Ancestral Kitchen

"Not all grains are equal" Alison

With the myriad of anti-grain messaging in the food world, it's easy to think that eating grains is anything but healthy. In this episode, Andrea and Alison dig a little deeper - they cover the history of grains, why some diets exclude them and share their insight around the importance of and how to prepare, cook and eat them. Whether you enjoy grains regularly, have problems digesting them, are unsure of which grains to eat and how to process them or want to reintroduce grains into your diet, there's something in this episode for you.

Love what we're doing?

Our podcast is sponsored by our patrons and listeners! We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

The run down:

The podcast always starts off with a catch up and discussion of recent meals.

13:44 History of grains & their importance in mankind's history

23:00 Why people avoid grains

"If the only grain we knew was a soaked soured spelt and a soured einkorn, would we be treating grains the way we do now?" Andrea

38:30 The many ways to process grains so that they are a beneficial food and how to reintroduce grains into your diet

50:13 The 'spectrum of grains' - ancient, gluten-free & lectin-free and which of these Alison and Andrea eat

1:02:19 How Alison and Andrea include grains in their day/week

"Experiment and learn to be okay eating something different than what others at your table are eating" Alison

Resources Mentioned:

Gilly Smith - How To Eat To Save The Planet podcast

Downton Abbey

Sitopia by Carolyn Steel

History of Food Podcast

Nourishing Diets by Sally Fallon Morell

An article about the Nourishing Diets book

Nicolette Hahn Niman - podcast interview on Sustainable Food Stories

Defending Beef, 2nd Ed, by Nicolette Hahn Niman

G.K. Chesterton quote

"Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all the classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking around." - G.K. Chesterton

Lexy Sauve on Instagram

Nourishing Traditions for Kids (we referenced page 142)

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell (we referenced page 452)

Our own Patreon! Thank you for sponsoring our podcast!

Alison's blog with recipes she mentioned

Boza Workshop (the Turkish fermented millet drink) on Alison's site

Sowans Workshop (the Scottish oat ferment) on Alison's site

Kitty Blomfield

Kobo Fermentary

Tudor Monastery: Life on a Monastic Tudor Tenant Farm (BBC Series)

Elly's Everyday Sourdough on YouTube

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Become a member of the Ancestral Kitchen Community here!

"When you sit down and savour the moment, food becomes naturally comforting because it's the moment that matters" Alison

What comes to mind when you think about comfort food? Where's the line between enjoying a food for the pleasure it brings and turning to it to keep going? What state do we need to be in ourselves to really enjoy our food? Who's shaping the foods we relax with?

These are all questions that Alison and Andrea dive into in this episode, exploring their very different histories with comfort food. Whether you're a warm, creamy and luxurious or a simple, rustic and bready kinda-eater, there's something that'll get you thinking in here!

The run down:

2:50 Patreon news and the injeera video

4:10 Breakfast/lunch chit-chat including pancakes, polenta bread and lardo

12:25 Comfort foods intro

13:12 Defining comfort foods

15:56 Alison & Andrea discuss addiction

20:30 Andrea's definition of comfort foods

25:50 Is it the food or the process?

"When we bake bread, we fall into an older part of our nature" Alison

28:52 Peasant food

31:20 Epicurus

33:10 Snacking

"It's OK to be hungry!" - Andrea

46:30 Alison talking about not eating sugar

51:00 Snacks v family meals

54:15 Observing cravings & trusting oneself

1:00:28 Andrea's cookie trick & shaping our children's comfort foods

1:04:35 The importance of making food

1:12:00 A new definition of comfort foods

"The deepest pleasure in food is to be hungry and to eat and drink simply" Alison (paraphrasing Epicurus!)

*Sorry for the sometimes variable audio quality on this episode - we are doing our best!*

Resources Mentioned:

Alison's sourdough porridge, polenta and polenta bread videos

Flavio, Alison's farmer

The blog post of Alison's describing her life shifts that Andrea refers to

Sitopia by Carolyn Steel

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

A' la Recherche du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust

"Since incorporating fats back into my diet all that stuff with the foods I couldn't stop eating has just disappeared" Alison

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

Join the Ancestral Kitchen Podcast community here!

"Fermented foods are the way to go. They taste nice, they're cheap and they're totally accessible" Alison

In this episode, Alison and Andrea discuss all the biotics, how and why to nurture and include them in your diet!

The run down:

We start by welcoming our new community member, sharing about how to access our just uploaded soap-making chat and talking about food - specifically heart, lard, bread, pulses (and shelling them) and pancakes.

