Petrichor & Pumpkins: Spring things

A (perhaps) unpopular opinion (at least among the Halloween crowd):

I LOVE Springtime. I'm not sad that Halloween is still months away.

I don't want it to be Halloween year-round. I don't wish it were Halloween 24/7.

For one thing: Too much of a good thing tends to ruin that thing. I need variety. Enjoying the changing seasons helps me to appreciate Autumn & Halloween all that much more when it does arrive.*

(*in late July**)

(**don't @ me; if you love Halloween too, you know what's up)

Anyway, there is so much to love about the other seasons, with their own special sights, smells, sensations, activities, traditions, memories. I love Spring, with all its wild blustery, blossoming energy.

Also, it's Sugar Season - the brief season during late Winter, on the threshold of Spring, with freezing nights and mild, sunny, thawing days, where the sap of Sugar Maple trees begins to run, trees are tapped, and maple syrup is made. This is a regional practice, mostly in the northeastern USA and parts of Canada -- or wherever Sugar Maple trees are plentiful and climate conditions permit.

The practice of tapping trees and reducing sap down to syrup is an ancient practice, invented by the First Nations people of North America.

During this time of year, one of my favorite customs is to visit a local sugar house to have a great breakfast & to buy a bunch of maple sugar stuff. Since I haven't been able to do that much since I moved to WA state, here's a bunch of pics & video from my archives.

(Photos are from various visits to both Gould's Sugar House in Shelburne Falls, MA and North Hadley Sugar Shack in Hadley, MA. All photos below by me)

Wearing some Sugar Season flair: An antique maple tap & a real sugar maple leaf pendant.

If you're in New England and it's sugar season: Find a sugar house that serves breakfast!

Sunny weekend mornings are the best time for this adventure. Chances are that when you arrive at your sugar shack of choice, it will be crowded and you'll have to wait a bit to be seated for breakfast/brunch. Not to worry though, you can check out their gift shop/general store, wander the grounds of the maple farm, and watch as maple sap is boiled down to maple syrup. You can pick out all sorts of locally made goods as well as maple syrup products.

Did you know it takes 40 gallons of Sugar Maple sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup? And, of course, later in the year Sugar Maples are one of autumn's most beautiful trees, with leaves that change to vibrant orange and red hues.

Every sugar house has some version of this sign. (Gould's Sugar House)

Gould's Sugar House

Some sugar houses boil down their sap over wood fires, which requires a massive amount of firewood for the season. (Gould's Sugar House)

Watching sap become maple syrup at Gould's Sugar House. The aroma is heavenly, a sweet hint of maple and wood smoke.

North Hadley Sugar Shack entrance

North Hadley Sugar Shack

Pure maple syrup candy from Gould's Sugar House

Fresh batches of maple syrup from Gould's Sugar House, some of the bottles are still warm.

Finally, when it's your turn for breakfast, you will be seated in a cozy, rustic dining area.

Gould's Sugar House

Enjoy the view of the countryside on this fine spring day.

Gould's Sugar House

North Hadley Sugar Shack

Whatever you decide to order, you can pour freshly made pure maple syrup all over everything. There's plenty of strong coffee to cut through all that sweetness, and in some cases, sour house-made pickles as a palate-cleanser.

Gould's Sugar House

North Hadley Sugar Shack

Gould's Sugar House

If "Sugar on Snow" is on the menu, give it a try. You will be served a small tray of cleaned, packed shaved ice and a small pitcher of hot maple syrup. You drizzle the syrup over the ice, where it firms up to a soft, chewy, sticky candy.

Gould's Sugar House

One of the best things about a sugar shack experience is getting out there to enjoy a beautiful spring day in the New England countryside. The blue skies, fresh air, and sunshine are so refreshing as winter is on the wane.