I write from my parents homestead in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, belly full, body rested and heart full. Since we left California in July I have been caught in a whirlwind, hosting over 20 dinners across the country. When traveling from the West to East you see the dramatic shift in geology; pockets of deserts, forests, mountains, valleys, rivers and creeks span our massive country. I wasn't prepared for how significant the change would be, even after crossing the states a handful of times, Its truly staggering. As we began to enter the familiar territory of the East, I became giddy to enjoy the lush summer. There was swimming to be had, corn, tomatoes and peaches littering our menus and my eyes dilated as chantrelles brought their magic to the plate.

Steak + Potatoes with Haircot Verte & Chantrelles by Chef Matt Chambas of The Wickman House at Hidden Acres Farm// Sisters Bay, Wisconsin — Steak + Potatoes with Haircot Verte & Chantrelles by Chef Matt Chambas of The Wickman House at Hidden Acres Farm// Sisters Bay, Wisconsin

Sheds // Jackson Hole, Wyoming — Sheds // Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Big Sky Country // Wyoming — Big Sky Country // Wyoming

The Great Prismatic in Yellowstone National Park //Wyoming

Clouds // Fort Collins, Colorado — Clouds // Fort Collins, Colorado

Yellowstone is an immensely touristed geological phenomena. It is a mysterious place with wonders at ever bend; oozing sulphur pits, erupting geysers and rainbow colored waters. We were there in the high tourist season and did our best to avoid the crowds. We had heard of some hot springs and with bear mace in tow, found our way through the night to the springs. We sat in the warm waters, amazed at the perfect hot-tub like temperature and sporadically made noise to scare off any curious and threatening animals. The camp sites as we had expected were all full, so we hung our hammocks at the entrance of the campground. A cheerful ranger approached us at midnight and explained that he understood that grounds were full, so we could stay but asked us to be out at first light. We happily obliged.

Zinnias at Grade A Garlic Farm // Iowa — Zinnias at Grade A Garlic Farm // Iowa

Beautiful Garlic Braids at Grade A Gardens // Iowa

Pulled Pork with Cabbage Slaw

RUB

2 pounds Bone In Pork Shoulder

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Fennel (toasted and ground)

3 tablespoons Salt

3 tablespoons Rosemary (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Mix all ingredients and generously rub onto shoulder. Set aside.

BRAISE

2 Carrots

3 stalks Celery

1/2 Red Onion, sliced

2 Fennel Stalks

1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds

1 bottle Beer

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Carrots

3 stalks Celery

1/2 Red Onion (sliced)

2 Fennel Stalks

1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds

1 bottle Beer

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop vegetables into large 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. In a Dutch oven or large cast iron, heat a heavy pour of olive oil and add prepared pork shoulder until golden. Add vegetables. Pour in beer. Place uncovered in oven. Cook for two hours and serve atop of slaw.

FENNEL CABBAGE SLAW

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

1 head red cabbage, shredded

1 Red Onion, sliced

1 bulb Fennel, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Mint, chopped

1/4 cup Basil Leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

2 tablespoons Honey

2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and freshly ground Pepper

Shred slice and chop vegetables and herbes. Mix together with seasonings and stir to combine. Set aside.

BBQ SAUCE

1 cup reserved braising drippings

5 cups apple cider

1-2 cups ketchup

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Mustard

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 cloves Garlic

Remove shoulder from braise. Drain vegetables and place remaining juice in a gravy separator. The jus and the fat will separate. Pour off as much fat as possible and reserve. In a medium sauce pan heat pork jus on medium heat. Add all ingredients while constantly tasting. Adjust flavors to your liking. Simmer until thick. Pour atop Pulled Pork. Serve immediately.

Yak Tostada in Minnesota by Steve Hesse, Libertine, Minneapolis//Minnesota

Holy Yak Yak at Clear Spring Farm //Minnesota

Apple Orchards at Seedling Farm // South Haven, Michigan — Apple Orchards at Seedling Farm // South Haven, Michigan

A lovely eve at Hidden Acres Farm // Door County, Wisconsin — A lovely eve at Hidden Acres Farm // Door County, Wisconsin

Pebble Beach // Door County, Wisconsin — Pebble Beach // Door County, Wisconsin

Harvest Salad by Chef Paul Virant at Mick Klug // St. Joseph, Michigan — Harvest Salad by Chef Paul Virant at Mick Klug // St. Joseph, Michigan