17:00 Intro to the everything-biotics episode!

17:07 What are prebiotics

20:50 FODMaps

23:15 Andrea talks about the Nourishing Traditions book of Baby and Child Care and its explanation of how the gut works

24:23 What are probiotics

"We've been a generation and a half without fermented foods at every meal and we are paying the price for it" Andrea

28:15 The differences between lacto-fermentation and alcoholic fermentation

33:04 A day in the life of probiotic-munching in Andrea and Alison's households

35:52 How probiotics stop Alison sleeping

39:00 How to introduce probiotic foods

40:59 Tablets vs. live probiotics

48:17 Rebuilding our biome, having patience and antibiotics

"It's the work of a lifetime to culture what's inside of us" Alison

1:02:07 Paraprobiotics and Postbiotics

1:10:00 Biotics wrap up!

"Your sauerkraut does not have to be old to have a lot of probiotics in it" Alison

Resources Mentioned:

Elly's sourdough episode of the podcast

Farmstead Meatsmith Podcast

Alison's blog post "What are Paraprobiotics and Postbiotics?"

Nourishing Tradition's Book of Baby and Child Care Andrea read 'lacto-fermentation' on page 26 and 'a schedule for introducing probiotics to someone who is not accustomed to to having them' on page 27.

Chris Kresser's podcast Revolution Health Radio

We mention Kitchen Table Chats; this is the podcast we record for our Patrons. Check out the community here.

HIlary Boynton's School of Lunch episode of the Wise Traditions Podcast her book is called 'Heal Your Gut'

Christopher Shockey's Ferment Nerds newsletter on substack

Wild Fermentation Alison read from page 10

Alison's Sourdough Pizza Recipe

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

For some reason I remember these moments of being alone with my mom, picking the chicken, and feeling honored and proud that I was helping her. - Aran

Alison and Andrea got the opportunity to sit down with Chef Aran Goldstein and talk to him about his life and experience with food. He shares his incredible perspective on food and the way our kitchens invite beautiful, complex cultural and family experiences!

A great kitchen has great systems.... We are only as good as we are organized. - Aran

The last line of defense ... is our own kitchens. - Aran

Resources Mentioned

Watch Aran cooking with his son, check out his amazing videos and look at his consultation options!

Aran's Instagram

I know Ophelia and her husband, and I trust the food that she produces, and there's an energetic exchange of what can only be called love between us. - Aran

Aran's (AMAZING) YouTube Channel

Aran also did an incredible video interview exclusively for the Patrons of this podcast, demonstrating a technique for making injera! You can check this out in the private Patreon podcast feed - link to the video is included there!

It doesn't have to all be dark and gloomy ... look at the trends we're seeing - so many people are interested in organic; people are bringing up the concerns they have ...

- Aran

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

"Tools and gadgets sometimes take advantage of our lack of confidence" -Andrea

Alison and Andrea discuss what tools they utilize in their kitchens and try to narrow down which ones they couldn't live without!

"The merit lies not in the possession of the object but in putting it to use" - Honey from Weed

This is what is covered:

7:05 Kitchen tools

8:25 Alison shares the kitchen tools she uses

23:35 Andrea shares the kitchen tools she uses

42:00 Water filtration talk

48.00 Andrea and Alison quiz each other on the whys and wherefores of their kitchen equipment usage

1:11:00 Top five essential tools

Resources Mentioned

DIY proofing box

BWT is at https://bwt.com

Wise Traditions Nutritious Movement episode

Honey from a Weed

The Nourishing Traditions Cookbook has a section on equipment: pages 66-68

Andrea's Probe thermometer

Alison's List of Tools

• Hand-crank grain mill
• Slow cooker (used for stock, lard, tallow, bread, stew, cooking heart/tongue and to ferment beer!!!)
• Cast iron pan
• Mortar & pestle x 2
• Knives
• Saucepans - milk, 8 inch frying pan, 2 medium saucepans, 1 big saucepan
• 6 sieves!!
• 2 of each tongs, fish slice and spoons
• wooden mallet
• 4 stainless steel bowls (important that they are light and non breakable)
• 3 loaf tins
• pizza stone
• Food processor with bowl, small bowl, jug and coffee grinder
• Chopping boards, wooden and plastic
• Glass jars all sizes (from 150ml to 5 litres)
• Swing-top bottles
• Cloth jar covers (most of these are old linens bought when her son was a baby)
• Proofing box (instructions linked above)
• Oven gloves
• Tsp/tbsp measurers
• Cup measurers
• 2 set of scales, one accurate to .01g, one for larger amounts
• Cleaning brushes for the bottles
• Tupperware containers, most plastic, some glass
• Cheap dehydrator
• Salad spinner
• Grater
• 2 cake tins
• 2 funnels (one big, one tiny)

