What are the "rampy-ramps" and why are they so coveted among foodies and chefs? 

Alan Bergo and I join forces on today's episode to discuss the obsession over wild leeks, mid-western matsutakes, and edible weeds. 

We also talk about how Alan grew up in Minnesota, how Alan's style of mushroom picking has evolved over the years, and how Alan jokingly says he's been supporting his local Amish children since 2013.

In today's episode, you'll learn...

• How to sustainably harvest springtime ramps,
• Why you should grow an invasive weed garden,
• Two popular wild condiment recipes, and...
• Much, much more.

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Episode Breakdown

• Alan talks about his first and most precious experience with wild foods early in his culinary career
• Why Alan says adding wild food to a restaurant's menu is becoming a fad
• Alan talks about his early years growing up in mid-west Minnesota
• How ForagerChef.com came to be
• How digging through David Arora's work led Alan to more research about mushrooms
• Alan gives a few suggestions on people he follows within the fungi community
• Why Alan says he wants to write an article about mushrooms and pokémon
• Alan's discovery of matsutake mushrooms in the mid-west
• Why Alan trims the stems of his mushrooms
• Alan describes the nutty situations people will put themselves into over mushroom hunting
• The difference between North American and European porcini
• Why Alan says you shouldn't eat bitter boletes 
• How Alan's style of mushroom picking has changed over time
• Alan explains what he calls "the neanderthal instinct"
• Why Alan says you really cannot over-pick mushrooms
• Why you need to do your research to be aware of your local and/or state foraging laws
• Alan explains what the "rampy-ramps" are and why chefs (at least in the mid-west) obsess over them 
• Why Alan sees over-harvesting of these wild foods as being an issue in the years to come
• Alan explains the different parts of a ramp
• How the Iroquois sustainably forage ramps
• Why Alan says he won't purchase ramps from anyone other than two people
• Why Alan plants ramps in grandma's garden patch
• What Alan says is the customer favorite ramp recipe (and you don't need to use the bulbs)
• How to make ramp ranch and ramp siracha
• Why Alan's favorite invasive species are thought of as weeds by many of Alan's farmers 
• Where Alan sees the future of food
• How Alan sources wild food for his restaurant
• The interesting and unique way Alan is sourcing spruce tips
• What Alan says is the best part of picking greens yourself
• Why Alan says picking weeds from your garden is a win-win
• Why you might see Alan and his work featured on major television networks

It might shock you to know that the clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world... second only to oil.

On today’s podcast, Denby Royal—holistic nutrition and eco-fashion consultant—joins me on another fascinating episode of Ancestral Health Radio.

Denby and I discuss why westerners commonly fail to think about their clothing's environmental and social impact on the rest of the planet, the physical and psychological pitfalls the fashion industry has on our health, followed by simple, inexpensive tips on how to make more conscious decisions when thinking about your wardrobe.

Other fun things you'll learn in today's episode are...

• How clothing affects our bodies and its many systems,
• The true cost of fast fashion,
• Denby's suggestions for buying less but buying better, and...
• Much, much more.

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Episode Breakdown

• What is eco-fashion?

• How does clothing affect our bodies and its many different systems?

• What is sedentary clothing?

• The dysfunctional clothing women are told they need to wear and the ill-effects these restrictive garments have on their bodies

• Underwire bras and the lymphatic system

• The True Cost Documentary

• Denby breaks down what fast fashion is and the truth behind the industry’s 52 seasons of clothing

• Denby talks about auto-cravings and how they feed our instinctual need for consumption

• How much of America’s donated clothing is actually being sold?

• How many tons of America’s textile waste get shipped to third world countries?

• Denby speaks against the social injustice of one of the most—if not the most—labor dependent industries in the world

• The Rana Plaza disaster

• Denby and I discuss the heartbreaking disconnect from the people who make the everyday goods we use

• Buying less but buying better

• Denby talks about our biological need for adornment

• Monsanto’s monopoly over genetically modified cotton seeds

• The staggering suicide statistic of Punjab farmers

• Obama’s wardrobe classics

• Denby suggests being selective about the clothing you donate or sell to consignment stores

• Why Denby says a quality shirt shouldn’t be priced below $70

• Tips on how to get off-season sales on some of your favorite eco-friendly brands

• Problems with synthetic textiles and our oceans

• The benefits of natural merino wool, hemp, and bamboo fibers

• What is the hippy-eco-paradigm?