All Day Everyday// Blue Moon Community Farm // Madison, Wisconsin — All Day Everyday// Blue Moon Community Farm // Madison, Wisconsin

Blueberries with Coconut Honey Granola

makes about 5 cups

1/2 cup almond, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

3 cups whole rolled oats

handful unsweetened coconut chips, roughly 1/2 cup

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1 cup craisins/raisins or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. On a large sheet pan with sides, lined with parchment paper, combine oats, salt, brown sugar, almonds and sunflower seeds. In a sauce pan combine honey & coconut oil, stir to dissolve and add extracts. Pour over oat mixture and toss into a thin layer. Bake for 5 minutes and stir. Bake until golden (roughly 5/10 minutes). Once cool, add craisins. Store in an airtight container. In your favorite soup bowl add milk or yogurt. Add a scoop of prepared granola and finish with honey and blueberries. Enjoy!

A Kingly Pig at Blue Moon Community Farm // Madison, Wisconsin — A Kingly Pig at Blue Moon Community Farm // Madison, Wisconsin

OITF Seedling Farm// South Haven, Michigan — OITF Seedling Farm// South Haven, Michigan

Off to the South Bend of Michigan and to the idilic orchards of Seedling Farm. The table was to be set in a huge spiral made by Jim Denevan (OITF CEO and land artist) in the middle of a cover cropped field of buckwheat. It was an idilic setting and the spiral setting a captivating tone, however to say the least, a hike to the table from the kitchen, my pedometer read 23 miles at the end of the night. There were threats of scattered thunderstorms all day but we managed to beat the storm during the dinner. Soon after the guests had left, dark clouds soon moved in but our table was still covered with wares from the dinner; table clothes, glassware, silverware, we scrambled to get as much off the table as we could but the clouds moved in quick, thunder and lighting in the rang in distance and Jim, a semi-pro weather man, ran out into the field, frantic.

"Its not safe to be out here, we need to get everyone to the barn" I had never seen him in such a state.

"What about the equipment, glassware, and our oil candles?" I retorted, not really feeling all that threatened. I had a 2 hour breakdown ahead of me.

It wasn't safe. Dejected and feeling like a captain going down with the ship, I reluctantly scurried back toward the barn, looking for Marta. I found her taking out the recycling.

Dehydrated Cantaloupe, Shiso, Puffed Rice and Marlin Ham by Chef Abraham Conlon of Fat Rice // South Haven, Michigan — Dehydrated Cantaloupe, Shiso, Puffed Rice and Marlin Ham by Chef Abraham Conlon of Fat Rice // South Haven, Michigan

"Jim says its not safe to be in the field, we have to get everyone into the barn."

"Really? I'm almost done taking this out, what about the table?"

"We gotta go" I moved and grabbed a bottle of wine off the service bar. Marta looked at me astonishingly.

"Duh! What was I thinking!" Marta said dropping her cart of recycling.

Bottle in each hand, we each ran to the barn, lighting and thunder in full force and rain starting to pour. We laughed like mad children, gleeful that we had beat the breakdown of the dinner. We found refugee with the rest of the crew staggered in the barn, everyone stern and elated, holding wine bottles for security, soon realizing no one would be able to work for the rest of the night. The kitchen had laid out left overs from the dinner on a card table and we all in a state of shock and joy and drenched from the storm, saluted each other and watched the lighting storm roll through the farm as we ate Chef Abe's unreal Piri Piri Chicken and drank the night away.

Cheesin with the biggest collards I've ever seen at the Eastern Market // Detroit, Michigan — Cheesin with the biggest collards I've ever seen at the Eastern Market // Detroit, Michigan

I feel in love with Detroit three years ago when Marta and I went on a road trip to move her out of college. Both of us wanted to check out the 'abandoned' Motor City and tried to find coach surfers to host us. No one responded to our request for days and we had almost scrapped the visit when a lovely girl named Anastasia accepted our request. It was the dead of winter and she greeted us warmly in her 1920's department store, turned artists loft with tea. We had a whirlwind 48 hours filled with amazing ethnic food, urban exploration and lots of giggles. When we returned this time around Anastasia happily opened her new home up to us again and helped me plot a dinner at a local punk show in Hamtramck called Elijah's House of Dirt. She escorted us around the Eastern Market, Germack Coffee Roasting Co. and we swam and sunned ourselves at Belle Isle. We were lucky enough to catch many of our friends in Detroit the second time around and hit up our favorite record shop. Lo' & Behold is one of those dream record shops, where the owner, Richie, knows his shit. Hum a tune and he'll launch into a full on history lesson of where they got their sound, show you an album of their's you've have never heard of and then sell it to you on the cheap, my kind of guy. We mussed with Richie until it was time to get down to business for cooking my chili and in Anastasia's humid 5th floor apartment I cooked a mass of chili and cornbread in my underwear while the ladies got dolled up for the show.

