On the last show of 2012, Patrick Martins hosts a special edition of "The Main Course" devoted to the concept of giving and charity. He's joined by Anthony Butler, Executive Director of St. Johns Bread & Life, a non profit organization that brings food and assistance to the poor and accompany them on their journey to wholeness by providing necessary services. Also in the studio is our very own Executive Director of HeritageRadioNetwork.org, Erin Fairbanks. Tune in for an extended conversation on the nature and practice of giving, from modern to biblical contexts. Anthony reminds us that we have an obligation to our neighbors every day, not just Christmas. Learn about some of the incredible deeds being done by people across the country and find out how you can to more to support your fellow humans. Happy Holidays everybody! This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"People need to know that our obligation to our neighbor is the other 364 days, not just Christmas." -- 05:44

"If we don't give out of what we have, we're not making any change or investment." --09:20

--Anthony Butler, Executive Director of St. Johns Bread & Life

Do you love butter? Then this is the show for you. Tune in to this week's episode of Cutting the Curd as Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger chat with three incredible guests about the different sides of this dairy delight. First, hear from artist Jim Victor who's incredible butter sculptures have been featured recently at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Next, food science expert Harold McGee chats about different types of butter and how you can make your own at home. Finally, Diane St Clair gives listeners some great details on her butter making and dairy farming. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

"There's sweet cream butter and cultured butter. They require different types of handling. All the cream no matter what needs to come from really good milk."

"Usually when people make butter in the kitchen, it's by accident. They're usually trying to whip cream."

"Sadly the best indicator of quality in butter is probably price."

--Harold McGee on Cutting the Curd

Upstate New York has become a hot bed for young farmers, organic dairy and delicious products. Tune in to this weeks episode of Cutting the Curd with Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger as they sit down with Dean Sparks of NYFoods. NYFoods offers consumers quality organic dairy products with the goal of saving as many New York family farms as possible. They partner with both milk cooperatives and small family farms to offer the best in milk, eggs, cheese and butter. Learn about butterfat content, milk trains, distribution systems, logistics and the challenges facing small farms and processing facilities trying to get their product to your plate. Whether you're a dairy geek or an aspiring farmer you can learn something new to help you along your path on this episode! This program was sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

"We've had a lot of conventional farmers come to us and ask how they can become organic, which is a blessing."

"Upstate New York is such a bastion for amazing food right now. It's not new to us, but it's new to a lot of people."

"Our vision in 2012 is to get our logistics viable enough to get into bigger markers."

"Re imagining distribution systems shouldn't be so hard. My farm is 150 miles from here!"

--Dean Sparks of NYFoods on Cutting the Curd