Marion “Nan” Bascom: Love & Wisdom Straight from My Grandmother

How do you make ends meet when you’re as poor as church mice?

Today, we have a very special show for you.

When I first started this show about 10 years ago now, I bought a cheap video camera and I decided to go to my grandmother Nan’s house and interview her… she’s just about my favorite person in the universe.

And as many of you know, Nan’s wisdom runs throughout my work—this podcast, of course, my blog with all recipes that we have, and especially The Wild Diet—you’ll find lots of Nan in The Wild Diet.

But who is Nan, anyway?

Well, Marion Bascom, affectionately known as Nan, was a nurse, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, and a city girl who married my grandfather, Horace, a dairy farmer, and then took on the challenges of tending to an organic veggie garden, dairy farm and homestead while raising 7 children.

After living for almost a century, Nan passed away this year at 97 years old. I’m very happy, though, to be able to share her wisdom with you here today, especially now.

I didn’t know exactly what I’d be doing with the interview with Nan all those years ago. She’s technically going to be my first video interview on this show. It’s very cool, and I’m really happy to share it with you.

We could all benefit from listening to some wisdom from a grandmother right now, don’t you think?

Get ready to smile, you’re going to love this one.

So in this conversation with my grandmother, Marion Bascom, we’re chatting about:

• Incredible stories from raising 7 children on a farm with almost no money
• The low cost of food when you grow it yourself
• Family meals, gardening, canning and foraging for wild edibles behind the house
• What Nan did when she thought one of the kids was on drugs
• How to make homemade bread, ice cream, yogurt, jellies and pickles… she even made her own root beer
• Nan’s secret to a good long life
• And tons more…

Alright, let’s hang out with Nan.

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If you’re watching the video version of this show, you can even see Nan’s sweet Christmas sweater.

She’s given us blankets and sweaters and mittens that she’s knitted over the years, and just what a wonderful person.

She has so many skills. She’s a craftswoman. Just a brilliant woman.

And be sure to stay on to the end of this episode for a very special musical performance where we’re singing and playing music in an old-fashioned way with the whole family in celebration for Nan’s birthday.

I hope you dig it.

Before You Go…

Here’s a review that came in through Apple all the way from Venice, Italy. It says…

“Authentic and quality. I’ve listened to Abel since 2012. A solid podcast and a solid man. I love how he is unafraid to go against the mainstream in an age that makes that exceedingly more challenging.

Much love to you, Abel.”

Hey, thank you for the review and the kind words. You’re right, it’s definitely more challenging than ever.

I had an interesting comment come in recently where someone said, “Abel, I’ve been following you for a long time, and it seems like you’re being painted as a rebel in this crazy world of alternative health, when you’re passing on the knowledge that came from your grandmother that used to be common knowledge.”

And I just can’t help but giggle at that. It’s a unique perspective that I think is very relevant right now.

The things that we used to think were normal¾like being self-reliant and having your own garden and being able to tend to your own animals, make your own food, build things, fix things, create things, all the rest of it¾now it’s the exception.

And if you are willing to ask questions, then you could be under attack or even de-platformed for asking the wrong questions.

So you’re right, it’s exceedingly more challenging.

But I assure you, we’re in this for the right reasons and we’re here to stay and we’re going to keep on chugging ahead no matter what the outside forces do.

So thank you once again for the kind words.

If you’d like to leave a review for the show over on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or any of the other platforms, we really appreciate it.

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So let me know how you’re doing and get in touch.

If you’d like to support this show, you can also check out our store here on fatburningman.com.

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We have lots of exciting things coming out, so please visit fatburningman.com. Try out one of our courses, check out our new app, go explore around the free content.

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Another way you can help keep this show coming to you, if you’re in the United States, check out WildSuperfoods.com.

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We’re getting some great feedback from kids, from adults, everyone in between saying that they love Collagen Cocoa.

We have some pudding in the fridge right now that we’re making with Collagen Cocoa.

You can make some easy, delicious chocolate pudding yourself by just mixing 1 cup Collagen Cocoa with 1 ½ cups purified water. Mix it up, pour it into jars with lids, and refrigerate until firm (about 3 hours or so).

We’re making pies and cookies and brownies, so stay tuned for many recipes.

You can check out Collagen Cocoa over at WildSuperfoods.com.

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So if you’re looking to stock up on vitamin D, we have one of the best sources out there. It’s not just vitamin D3, but also the co-factors.

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Also, Mega Omegas, Future Greens, Collagen Cocoa, Adrenal Stack, and various forms of vitamin C. We’ll get you all taken care of over at WildSuperfoods.com.

When you sign up for the bundles, the Subscribe and Save, you can save over $125.

You can also stock up and and save with our 3-pack and and 6-pack bundles.

We’ve spent years experimenting, researching, trying all sorts of different protein powders and green-colored goos, searching the world for the absolute best supplements and superfoods out there.

We can’t wait to hear how you like Wild Superfoods, so make sure to visit us over at WildSuperfoods.com.

I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Nan. This interview is very dear to my heart.

And I hope you’re spending time with family and loved ones this year.

Also, it’s really important to remember that we’re all a part of a large family, whether we share blood lines or not.

My grandmother is your grandmother. She has lots of wisdom and insight and perspective that will hopefully be very useful to you, no matter where you are.

What did you think of this conversation with Nan? Are you spending time with family and loved ones this holiday? Drop a comment below!