This week Cutting The Curd sees another installment of its State of Cheese series and this time hosts Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are off to the Sooner State, a.k.a. Oklahoma. First they chat with Suzy Thompson and Steve Reynolds of Forward Foods about how they are bringing the gospel of good cheese and local dairy to the communities of Norman and Oklahoma City and how social media fits into their mission. Later on Matthew Burch of Oklahoma's Urban Agrarian tells us about his unique position in his state's food world as a local food distributor. Go behind the scenes and learn everything from how he uses bio diesel to run his delivery truck to how he plans his routes. This episode is sponsored by Fairway Market.

"I started working at a bank, and it just wasn't the ideal fit for me...The idea of opening our own business really appealed to me."

--Suzy Thompson on Cutting The Curd

"I didn't come in with a PhD. in local food distribution just a passion."

--Matthew Burch on Cutting The Curd

Is it safe to eat horse meat? HRN's Sari Kamin is here to set the record straight with Vickery Eckhoff, journalist and horse meat expert. Tune into this episode to learn more about the recent horse meat controversy, and why transparency is at the core of this issue. Learn more about slaughter practices, and how methods for beef slaughter cannot be applied to horses. Vickery brings some dangerous horse drugs into the studio to explain their uses, and how they can endanger human health through the consumption of horse meat. If you were thinking about trying a horse steak, you should listen to this segment first; get the scoop from Sari and Vickery in this HRN Community Session! Thanks to our sponsor, Heritage Foods USA.

"Most people think that horses are raised organically without any drugs... there are a lot of misconceptions about the food safety aspect of horse meat." [21:30]

What are the differences between public and private gardening? This week on We Dig Plants, Carmen Devito and Alice Marcus Krieg are talking with Aly Fox, Head Gardener at Groundworks, Inc., and public garden designer, Ronda Brand. Hear about Aly and Ronda's backgrounds in horticulture, and how their training influenced their careers. Learn about the social impact of public landscape design, and the peculiarities of working for a private client. What elements are important for Ronda take into consideration when designing a public space? Hear about Aly's gardening pet peeves, and how Japanese gardens taught Aly about sanctuary. Thanks to our sponsor, Hearst Ranch.

"Plants are so sensitive. At the same time they can be very durable, but you have to stay on top of it." [11:20] -- Aly Fox on We Dig Plants

"In the public sphere, you have to create immediate impact in those spaces. Those spaces are being used all of the time... it needs to look good the day you put it in." [17:50] -- Ronda Brand on We Dig Plants