In this episode of The Old Growth Table, you’re invited into relationship with the Salmon Peoples. Their existence holds stories of prophecy, reciprocity, and resilience. Joined by conservation policy analyst and Tulalip Tribal member Cecilia Gobin, Valerie explores the living legacy of salmon and what it means to uphold the agreements our ancestors made with these relatives. We dive into the significance of the First Salmon Ceremony, the fight for habitat restoration, and how colonizat...

This is the summer season. Breathe deep, take it in. Let the warmth settle into your bones, and imagine reaching out to collect a sun-ripened berry on a hot summer day. This episode is all about berry medicine — why it’s good for us, the stories and reverence wrapped around it, and how these small, vibrant foods have nourished our people for thousands of years. Berries like strawberry, huckleberry, blackberry, and blueberry are among the first foods of this continent, present in our creation ...

Let’s talk about our relationship with water—not just as a tool for hydration, but as a sacred, living relative. In this episode, “Sacred Hydration: Infusions, Ancestors & Listening to Water”, Valerie explores how water draws out memory, medicine, and meaning from the world around us. Joined by special guest Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) – founder of Indigikitchen and author of Mountains to Oceans: Kids’ Recipes from Native Land, they share stories, wisdom, and even a recip...

In our debut episode, Our Food Is Our Medicine, Valerie Segrest, a Native nutritionist, food advocate, and member of the Muckleshoot Tribe, invites you to the Old Growth Table — a place to remember, reconnect, and root ourselves in ancestral Indigenous foodways. We begin with learning about our wild spring greens relatives — young stinging nettles and tender dandelion greens — as we explore how these early plants help us awaken from winter and fortify our bodies, minds, and spirits for the se...

Welcome to The Old Growth Table — a new series celebrating the deep roots of Coast Salish food traditions and the sacred relationships we hold with the land, water, and all our relations. Hosted by Valerie Segrest, Native Food Nutritionist, Food Activist, and enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Tribe, this show is an offering into the traditional foodways of the Coast Salish people: harvesting, preparing, and sharing ancestral foods with family and community. Our first episode, Food Is O...