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Ancestral Kitchen

Ancestral Kitchen

Written by: Alison Kay & Andrea Huehnerhoff
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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.comCopyright 2026 Alison Kay & Andrea Huehnerhoff Art Cooking Food & Wine Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • #141 - Kitchen Beauty: Our Ancestral Skin and Hair Care

    #141 - Kitchen Beauty: Our Ancestral Skin and Hair Care
    Oct 19 2026
    The more time we spend around ancestral food, the more other ancestral practices begin to filter into our lives as well - our clothing may change, our lighting and screen time may evolve, and our skin, hair and general body care may change as well. Many ancestral methods of caring for the body involved simple food products that could be applied to skin or hair or even injuries. Of course, apothecaries existed for more expensive and sometimes even toxic compounds, just like we suffer from today, but many beauty routines, even for the upper classes, just involved simple food products.Today we will share some of the edible and accessible routines we use to care for our skin, as well as our historical hair routines, and we will discuss the benefits of our food as well as our topical care. We are always curious to hear from our listeners about their routines as well, and we have learned much from our supporter community on Discord as well! If you have methods you enjoy we would love to hear about them, and if you try and like any of ours, do let us know!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here.Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient GrainsRead our Guide to Milling Your Own FlourGet all three of the podcast cookbooksWear our beautiful, sustainable merchandiseAlison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The BasicsAlison's Sowans oat fermentation courseVisit 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 last ateA review from JillyBeanTeemill Bags and Swag!What is beauty and what is it for?Alison's Face RoutineRob's Face WashAndrea's Sugar ScrubWhipped Tallow (is it really so easy? Yes it is)Alison's Historical Hair RoutineWhat do Rob and Gabriel do?Andrea's Historical Hair RoutineWhat's it like to start washing with clay?Preventing sunburnKombucha and scoby usesHoney for woundsOatmeal: Why it's good for skinMore episodes you might like!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *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 libraryScroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Resources:Episode 76: Essential Oils in an Ancestral KitchenKatherine Hair CareEpisode 64: Better Broths and Healing TonicsHunter & Gather MayonnaiseElly's Every Day Soapmaking (Two AMAZING YouTube channels!)Episode 127: How to Render Fat at Home (With Q&A!)Rhassoul Clay that Andrea usesWooden Scalp BrushPurchase Holly's SummitDo you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to shareThe podcast has a website here!Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral KitchenThe podcast is on You Tube hereThe podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • #140 - 20 Meal Ideas from Real Kitchens

    #140 - 20 Meal Ideas from Real Kitchens
    Oct 5 2026
    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.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sign up to the pod's newsletter here.Get a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient GrainsRead our Guide to Milling Your Own FlourGet all three of the podcast cookbooksWear our beautiful, sustainable merchandiseAlison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The BasicsAlison's Sowans oat fermentation courseVisit 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 libraryScroll down to 'ratings and reviews', click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Resources:Get Your Copy of A Treasury of Ancestral Meals hereEpisode 132: A Week of Ancestral Meals: what we really ate Episode 56: Preparing Nutrient-Dense Meals From Scratch Every DaySpelt Sourdough Every DayThe Best Way to Soak OatsNaturally-Fermented Staffordshire Oat CakesDo you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to shareThe podcast has a website here!Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral KitchenThe podcast is on You Tube hereThe podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • #139 - Swimming Upstream: Ethical Salmon in an Era of Farmed Fish with Sam Pflaum of Ketchikan Sam's

    #139 - Swimming Upstream: Ethical Salmon in an Era of Farmed Fish with Sam Pflaum of Ketchikan Sam's
    Sep 14 2026
    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 GrainsRead our Guide to Milling Your Own FlourGet all three of the podcast cookbooksWear our beautiful, sustainable merchandiseAlison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The BasicsAlison's Sowans oat fermentation courseVisit 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-caughtShould 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 seafoodFish 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 libraryScroll 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 SamKetchikan Sam's on InstagramKetchikan Sam's on FacebookDo you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? Visit our website here for how to shareThe podcast has a website here!Stay in touch with Alison via her newsletter at Ancestral KitchenThe podcast is on You Tube hereThe podcast is mixed and the music created by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay
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    1 hr and 40 mins
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