It was inspiring to go into the Eastern Market and find folks producing food in the Motor City and some beautiful food at that. I found the biggest collards I have ever seen, met a woman who was glowing with pride at her first crop of garlic and felt the vibrance of the city in the summer time. This is no abandoned city, the people of Detroit have stuck it out and though the ebb and flow of a city has been staggering within recent memory, Detroit will always be somewhere I look forward to visiting.

My haul from Eastern Market // Detroit, Michigan — My haul from Eastern Market // Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Chili

3-5 yellow onions, diced

1 cob or 1 bag sweet corn, about 2 cups

1 12 oz. can dark beer

1 pound bison, turkey, or beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

2 bell peppers, diced

5-10 stems collard greens, cut into ribbons

2 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 cans kidney beans

1-2 cans tomato sauce

1 6oz. can tomato paste

2 shot whiskey

seasonings to taste

In a cast iron skillet with a scoop of bacon fat or butter, add diced onions and a bag of frozen corn. Cook until brown and pour in a can of beer (this is called deglazing the pan). Add a pound of ground meat, if using. Simmer and reduce the beer for about 10 minutes. Once beer has reduced by about half, add garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, collards, and beans. Add the can of tomato sauce and a can of tomato paste. Add more beer if sauce is to thick and not covering the beans well. Add a shot of whisky, salt, chili powder, pepper and simmer. At the point you should be tasting constantly and adding salt to your liking. Salt brings out a lot of flavors so be sure to use at least a teaspoon. I like my chili spicy so I'll add hot sauce, chili or chipotle powder and whatever else I am feeling. Once again this recipe is incredibly flexible. You pretty much just need beans and tomato sauce to make a northern chili. Meat and veggies is all gravy. Enjoy!

Belle Island Art Deco//Detroit, Michigan — Belle Island Art Deco//Detroit, Michigan

Mittens Mood // Detroit, Michigan — Mittens Mood // Detroit, Michigan

Epic Pastry Game by Elizabeth// Hudson, Ohio// Thaxton's Organic Garlic Farm — Epic Pastry Game by Elizabeth// Hudson, Ohio// Thaxton's Organic Garlic Farm

Beekman 1802 // Sharon Springs, New York — Beekman 1802 // Sharon Springs, New York

Spanish Octopus by Chef John McCarthy of the Crimson Sparrow//Sharon Springs, New York — Spanish Octopus by Chef John McCarthy of the Crimson Sparrow//Sharon Springs, New York

The morning Ellie & Jean came to visit in Fayston, Vermont. Rocking the texas tuxedo hard.

Morning View in Fayston, Vermont at Ploughgate Creamery

The Table at Ploughgate Creamery// Fayston, Vermont

North Star Sheep Farm // Windham, Maine — North Star Sheep Farm // Windham, Maine

Lamb Pancetta with Tabouleh and Feta by Chef Christopher Gould of Central Provisions at North Star Sheep Farm// Windham, Maine — Lamb Pancetta with Tabouleh and Feta by Chef Christopher Gould of Central Provisions at North Star Sheep Farm// Windham, Maine

Pedja's absolutely perfect Bread // Boston, Massachusetts — Pedja's absolutely perfect Bread // Boston, Massachusetts

Oliver's Patterns //Boston, Massachusetts

Textures in Rhode Island at Wishing Stone Farm

Pure Sun Gold at Wishing Stone Farm in Rhode Island

Kittens on Kittens, Misha & I at Wishing Stone Farm in Rhode Island

Now after our Coast to Coast tour we head into South. I am enjoying recharging my energy at home though just for a short while. I have a jam packed calendar of events this month and am heading to Maine for my Taste of Land & Sea Event at Oxbow Brewery in Newcastle, Maine this Thursday. I then will be bopping around my home turf in Philadelphia. Its good to be home. Stay tuned for more recipes, photos and events!

Back Home in the Delaware River Valley//Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania