By Meagan Francis
The Tea’s Made is a weekly podcast celebrating calm, connection, and community, hosted by writer & midlife mom Meagan Francis. With cozy conversations about creativity, wellness, family and mor
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The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.
Rooted in locality, seasonality, and agrarian living, the liturgical calendar - the feasts, celebrations, and other observations that made up the early church year - can help root us in the natural rhythms of life. But while most of us are familiar with a few holidays from the early church year, modern living doesn't make a lot of space for recognizing the depth of the calendar that once dictated the rhythm of daily lives. In today's episode I speak to Kristen Haakenson of HearthStoneFables.com, who shares practical wisdom about how to incorporate elements of the historical church calendar into contemporary life. Whether you're hoping to enrich your faith, develop a stronger understanding of where these holidays fit in the context of history and agrarian life, or simply want to imbue more seasonality into your day-to-day life, you'll definitely want to listen to our conversation. And after the discussion, I share some ways I hope to let Kristen's advice inspire my holiday celebrations, including recognizing the Twelve Days of Christmas and Epiphany.
Episode Links:November Journal episode
Kristin's Substack, Hearthstone Fables
Ancestral Kitchen
This episode is brought to you by Bevy, my tea and craft-supply company! Order your holiday 2024 BevyBox - a gift box hand-curated by me and featuring tea, craft supplies and other special goodies - at BevyBox.co, and use code TEA15 for 15% off.PS: I'd love to hear from you at my new email address! Share your thoughts about today's episode, topics/guests you'd love featured on the show in the future, or just to say hi: [email protected].
In this month's Journal, I share what's inspiring me going into November: my favorite cinnamon-spiced teas, embroidery projects as holiday gifts, making herbal tinctures, and an epic novel trilogy from medieval Norway.
Episode Links:*most links are affiliates. If you make a purchase via my link, I will earn a small commission - a great way to support this podcast!
Read my accompanying November Journal post at TheTeasMade.com
Episode 32 - How and Why To Start Foraging For Wild Plants
Light of Day Organics Heartwarming Cinnamon Tea
Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice
Hot Cinnamon Spice decaf option
Mountain Rose Herbs
My Vitamin D supplement
Stick N Stitch printable embroidery paper, or pre-printed designs: love these snowflakes, these fun designs for lovers of books (and cats!), and vintage-inspired holiday designs.
Only Murders in the Building
the Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy by Sigrid Undset
Between social media platforms, email, blogs, podcasts, streaming video and all the rest, there are so many ways these days to consume (or create!) content. In this episode I share what taking social media breaks has done for my brain, how pressure to create and consume has impacted the way I feel about my work, and what I'm planning to do going forward - including a change to the format of this podcast.
When it comes to staying on top of meal planning and cooking, my solution to overwhelm and disorganization is simple: a series of weekly and daily routines that work for my home, family, and schedule. In this episode I share five kitchen routines that help me feel more connected and confident in my kitchen, from menu planning and grocery shopping to soaking beans and feeding sourdough starter. The idea isn’t to copy my routines exactly but to create your own based on your lifestyle and unique kitchen goals. Listen for inspiration and ideas!
Episode Links:Check out BevyBox, my new curated tea + craft gift boxes for the holiday!
Here's the Bokashi system I use and love! You can also start with a one-bucket system and add another bucket later. (I have it in the ecru/cream color.)
Previous episodes about food:
Episode 17: What’s happening in my kitchen right now
Episode 36 What is eating "ancestrally" with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen
Episode 37: Why connecting with our food matters, with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen
Episode 38: Eating locally, preserving, and establishing your own “flow” in the kitchen
Episode 39: The hidden cost (and value!) of food, with farmer and author Shannon Hayes
Brand Partners:Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Hatch is having a big sale starting October 8 - don't miss it!
In our culture we put a lot of emphasis on building wealth - but what, exactly, does that mean, and how does our view of wealth contribute to (or detract from) our flourishing as humans? In this continuation of Episode 39's conversation with author and farmer Shannon Hayes, we delve more into the economics of home and family life, the difference between an extractive and what Shannon calls a "life-giving" economy, and what wealth can really look like if we are willing to define it on our own terms.
Episode Links:Read Shannon's blog and check out her family's farm
The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow (Shannon's podcast)
Find all of Shannon's books, including Redefining Rich
Episode 38, The Tea's Made: Eating locally, preserving, and establishing your own “flow” in the kitchen
Episode 39, The Tea's Made: The hidden cost (and value!) of food, with farmer and author Shannon Hayes
Check out my recent blog post about developing a relationship with your kitchen
Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
Everyone is talking about rising food prices these days, but we spend very little time talking about the value of food. In this episode I speak with Shannon Hayes, farmer and author, about her journey from academia back to the farm she grew up on. She tells us about her unconventional upbringing and how it led her to value a life connected to land and community - and the power of a home-cooked meal.
