Ancestral Kitchen

Imagine if you could put yourself inside ancestral kitchens all over the world and watch a week’s worth of food. Real people cooking for their real families using real ingredients.
That’s what we’re talking about today. Because, thanks to our supporter community, we’ve made that possible for you. Answering a callout for weekly menus, our supporters sent them in and we’re sharing it all in a new expanded book called A Treasury of Ancestral Menus: 50 pages of a week’s worth of food from all over the world.
When I sat down to read this book, it blew me away. I was reminded that this way of cooking doesn’t have to be perfect. I saw some ingenious ideas for cooking once, eating multiple times, some simple options I’d never even thought of, some nutritious flavour combinations that were brilliant and some breakfasts, lunches, and dinners I just wanted to copy! These people get it, I thought, and wanted to jump into the kitchen straight away and start cooking!
Today we’ll share 20 meal ideas that come directly from these menus. Thank you to all the supporters that wrote down what they ate for a week and sent it to us. You’ve already got the treasury in your inbox. But more than that we wanted to make it available to everyone listening - because we know it will encourage and support more real food in more kitchens around the world. If you’re not a supporter, head to ancestralkitchenpodcast.com/menus and give us what your pocket can afford to download your copy.
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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.
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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!
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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

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Resources:
Get Your Copy of A Treasury of Ancestral Meals here
Episode 132: A Week of Ancestral Meals: what we really ate
Episode 56: Preparing Nutrient-Dense Meals From Scratch Every Day
Spelt Sourdough Every Day
The Best Way to Soak Oats
Naturally-Fermented Staffordshire Oat Cakes
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

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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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

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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

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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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

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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

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!
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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!
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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
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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

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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

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.
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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!
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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

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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

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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