Sarah was recognized for her culinary writing with nominations for the James Beard Award and IACP’s Bert Greene Award in 2010.

The muscadine is actually a native American grape, Vitis rotundifolia, and scuppernongs are a variety of muscadine.The loamy sand and saltwater of the coastal plains region -- which is responsible for keeping the mother vine looking youthful -- is no match for this hearty fruit.

Every corner of the Tar Heel state is an ode to the scuppernong.Immortalized in the form of jams, jellies, fruit butter, pies, juice, wine, and even in an independent bookstore named for the grape located in Greensboro, the state loves this hearty, tough grape..The grapes themselves look otherworldly with their thick skins, bringing to mind the way lizards and amphibians have been able to survive for centuries.

After you get through the vegetal exoskeleton, the grape looks similar to the aqueous humour of an eyeball.Large, bitter seeds rest inside.. John Harding / Getty Images.

The juice of a scuppernong is very sweet but the skins are acidic and will destroy your taste buds and your skin, if you let them.

My grandmother would coat her lips and chin with petroleum jelly before embarking on a snack of muscadines, still warm from the garden sun.Just over half an hour south of the world-class skiing at Jackson Hole (and the world-class resort scene in the surrounding area), Wyoming's agriculture Star Valley moves at a decidedly slower pace and, in recent years, has offered a lower-cost alternative to life just to the north.

Dairy farming is a big deal here and has been for a very long time, and Shumway Farms in Afton, well-known for high-quality raw milk, is already on its sixth generation of family ownership.Visitors will find a scoop shop tucked into the farm store—get a huckleberry cone and pay a visit to the resident bovines.

Want to spend the night?There's a modest but charming vacation rental.