Shannon also explains the real costs that impact the prices at her family farm, how those costs are often hidden from consumers at the supermarket, and the true value you're getting from nutrient-dense, farm-fresh, locally-grown food.
For me this conversation raised the question: what if we all stopped talking about food in terms of its cost, and shifted the conversation to its value?
Episode Links:Read Shannon's blog and check out her family's farm
(I also noticed that Shannon is offering a free seminar called "Freedom in the Kitchen" as part of the School of Traditional Skills. Definitely worth signing up!)
The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow (Shannon's podcast)
Find all of Shannon's books (I recently read and adored Redefining Rich!)
Check out my recent blog post about developing a relationship with your kitchen
Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
Does shopping, cooking and eating locally and seasonally have to be time-consuming and difficult? As I've slowly added new kitchen skills to my repertoire, I've come to realize that the key to meal planning and preparation without burnout is developing the rhythms and routines that allow us to find "flow" in our kitchens.
From preserving produce to dreaming about a root cellar to experimenting with sourdough bread, I'll let you in on some of the projects I'm working on in my kitchen right now and share what a typical day in my "food life" looks like, as well as a mindset shift that can help you stay in flow and keep from getting discouraged as you're learning new skills.
Episode Links:Episode 17: What's happening in my kitchen right now
Episode 36: What is eating “ancestrally”? with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen
Episode 37: Why connecting with our food matters, with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen
My steel-cut overnight oatmeal, made in the rice cooker
The Sunday Steep #4: Eighty pounds of goat meat
Check out my weekly newsletter about creativity and connection - and, of course, tea! - The Deep Steep
Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
"But who actually has the time to cook this way?" Our guest Alison Kay hears that a lot when she shares about her passion for ancestral eating. But for Alison, sourcing ingredients locally and preparing it in a way inspired by our great-great-grandmothers isn't a chore or a time-suck, and it's definitely not romanticizing the past. Instead, it's a crucial way she expresses her creativity, connects with her community and the land around her, and cares for herself and her family.
In this episode, a continuation of our conversation from Episode 36, Alison explains why this way of cooking and eating has been so life-changing for her, and offers a close-up look at how she actually incorporates ancestral philosophies into her modern kitchen.
Episode Links:Ancestral Kitchen, Alison's site
The Ancestral Kitchen podcast
What ancestral eating isn't - the article we discuss in today's episode
Episode 36 of The Tea's Made: What is eating "ancestrally" with Alison Kay of Ancestral Kitchen. This is the first half of this conversation.
A couple episodes of the Ancestral Kitchen Podcast that I love:
#70 Fermenting Oats - this is the episode that convinced me to start souring my morning oatmeal!
#66 50 Ways To Save Money On An Ancestral Diet - a great starting point if you're just learning about ancestral eating; especially if you're concerned about your budget.
Check out my weekly newsletter about creativity and connection - and, of course, tea! - The Deep Steep
Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
With all the diets and nutrition trends that focus on exclusion and restriction, it can feel like food is being reduced to its components - not something I personally think is a very satisfying way to eat.
But what if there was another way to view food - a way that leans on the wisdom of our great-great grandmothers, yet is adaptable to a modern kitchen?
After a fraught relationship with eating impacted her mental, emotional and physical health for decades, our guest Alison Kay of ancestralkitchen.com and The Ancestral Kitchen Podcast found a path to health via ancestral eating and developing a true connection with her food. In this episode, Alison shares her backstory - including losing half her body weight as a young woman and later, struggling to conceive - and how ancestral eating helped her heal and thrive. Alison also explains what ancestral eating is - and isn't, how this way of eating works for her, and why the prices we see in the supermarket don't reflect the true cost of food.
Episode Links:Ancestral Kitchen, Alison's site
The Ancestral Kitchen podcast
What ancestral eating isn't - the article we discuss in today's episode
Check out my weekly newsletter about creativity and connection - and, of course, tea! - The Deep Steep
Find all of my brand partners and the latest deals on my Shop page!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
Why did I go the traditional publishing route vs. self-publishing? What did the writing process look like, beginning to end? And how do I feel about the idea of sh*tty first drafts? In this episode of The Tea's Made I answer all of these questions and more.
Episode Links:
Taking a book idea from proposal to contract. In this episode I answer listener questions about working with an agent, platform and more.
Head to TheTeasMade.com to read more of my writing!
OSEA – Use the code TEASMADE or MEAGAN for 10% off your first purchase.
Vionic – with unmatched support and stability, Vionic’s line of shoes and boots are wearable wellbeing for your feet. Use code TEASMADE for 15% off after you log into your account.
Hatch – Well-rested mornings begin with relaxing bedtime routines, and the Hatch Restore 2 offers both. Use code TEA20 for $20 off.
The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.
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