Andrea's List of Tools

• Ice cube trays
• Coolers
• Busing tubs
• Large kettle
• Large metal mixing bowls
• Cast iron dutch oven
• Cast iron skillet
• Vitamix blender
• Excalibur dehydrator
• Ice cream churn
• Pizza churn
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mortar & pestle
• Coffee grinder & coffee gadgets
• Shears
• Jars, Lids, & Lifters
• Pressure canners
• Parchment Paper
• Strainers/Colanders, Large & Small
• Grolsch swing top bottles
• Tumbler/Insulated drinking cup
• Baskets (For bread, eggs, etc)
• Probe Thermometer
• Shun Offset bread knife
• Breaking knife
• Bone saw
• Knife sharpener
• Peeler
• Cheese slicer
• Milk bottles w/Lids
• Funnels (narrow and canning)
• Water pitcher
• Berkey water filter
• Casserole pans
• Food scale
• Instant pot, pressure cooker
• Lids (fermenting, cloth, screens, & for sprouting)
• Tea kettle

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation.

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

“Every time we talk, you’re an education for me. I know what you’re telling me is your normal is going to be really great information for me.” Andrea

Ever just want to have a nose inside somebody's fridge? Well, we sure do, so today we got together and shared a list of EVERYTHING inside our refrigerators! It's such a cool way to get an instant snapshot into a household's diet and routine, seasonal adaptability and favorite rotations!

We would love to see a peek inside YOUR fridge as well - post a picture on Instagram and tag @AncestralKitchenPodcast!

“That was an experiment... That didn’t go very well, but I’m still using it.” Alison

Time Stamps

Thank You Patrons! 00:58

Introducing Topic for Today 03:14

What did we eat today? 04:41

Fridge 9:55

Alison’s Fridge 10:50

Andrea’s Fridge 15:03

Miso 19:45

Rye Sourdough 23:46

Millet Sourdough 28:42

Beer Yeast on Grain 35:25

Breakfast Casseroles 37:57

Coffee – Cold Brew and Roasting 42:20

Milk Kefir 45:22

Tell Me How Gross This Is 48:11

Bread & Butter Pickles 49:22

Fermented Cod Liver Oil & Fermented Fish 51:50

“I rather trust that the food that I’m eating gets me what I need, rather than going towards supplements.” Alison

Escabeche 56:51

Sowans 59:25

Applesauce & Apple Jelly 01:08:00

Haymaker’s Oat Water 01:09:30

Polenta 01:11:00

Processed Foods & Bioavailability of Nutrients 01:13:50

“If I come back and ask you in a year, you’re probably going to have a lot of the same things on the list.” Andrea

“It feels really right that I’m using all of the product and doing it in a way that’s tradition.” Alison

Raw Milk Creamer Recipe

Raw Milk Creamer from livesimply.me

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Pour the ingredients into a tall bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients together for 20-30 seconds. It's important to keep the blending time short since the cream will thicken the longer you blend (AKA: whipped cream!). If you don't have an immersion blender, vigorously whisk the ingredients until combined.

2. Pour the coffee creamer into a storage bottle (like a mason jar). Store the creamer for up to 7 days, depending on the expiration date on your milk and cream. Gently shake the coffee creamer if separation occurs.

“Basically you’re adding nutritional properties to your food with the processes. And now it’s weird because the modern world food processing strips nutritional value out of food.” Andrea

Resources Mentioned

Alison's art website

Wild Fermentation

How to create a sourdough starter

Tudor Monastery Farm blog post

Breakfast Casseroles 

Alison's polenta and porridge videos

TPAD (Time Passage Awareness Disorder) coined by Dana K White

Cold Brew Coffee Insert for Mason Jar

Cold Brew Coffee Andrea's Way

Grind 6 oz French roast organic coffee on "press" grind setting. Pour into half-gallon insert linked above. Pour 4 oz boiling water over, then slowly fill jar with room-temperature water. Let sit at room temp or in fridge 24 hours, remove insert and enjoy! It's especially decadent in a glass of ice with the maple creamer poured over the top.

Elly's Everyday Instagram

https://www.greenpasture.org/ 

"The Beer Book" mentioned is Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Alison's Boza Course

Kitty Blomfield

Alison's Sowans/Swats video course will be released at The Fermentation School later in the year.

