bring to our diet, and more determined than ever to include them in a variety of meals across the week without what the Bard called any "strange eruptions". * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Check the show notes for this episode on https://ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/category/podcast/ . Additional show note material doubles the content you see here! On the website you will also see the ancestral jokes alluded to in the episode, as well as the newspaper clippings from the Duke of Windsor's wedding including the advertisement for bile beans! Corned Beef recipe How long have humans been eating beans? The Story of Beans in Mexican Cuisine Karen Hurd’s research on beans and bile - story starts at about 8 minutes in London Musem bile beans Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron utilization of RFO (raffinose family oligosaccharides) What is Raffinose? Article about Steve Sando and Rancho Gordo (behind a paywall, but new viewers are allowed an article or two before paying) Sumerian Jokes Ancient Anatolian bread The Rise and Fall of Çatalhöyük: A Neolithic Matriarchy? Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük Did Vikings and ancient Norse peoples eat beans? When were potatoes introduced to England? Does epazote reduce gassiness? Epazote seeds from Mountain Rose Herbs (organic) Yerba Santa Fonda san Miguel What do digestive bitters do? What does epazote do to beans? “Epazote’s ability to reduce gas production is thought to be due to its carminative properties. Carminatives are ingredients that help to relieve gas and bloating in the digestive system. Epazote’s carminative properties are believed to work by reducing the amount of gas produced by bacteria in the large intestine. This is achieved through the inhibition of the growth of gas-producing bacteria, as well as the reduction of the amount of oligosaccharides that are fermented. As a result, epazote can help to reduce the discomfort and bloating associated with eating beans.” Other carminative herbs More carminative herbs Sources - Garden Treasures (they do not sell online), Rancho Gordo, Hodmedods Pressure canning book Soaking beans WAPF article on soaking beans Don't use hard water to soak beans Rancho Gordo recipes on their website The Best Hummus (it really is! The process is magic) Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
March 16 · 1 hr 53 min
#128 - Unprocessed Foods: The Ancestral Pantry
What foods will you find in an ancestral pantry in a modern world kitchen? Today we will share some of the foods we store in our pantries to keep our regional, from-scratch meals on the table on a daily basis, as well as talk about modern tools that help us to turn some inexpensive, bulk raw products into value-added products. We will travel back in time to visit ancient and old pantries and look at what people were eating and how they were storing it, and we will also talk about ancient tools, some of which we still use today. Supporters of the pod can check their private podcast feed for an aftershow where we share some of the foods we used to keep in our pantries “Before” ancestral food; and, everyone can check the show notes here for some of our favorite resources for reading about pantries and food in times past. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: For the photos and descriptions mentioned in the show, see our show notes at www.ancestralkitchenpodcast.com Ruth Goodman video, “What the Tudors really ate” Tudor Monastery Farm, BBC/PBS Food in History, Reay Tannahill Five Children and It, E. Nesbit The Diary of a Farmer’s Wife 1796 - 1797, Anne Hughes Food In England, Dorothy Hartley Lost Country Life, Dorothy Hartley The Domestic Revolution, Ruth Goodman Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
March 2 · 1 hr 45 min
#127 - How to Render Fat at Home (with Q&A)
Fat is one of the cornerstones of ancestral eating. But getting hold of good saturated fat is not easy and can be eye-wateringly expensive. Making it at home, as Andrea and I do, you can cut your costs incredibly and also feel sure of the provenance and processing. This episode will talk you through everything you need to know about rendering fat. We'll explain the different types of fats, their names, their properties and how you can use them. We'll then demystify the ways you can render fat in your kitchen, no matter what equipment you have, giving you step-by-step instructions. We'll clarify how you'll know your fat is done, what to do with the leftovers, how to clean up, the many different ways you can store your fat and how to know if it's gone bad. This episode is peppered with real questions from real ancestral cooks about fat rendering – thank you to every supporter who sent in their query. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Tallow price online link Lard price online link How to render lard in a slow cooker 7 ways to use lard (including a lard crackling spread recipe) Pane con Ciccioli recipe Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