• Denby’s eco-friendly brand recommendations for building a sustainable wardrobe

• How to contact Denby in regards holistic fashion consulting and a basic rundown of what she provides as far as services

• The regional fashion in Italy

• How to ask yourself if your next purchase is replacing a negative

• Why you should feel comfortable asking brands what’s going on in their production line

• Why you should expand what your definition of local is

What is ecosystem restoration and what are some common challenges of living off-the-grid?

Tao Orion—author, teacher, and mother—shares her experience with us on today's episode of Ancestral Health Radio.

This was a fun chat, for sure. Because some day in the near future I'd like to purchase land and start a family myself.

We discuss the need for a more holistic approach to land restoration, the medicinal properties of certain invasive plant species, and what tending the wild versus plow-based agriculture looks like.

In today's episode, you'll also learn...

• Why your pastured eggs may be supplemented with grain, 
• The invasive species that can heal a common antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria,
• Questions to consider before transitioning to land or rural property of your own, and...
• Much, much more.

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Episode Breakdown

• Where Tao believes the future of restoration is going

• Why you don’t need a lot of space to grow vegetables

• Tao discusses ideas about communal or cooperative land management models for animal products

• Oregon’s land use laws

• Tao talks about the realistic challenges of animal husbandry

• Why your pastured eggs may be supplemented with grain

• Why Tao grew black soldier fly larvae

• The many different animals Tao has raised and their associated costs

• Why Tao is unsure of the sustainable management of invasive animal species

• Tao’s concerns of herbicide contamination due to Oregon’s forest practices

• Why Tao believes pesticides get more attention than herbicides

• The dangers of glyphosate

• Tao’s advice for people new to foraging or spending time in these managed outdoor areas

• The medicinal benefits of invasive species

• How to wildcraft Japanese knotweed

• The traditional use of the Brazilian peppertree

• Why Tao says it’s important we learn to read our landscape and use land use history

• How indigenous people in California used fire to clear land and reset the succession of perennial plants and grasslands

• Plow-based, annual agriculture and the domestication of the ox

• What would happen if we were to increase the worldwide organic material by 1%

• Why Tao thinks animal-based agriculture is insane

• The permaculture mindset

• Tao emphasizes the benefits of plant and animal stewardship and where she believes you should begin

• Important points and challenges to remember when deciding on a future homestead

What is EZ water? And why the heck is it important?

Dr. Gerald Pollack joins me on episode #13 of Ancestral Health Radio to discuss the many benefits of water, and, more specifically—it's fourth phase.

We also mention water quality, his newest untitled book, and how to supercharge your body with a seemingly unlimited power source... that's right beneath your feet.

In today's episode, you'll learn...

• The significance of EZ (Exclusion Zone) water,
• The benefits of drinking natural spring water,
• The positive (or shall I say negative?) effects that Earthing has on the body, and...
• Much, much more.

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Episode Breakdown

• Why Dr. Pollack finds it odd that most people presume that everything there is to know about water must already be known
• Gerald discusses the four phases of water: solid, liquid, vapor, and "gel-like"
• Why Dr. Pollack wrote the book Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life
• Why Gerald finds it weird that water is seemingly irrelevant to biology and biochemistry
• Dr. Pollack shares why he says water has taken a back seat to modern medical technology
• How Gerald found himself involved with water through the study of muscle 
• Gerald's discovery of EZ (Exclusion Zone) water and its many different properties (H3O2)—specifically its structure and charge
• How EZ water grows and generates renewable energy using different spectrums of light
• Hydrophilic versus hydrophobic
• Gerald breaks down how cells and proteins use EZ water (protein folding, etc.) to help cell and organ function
• How saunas build EZ water within the body
• Are gray hairs a sign of dehydration?
• How drinking water was one doctor's only prescription for wellness
• Dr. Pollack's speculative thoughts on water quality
• Why spring water—in theory—should be good for your health
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
• Organic and non-organic agents that build and inhibit EZ water
• Jerry shares his experience with Earthing and its effects on EZ water
• The Institute for Venture Science
• Dr. Pollack discusses his next untitled book and a few of the topics