Tara Couture of Slowdown Farmstead

Haymakers Oat Water: recipe is from Nourishing Traditions

Alison's post on processed foods

“Just the definition of processing food we have now is completely night and day from what processing food was in the past.” Alison

Thank you for listening - we'd love to continue the conversation!

Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review!

Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

Chocolate has a secret life.

One where, instead of being formed into industrial bars, women combine it by hand with local herbs to make drinks. One where it is a healer, not a creator of addiction. One where it’s revered - held so sacred that it’s used in ceremony and as currency, not bought for a few pennies, wrapper discarded. One where it’s bitter, potent and intense, not sweet and sickly. And one where nobody feels guilt when they imbibe it.

There’s no-one more qualified to open the door to this world than Marcos Patchett, author of the 700-page The Secret Life of Chocolate. This book, which covers everything you could possibly want to know about cacao - including how it was ancestrally used, it’s pharmacology and it’s mythology - will completely change your view of cacao.

“There’s a lifetime’s worth of research in this book.”

Come join us as we dive into a cacao-flavoured world!

The run-down:

1:52 About the book

7:20 Why Marcos wrote the book

12:19 The effect of imbibing extracted plant compounds v. the whole plant

15:10 How cacao was originally drunk and how chocolate is eaten in the West now

20:25 The book-writing high point

26:40 Alison, Andrea and Marcos talk about their relationships with chocolate

34:00 Chocolate and disordered eating

36:58 Cacao’s medicinal effects

44:00 How chocolate’s effects are mediated by the eater’s intention

59.40 The cultural side of cacao's history

1:07:25 Self-medicating with chocolate as part of disordered eating

1.10:25 Practical steps to start eating chocolate ancestrally/authentically

“It blew my mind to realise I’ve been blocking benefits of chocolate by feeling guilt” Alison

*Due to equipment failure, this episode does not have as good audio quality as normal. But it's totally listenable and wonderful content!*

If you want to buy your own copy of the book, Marcos is offering a 20% discount. Use the code CHOC20 on the publishers website:

For those in the US: https://bit.ly/3dVRX1d

For rest of world: https://www.aeonbooks.co.uk

“The modern research suggests quite strongly that cacao is protective against heart disease and stroke and type 2 diabetes.” Marcos

Resources mentioned:

Our 6 Books We Love episode

Jonathan Ott - The Cacahuatl Eater

Susana Trilling - Seasons of my Heart

Mama Coca

“Only eating the chocolate mindfully produced a positive increase in mood” Marcos

Where to find Marcos and his work:

Marcos’ book’s website: https://thesecretlifeofchocolate.com/

Marcos’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nocturnalherbalist/

Marcos’ herbalist website: http://nocturnalherbalist.co.uk

You Tube The Nocturnal Herbalist

Sourcing your own cacao:

“You learn so much doing it from scratch, and the quality is so much better” Alison

To source your own cacao as beans: Look for raw (i.e. not previously roasted) Criollo or Forastero beans.

Europe: Where Alison has sourced organic cacao beans:

http://macrolibrarsi.it and http://cacaopuro.com

She is currently working on European sourcing of a known single-origin bean, in home-chocolate-maker quantities. Stay connected with her if you’d like to know what she finds.

USA:

Organic arriba criollo cacao beans

Forastero Cacao

To source ready-made roasted and ground cacao ‘paste’ search for cacao liquor or cacao paste.

Marcos suggested cacao amor (UK-based), you can get a 20% discount with the code: nocturnalherbalist20

Rebekah Shaman also sells this in the UK

Blocks of organic ground cacao paste (US)

Valrhona industrially-roasted ‘couverture’ (this is the ‘base’ chocolate that many fine chocolate-makers use to make more complicated bars and small chocolates)

Other resources:

All about metates and grinding stones

Snippet of someone grinding cacao in a metate (You can also watch Marcos doing this on the cacao preparation videos on his You Tube channel (linked above))

Mexgrocer (scroll down to read a description of Mexican chocolate drinks):

Video of preparing traditional drinking chocolate in Oaxaca, Mexico

"Dark chocolate has fuelled many things in my life" Marcos

We'd love to continue the conversation. Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review! Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

"Everything about getting rid of my iPhone came down to health. " -Alison

In just two short generations, tech has slowly crept into our lives in more and more ways, eating away at our time and our sanity in so many insidious ways. In this episode, Andrea interviews Alison and Rob about their tech use, the over-use that caused Alison to re-evaluate the way she was implementing tech in her life, and why they decided to get rid of their smart phones. Rob will provide tips on the technical side, and we will all discuss how to live fully with less distractions!