February 16 · 1 hr 56 min
#126 - Living Like a Human with Tara Couture of Slowdown Farmstead
When Alison and I were starting this podcast, she asked who was on my dream list of people to talk to. I said Tara Couture of Slowdown Farmstead and today that is what happened. In an incredibly long and appropriately slow morning we sat down together to talk for the first time and it was like visiting with an old friend I had waited a very long time to see again. Tara once shared her life on Instagram and I followed her avidly there, listening to her wisdom both practical and philosophical on butchery and growing and shifting, and how in the midst of life we are in death. Taking words from the screen to the printed page, Tara recently wrote a book, Radiance of the Ordinary. Since I had dropped off social media and Tara soon would herself, I was no longer reading her words, so when my copy arrived in the mail it felt like unwrapping a long-awaited, much anticipated letter from a beloved mentor. In this episode we discussed many things including what does it look like to be living life at a human pace, as a human, in an ever-increasingly inhumane world? Is it even possible or practical to be a human in a world that expects you to be, and treats you as, a machine? Tara and I went through a lot of tea and boza over this long conversation so I invite you to settle in and join in with us, and let's be human together. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Slowdown Farmstead | Tara | Substack Radiance of the Ordinary by Tara Couture Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
February 2 · 1 hr 27 min
#125 - Just Right: The Story of Porridge (& The Best Ways To Cook It)
Humans have been eating porridge (of which the American oatmeal is just one example) for, as you’ll hear, at least 32,000 years (that places it comfortably in the ‘paleo diet’ era!) Listen in to hear us cover just some of the history of this word and the comforting dish associated with it, as well as taking a tour of the many, many ways it is made throughout the world. Then we’ll focus in on oats - sharing surprising ways in which oat porridge has been served and eaten in the United Kingdom. We'll also explain the different types of oats used, the best ways to cook porridge and the myriad ways you can serve it. If you love a bowl of steaming, creamy oatmeal, get ready to wrap your hands around this enlightening, inspiring episode. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Millet Polenta Different Types of Oats and How to Use Each the Traditional Way Heritage Oat Collection What is Sowans? Ollebrod recipe How to Roll Your Own Oats (and 3 Good Reasons to do It!) Gerty Milk article Episode 70: Fermenting Oats Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
January 19 · 1 hr 43 min
#124 - Five Family Meals Around Five Dollars Each: budget-friendly, ancestral peasant food
Everybody always wants to know - is a nourishing diet an elitist, privileged ideal, inaccessible to people without a huge budget, and only for the super wealthy? In this episode we are going to share five complete meals. Each meal serves a family of five, and each complete meal can be made for about $5USD (£3.71GBP). Balancing these inexpensive meals against the more expensive meals that can turn up in an ancestral menu is one way you can bring the overall annual food budget down. You can make all five of these menus, combined, for less than it would cost to take your family of five out one time for the cheapest option at McDonald’s - and that’s not even accounting for the life-giving, health-sustaining benefits of your nourishing meals. Each of these menus has an option for gluten-free and dairy-free, if they aren’t already, and they can also be made ahead, prepped ahead, or even frozen or canned for absolutely speedy preparation. We’ve shared a few books rich in ideas at the end of the episode, and supporters can find our notes for this rather note-heavy episode in a download available at ancestralkitchenpodcast.com. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What We Cover: What we ate Review from Heather The cost of food today Nine ancestral principles for cutting down a food budget Happy Meal costs! The expense of eating out and Alison's shock at the cost The ideas behind the food: Seasonality, Availability, Fasting or Feasting, Preference and Abundance Meals 1 - 5 and cost for each, and each component Alison's chicken carcass aside - should we do an entire episode on this!? A few inexpensive treats and beverages Books chock-full of ideas Discord discussion on what we can be growing and raising vs buying and bartering INCLUDED Aftershow: The kombucha experiment and extra savings! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Alison's Gluten-Free Millet Sourdough Starter Episode 103 – 10 Nourishing Traditions Dishes – Cheaper Than Supermarkets! Meals at the Ancestral Hearth Cookbook Episode 116 – Leftovers and Scraps in a Frugal Ancestral Kitchen Naturally-Fermented Staffordshire Oatcakes Recipes Cheesy Pinto Bean Recipe Simple Apple Crisp Extra Recipes Pressure-Canned Beans One-Pot Pinto Beans and Rice Pinto Bean Soup with Greens Cream of Corn Soup Andrea's Kombucha Recipe Books Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette A Cabin Full of Food by Marie Beausoleil (Amazon link) Pressure Canning for Beginners by Angie Schneider Further Reading The Nella Last diaries give an intimate, day-by-day picture into life with war-time and post-war rationing in England 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff; this isn't a book about food, but it gives surprising insight into the depth of the rationing and the effect it had, and how preciously the food was used that could be had Looking up Wartime Recipes produces tons of amazing and interesting results for cookbooks and websites! Grandma's Wartime Kitchen, The Homefront Cookbook, and others have intriguing and creative recipes. Similarly, looking of Great Depression books can give a glimpse into many recipes and ways of eating during extremely lean times in the US. Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
January 5 · 1 hr 41 min
#123 - Celebrating Real Pork - History, Sourcing & A Mouth-Watering Recipe Book
Sausages, bacon, crackling – good pork can be heavenly food. But both of us know that, sometimes, in the ancestral food world, pork is viewed as the poorer cousin to grass-fed beef or pastured chicken. That needn't be the case and this episode will put real pork where it deserves to be - at the centre of our plates. We'll give you some fascinating history bites, we'll talk about how the Industrial Revolution changed mainstream pigs, and we will lay out how buying real, pastured, pork is a positive, health-giving and delicious choice for you and those you love. Expect to be inspired by hearing us talk about the many ways we cook the products of the pig, from the nose to the tail. This episode is accompanied by a fabulous pork cookbook which we've gifted, as a thank you, to all our current supporters. So if you're a supporter do go check your email. The book, with over 25 pork recipes is also available to buy from the podcast's shop, you purchasing a copy will be directly supporting Andrea and I to continue this work. Find it here: Pastured Pork Cookbook * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: www.robertmichaelkay.com The new oat recipe download How to Render Lard in a Slow Cooker Pane con Ciccioli (lard crackling bread) 7 Ways to Use Lard (& a Lard Crackling Spread Recipe) How to Make Lardo (Italian Cured Pig Fat) at Home Slovakian Lard Crackling Biscuits from Naomi at almostbananas.net Eating to Extinction Episode 29 - True Historical Italian Food Episode 33 - The Fats We Love, The Fats We Leave Episode 38 - Fat Rendering, Traditional Food Gems & Eggs, Eggs, Eggs! Episode 49 - Traditional Slovakian Food Episode 23 - Traditional Slovakian Pig Butchery The roast pork crackling recipe Alison loves Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
Dec 15, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
#122 - Why We Eat Local & Farm-Friendly Food
Why eat local? What if it isn’t easy? What if the things I want aren't available? What's the point? Alison and I have both considered these questions for ourselves and factored them into decisions that we’ve made about how we live our everyday lives. We didn’t make the changes overnight, and we don’t even suggest people do so. After the many books we have read, the real-life experiences we have had, and guests we have interviewed on the subject of factory farming vs humane peasant farming, we have come to some conclusions about eating local that might surprise you. They might not be the conclusions or the “arguments” you were expecting. This episode features an aftershow which could possibly be described as a little bit salty, where some spicier opinions came to the fore. It was impossible to include everything we had to say and keep the main episode at a reasonable length of time. If you want to hear this aftershow as well as over 140 other episodes on our more informal, private podcast Kitchen Table Chats, hop over to ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/join and join at companionship or above level. Thank you for your continued support and to all the supporters, reviewers and listeners who made this episode possible. