How many of the foods you eat every day have roots in Native American foods and traditions? A lot more than you might realize, so start counting and testing your family and kids now!

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely share a list of indigenous foods, along with their history, traditions, and, yes, even spiritual connections, that influence your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and holiday celebrations today.

A few key things you’ll learn in this episode include:

1. The secret of the Three Sisters – corn, beans, and squash weren’t just crops; together they created a complete protein system that nourished communities long before “vegetarian nutrition” was ever studied in labs.
2. Forgotten Native recipes – from Cherokee venison meatloaf (poya) to early cornbread and Johnny Cakes, discover dishes you may not know had indigenous roots.
3. Spiritual traditions of food – ghost suppers, spirit plates, and powwows reveal how meals were seen not just as nourishment, but as sacred connections to ancestors and community.
4. Modern revivals of indigenous cuisine – from Minnesota’s Owamni restaurant to fry bread recipes passed down through families, Native foodways are making a powerful comeback today.

This episode of Family Tree Food & Stories you can test your own knowledge of how much Native American food history, indigenous cooking traditions, and stories of resilience offers up some wisdom from the past.

👉 What’s NEXT? How you can help us and others.

Feeling hungry for more than just food? Go make your favorite fall recipe—or better yet, call someone and ask about their comfort food memories. And don’t forget to share this episode with friends and family. Because as Nancy and Sylvia always say… every dish has a story—and every story is a feast.. and it’s all better when shared! 🍽️💬

🎧Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍
• TikTok: Family Tree Food Stories
• 👇Share Your Story With Nancy & Sylvia!: Leave us a voicemail
• You can send us a DM on

Ever wonder why mac and cheese, beef stew, lasagna, or even a slice of fruitcake creates cravings in the fall? In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May & Sylvia Lovely dive into the cozy world of comfort foods—and trust us, there’s a lot more to it than just wanting that warm brownie or an extra spoonful of mashed potatoes on your plate!

Nancy and Sylvia aren’t just talking about our favorite go-to comfort recipes. They’re sharing some of the reasons why certain foods bring back some of your best memories, and why our bodies actually need comfort food when it gets cold. In this episode, you learn about ghost recipes – don’t worry, they’re not creepy or scary memories and stories of traditional Sunday sauces, and apple dumplings made with Mountain Dew (yes, really!). You’ll also go back in time to those old-fashioned church cookbook finds that have become dinner-party showstoppers— we promise you’re in for a treat with this episode.

🍂Key Lessons & Takeaways:

🔍Comfort food activates that involve all five senses. Sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste all come alive when you’re cooking and eating fall favorites like stew, chili, and roasted pumpkin.

🔍The science behind your cravings. Cold weather and less daylight lower your serotonin and body temperature—so hearty meals help warm you up and boost your mood.

🔍How Ghost Recipes connect us to the past. Old family dishes, even if half-remembered, tell stories of loved ones and keep traditions alive in powerful ways.

🔍Comfort food looks different for everyone. From Yorkshire pudding and burnt marshmallows (for an 8-year-old Girl Scout), to chili or a lasagna made by a well-known pasta machine inventor, each dish has personal meaning.

🔍Fall cooking is about slowing down. Scratch recipes, simmering pots, and food memories all invite us to be present, take the edge off our hectic schedules and lives, and teach us how to be present with ourselves and those we love and care about. We suggest you give it a try one weekend to rediscover just how relaxing it can be in your own kitchen.

🎧 What’s NEXT? How you can help us and others.

Feeling hungry for more than just food? Go make your favorite fall recipe—or better yet, call someone and ask about their comfort food memories. And don’t forget to share this episode with friends and family. Because as Nancy and Sylvia always say… every dish has a story—and every story is a feast.. and it’s all better when shared! 🍽️💬

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram...

This week, we’re talking about foods you probably wouldn’t expect to get too excited about: mushrooms. However, those funky spongy fungi have stories, secrets, and flavors that will give you something different to talk about at your next dinner table conversation.

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely become the Fungi Gals (ha, ha, seriously!) and share fall comfort foods, mushroom myths, and a few “did-they-really-just-say-that?” moments.

👍Here are a few extra hints of what you'll learn in this episode:

• The true story of the mushroom that sold for over $300,000
• Why Nancy’s new puppy, BB, could turn into the best hunting nose in FL for these dinner treats.
• How a mushroom helped a widower through his grief.
• Why pigs got fired as truffle hunters.
• How a mushroom turned into a serious multi-million dollar side hustle

If you love a good fall recipe, a weird-but-true food story, or want to feel a little more grounded this season (pun intended here), this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories is for you.

And hey, don’t be surprised if you start eyeing your backyard for mushrooms and thinking, how much can I sell this one for?

👉 Listen, share, and discuss this episode with family and friends. Together, let’s keep alive the promise to “Never Forget”—and to remember that every meal tells a story, and every story is a way to heal.

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍
• TikTok: Family Tree Food Stories
• 👇Share Your Story With Nancy & Sylvia!: Leave us a voicemail
• You can send us a DM on Facebook.
• 🎧 Subscribe now and never miss a bite or a good story.

About Your Award-Winning Hosts: Nancy May and