"Tech can steal from us. It sneaks into our lives in little ways, here and there." -Alison

What we cover:

As always, we start out discussing what we ate before getting on to record! Skip the food intro: 11:20

Summarise the Issue: What are the Two Key Problems? 11:39

You Gave Away Your iPhone ... What Else Has Changed: 15:55

What Do You Use Now: 17:00

How Are You Using & Receiving Differently Now? 21:15

How Do You Approach It Now: 24:24

The Physical Effects: 26:40

Meeting Rob: 29:15

Rob's Story: 29:58

The Process of Recovery: 37:00

The Physical Effect Screens Have on Us: 38:30

What is an e-Ink Screen: 41:05

Electronic Frequency Patterns: 45:00

How Do We Mitigate Screen Damage? 46:18

The Effects of Wi-Fi: 51:30

How Do We Mitigate Wi-Fi Damage? 53:08

EMF Test Apps: 57:00

"I had to balance the technology I was using with the impact it had on me." -Rob

Alison Comes Back In: 57:43

Upcoming - Patreon Feed Interview with Rob: 58:25

Introducing The Psychological Effects: 59:45

How I Work Now: 01:00:53

"Life opens up so much more ..." Alison

Results of the Social Media Break: 01:09:51

Time Blocking Social Media Engagement: 01:11:51

Taking Sundays Off: 01:12:18

Moon Time: 01:15:15

Follow or Unfollow? 01:16:44

"I have to trust that what I'm doing with Ancestral Kitchen will grow through me doing things that bring me joy, not through things that I think I should be doing... It's been an incredibly hard thing for me to do to trust myself... " - Alison 01:18:40

Time Frame for Tech Usage: 01:23:53

A Positive Approach to Tech Limiting: 01:25:19

"My self-trust has deepened." - Alison

Summarizing the Changes: 01:28:07

Alison's Final Thoughts: 01:29:07

Access to the Exclusive Patreon Feed: 01:31:12

"Sometimes you're gonna fail and you'll get sucked back in - but not all the time." - Alison

Resources Mentioned

eReader tablet link: Onyx books

"Life opens up more when you don’t have a phone." -Alison

Iris Software (bluelight and eye protection software)

Rob's Music

Phones apps to test EMF

The Boza Course on Ancestral Kitchen

Listen to Alison read Wuthering Heights! Commonplace Read-aloud Podcast

We'd love to continue the conversation! Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

"We have our evenings back." -Alison

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!

If you like us and use Apple Podcasts, we'd love it if you left a review! Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Podcast app
2. Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library (you can search for it)
3. Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews'
4. Click on 'write a review', choose how many wonderful stars you would like to give us (!), title your review and then, in the lower box type a review of up to 300 words.

Thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to support us!

"One of the great illusions is that we can escape the cycle of life and death."

Andrea watched Wild Quetzal's Instagram videos about ancestral foodways and knew she wanted to talk to him!

We're bringing you this special interview in between our normal episodes. It's recorded directly on Zoom, so the audio's not as pristine as usual, but the content is great.

Andrea and Quetzal talk about:

• How ancestral communities eat
• Connection to nature and its cycles
• Transitioning from vegan to ancestral foods
• Western society's discomfort with death
• Health as a by-product of being in tune with one's body and environment
• Fertility as a sign of health
• Eating locally
• Dealing with internet abuse

"Animal foods demand that you have reverence"

Andrea's in Washington State and Quetzal's in Hawaii, the recording was night-time for Alison hence her absence! Still, Alison and Andrea got together to record a brief introduction to this interview, so you'll hear Alison's perspective on the interview, including some of her own raw vegan journey, in the introductory chat.

There is some mild swearing, so if you're in sensitive company, you might want to pop in earbuds.

Resources mentioned:

The Holistic Mother on Instagram

We'd love to continue the conversation. Come find us on Instagram:

Andrea is at Farm and Hearth

Alison is at Ancestral Kitchen

The podcast is at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast

Original Music, Episode Mixing and Post-Production by Robert Michael Kay

Love what we're doing?

We'd love you to be part of our Patreon community!

For $9 a month (or equivalent in your currency) you'll be helping us with the costs of recording, editing and putting this work into the world. And you'll get to be part of our world on a deeper level - we've got a monthly intimate patron-exclusive podcast called Kitchen Table Chats and we're also going to share cooking classes, extra interviews and much more.

Check out www.patreon.com/ancestralkitchenpodcast for all the details!