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What We Covered: Simple breakfast, and pheasant in Britain A new, free rye resource from Alison What countries are our listeners coming from? How do they listen? See the full list on our podcast website Shout out to young listeners Why do we eat local? Eating like a human - behaving like a human What is farm-friendly food Is everything we eat local? Healthcare spending and food spending Money matters Our plan to save the world (it might shock you) What we can do What is our responsibility? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: To see the countries where we have AKP listeners, visit www.ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/downloads To get Alison’s Beginner’s Guide to Rye Sourdough, pop your details in the sign-up box that’s nestling inside either of these informative blog posts on her site: https://ancestralkitchen.com/2021/01/04/everyday-wholegrain-sourdough-rye-loaf/ Or https://ancestralkitchen.com/2025/04/14/how-to-make-sourdough-rye-bread-from-scratch/ Each of the episodes mentioned here includes an entirely packed show notes of further reading and links on that specific topic! Episode 46: Sir Patrick Holden Episode 116: Leftovers and Scraps in a Frugal Ancestral Kitchen Episode 103: 10 Nourishing Traditions Dishes Cheaper Than Supermarkets! Episode 102: The Guide to Getting Out of Supermarkets Episode 74: 14 Tips for Changing Your Food Habits Episode 69: Fake Food v Small Farms Episode 66: 50 Ways to Save Money on an Ancestral Diet Part I Episode 67: 50 Ways to Save Money Part II Episode 50: 20 Small Steps to an Ancestral Kitchen Episode 4: The 5 Most Expensive (and Yet the Cheapest) Foods Suggested Reading Leah's Rec: Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth (we haven't read this yet, but are reading as a podcast together starting in Jan 2026) A Bold Return to Giving a Damn: one farm, six generations, and the future of food by Will Harris The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements by Sandor Ellix Katz The Joel Salatin book we mentioned a number of times: Holy Cows and Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm Friendly Food by Joel Salatin His goal [with this book] is to: • Empower food buyers to pursue positive alternatives to the industrialized food system • Bring clean food farmers and their patrons into a teamwork relationship • Marry the best of western technology with the soul of eastern ethics • Educate food buyers about productions • Create a food system that enhances nature’s ecology for future generations" Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
Dec 1, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
#121 - 24 More Nuggets of Ancestral Wisdom!
Back in episode 117, we gave you 26 nuggets of ancestral wisdom. We’ve got more. Another 24 to be precise. And just because these are in this second episode doesn’t mean they are any less important! Over the next hour, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, with cups of tea in our hands we'll be channelling our great-grandma wisdom and bringing you some ancestral truths relating to food, creativity, family, health, work and life. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here. For US listeners, we recommend Grand Teton Ancient Grains. They sell regenerative, organic flours and berries that can satisfy all your baking needs. Stock up and get free shipping at AncientGrains.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here. Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains Read our Guide to Milling Your Own Flour Get all three of the podcast cookbooks Wear our beautiful, sustainable merchandise Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop: US here and UK here. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Come join the podcast community! You can select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content, and a Discord discussion group Find out more here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you love the show, leave us a 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts: Open the Apple Podcast app and find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Alison’s original blog post, 50 Things an Ancestral Lifestyle Has Taught Me Episode 86: Your Stories Share your stories here Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth Episode 87: Taking Your Health in Your Own Hands Episode 56: Preparing Nutrient-Dense Meals From Scratch Every Day Episode 12: Why I Gave Away My iPhone Link to supporter extra: Kitchen Table Chats Podcast Episode 31: Tasting Training with Lizzy Filoramo Accompanying worksheet Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to share The podcast has a website here! Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on You Tube here The podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay

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