We have arrived at the tail end of January and Valentine’s day is square in our sights (less than 3 weeks to go) and a very sweet season will be starting.But we probably have quite a bit of cold to go through but as I said in my fall foliage forecast, NOAA says a warmer winter, spring and summer is on our horizon.

As you can see, even in the frigid winter, I’m keeping my eyes open for the fall colors… 🙂 While you might be looking below for my fall themed images but I’ll warn you now… This article is focused on what you might find after the snows are flying.

As we pass Valentine’s day we will be looking towards those days that are just warm enough to start the flow of sap into the Maple trees. If the temps get back down below freezing each evening and just above during the days, then we will be seeing the beginning of the sugaring season and…

New England Sugar Houses

At this time of the year, two of my favorite things are sugar houses and the by-product that comes from them.

It’s the approaching season when the days start to warm up and the mud is all over our cars that maple sugaring usually starts to happen.  The farm roads can be tough to manage but the upside is that depending on where in New England you are, the sap is starting to flow and we have sugar houses as subjects for our cameras.

The Vermont Maple Coop has info on their website for farms doing Agritourism and you can go to their Facebook page to see if there are any listings of sugar shacks you can go to. (Remember, if Covid is still going on, then this may be for future visits)

Also, remember one thing, those sugar houses are surrounded by maple trees, and while they may or may not look like much right now (January as I write this). In about 7 months, they can look like this… Ok I lied, I snuck in another autumn picture… so shoot me. 🙂

How to collect Maple Sap

This is not a real “how-to” but there are many ways to collect maple sap in your own backyard. Here is a YouTube video on how the Vermont Maple Guild does it.

OH! If you think you need some of those nifty aluminum buckets to collect your sap in, anything will work, as you can see below, my Father-in-Law used a mason jar. Also, you can see the DIY crowd sometimes uses 5-gallon hardware buckets to collect their maple sap. No matter what you use, it will work.

It’ll be a while before we see buds but we are watching the temperatures. When the daytime temps rise to about 40F and the nights drop back to below freezing then that signals the trees to start pushing the sap from the roots to the upper branches.

Scenic Farms and Barns in Winter

Most will say it’s just mud season and if the snow is not covering everything then it’s not very pretty. I will have to agree because if a farm is covered in a blanket of white, it is then postcard-worthy. It’s much harder to find a pleasing view when it’s all mud-covered.

To me, if you can use your creativity in what is termed “a very ugly season” then you should be able to create some memorable images. I also think that by practicing composition during winter, you should be able to find wonderful scenic images in the blandest of subjects.

When I have time, I like to get off the main roads and onto the back roads… (Sound familiar?) Head out to the farms where they are sugaring. How do you tell if someone is sugaring? Look for the big plumes of steam and you probably have a sugar house just down the road.

Sometimes just getting out is enough. It clears our heads and allows us to think and see objects, places, and scenes in new ways. The light is always changing and that means being aware of that fact will provide opportunities for creating images that are different.

Mud Season

Most of us (myself included) are staying close to home, avoiding crowds and with January’s cold temps, I’ve only been going out for firewood and to fill the bird feeders. But in the next month or so as the weather starts to warm a tad I’m sure we’ll all (safely) begin to head outside and record this Winter/spring. I will of course share my finds on my Facebook page (link below).

If you’d like to share your New England photos head to our Four Corners of New England Facebook group which includes all the other seasons, from the Four Corners of New England. Here you can share with all the members of the group what you find.

I hope you get out and enjoy this ever so sweet season that is full of possibilities…