Kansas City and its surrounding towns are at the center of animal genetic diversity in the food movement. On this week's installment of The Main Course, Patrick Martins talks with Jonathan Justus, the chef at Justus Drugstore. Tune in to hear Patrick talk about the food landscape hundred of years in the future. How will the restaurant scene change, and how will farmers and chefs interact? Later, hear Patrick and Jonathan talk about the terroir of Little Dixie, and the uniqueness of the area's flora and fauna. Listen in to hear Jonathan talk about how the events of World War II changed the role of pigs in our society. Find out what other chefs in the Kansas City area are cooking innovative and delicious food, and why Jonathan hopes to stay true to Midwestern food. This program has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures.

"The area where we live was formed by the edge of the last great glacier, and it was like a giant bulldozer... As the glacier receded, it dropped all sorts of stone and seed that were not from this area. There are flora that exist here that don't in any other places." [20:10]

"If you take out the squash, peppers, and corn, most of what we eat is not from here." [23:30]

-- Jonathan Justus on The Main Course

Is milk "nature's perfect food"? This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio is joined by cookbook historian Anne Mendelson to debunk this myth. Anne is the author of Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, a cookbook and overview of milk's history. Learn about milk's volatile chemistry, the differences between different mammals' milks, and Anne's thoughts on the raw milk debate. Also, Anne explains the beginnings of the pasteurization and homogenization processes, and how it changed the lives of urban dwellers in the late 1800s. Hear about modern pasteurization processes, from small to large scale. This program has been brought to you by Cain Winery.

"It [milk] is intended to be supplied in one particularly way, and one alone...under those circumstances it is quite safe to drink, even if it's raw. But if you divert it, if you interrupt that closed system... it changes as soon as you divert it into the outside world; you've already interrupted nature the moment you do that."

"Raw milks sales allow farmers to sell directly to consumers without a middle man. And it's one of the ways that farmers can sell their product for a price so that they can make a living."

-- Anne Mendelson on A Taste of the Past

This week on A Taste of the Past Linda talks all things apple with Erik Baard a writer and an advocate for Newton Pippin apples, long considered the Cadillac of apples. Baard explains how the Pippin--fairly gross when eaten off the tree--sugars after a month or two, making it perfect for today's exporters or yesterday's original US colonists. Lauren Soutiere, a pastry chef at the Northern Spy Food Co., calls in to talk apple pie, including how to choose the best pie-worthy apples. This episode was sponsored by Acme Smoked Fish: a culinary mainstay in NYC for over 55 years.