Slate's Table to Farm

Laura and Dan learn about the dairy industry when they speak with author Kirk Kardashian, then find out exactly how cheese is made from Elizabeth Chubbuck of Murray's Cheese. Each guest reveals their cheese guilty pleasure (spoiler alert--Elizabeth's is far guiltier) then Laura cooks up two quesos, one a Velveeta-based concoction from her childhood, the other a queso blanco made from scratch.

Laura and Dan talk to Aaron Bobrow-Strain about the period in history when white bread was considered fancy and whole grain bread was considered unclean, and Aaron explains how that came to be and how perceptions changed. Then your hosts talk to Amy Scherber of Amy's Bread about the importance of flour and what she learned from the bread masters of France. Finally, Laura and Dan cook and eat some focaccia.

Laura and Dan talk with Bill Niman and Nicolette Hahn Niman, formerly of Niman Ranch, now of BN Ranch. Bill explains why pigs are the most interesting animals in the barnyard, and how a pig farmer can love an animal and still bring it to slaughter, while Nicolette discusses some of the environmental concerns specific to pigs. Then Laura and Dan learn about heritage pork and how the sausage is made when they interview Michael Yezzi of Flying Pigs Farm. Finally, Dan cooks and eats some pork butt.

Laura and Dan welcome guests with very different perspectives on proposals to tax or restrict soft drink consumption. Kelly Brownell is a Yale professor, an expert on obesity, and one of the nation's leading proponents of soda taxes. Daniel Engber is a Slate columnist who questions whether taxing soda would be effective or fair. They each offer their views, then Laura and Dan discuss over Coca-Cola cake.

Laura and Dan talk to self-proclaimed "apple nerd" Amy Traverso about the history of apples and how new varieties are created. Then your hosts explore ways to get local apples when they talk to a farmer and the founder of a startup called Farmigo. Finally, they play a game called Apple Variety or New England Town and cook and eat an apple crisp.

Laura and Dan speak with Chris Leonard from the New America Foundation about changes in the beef industry in recent decades and the impact on the meat that ends up on your table. Then your hosts visit a butcher shop in Brooklyn that's been in the same location for nearly a century to find out how those same changes have affected the butchering business and one store's clientele. Then Dan cooks a tri-tip steak and Laura watches him eat it.

Laura and Dan speak with Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, about the ethics of eating eggs. Then they visit the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, a group that's raising chickens in a back yard in Brooklyn to provide eggs to those in need. Finally they cook and eat a frittata with kale and feta and Laura explains why she loves frittatas.