Sugaring Season

Perhaps you've seen them -- the metal buckets hanging off the sides of trees, little spouts stuck into the wood -- it's maple sugar season in Western MA. I've seen signs at garden & supply stores advertising sugaring supplies, and someday I hope to have a sugar maple of my own to tap. But for now, the best I can do is enjoy the sights and flavours of local maple sugaring.

The River radio station has a Sugarhouse Directory on their website. It pretty much focuses on sugar shacks around the Northampton area -- doesn't get into shacks around Belchertown, but if you're in the Northampton area or Amherst, take a look. If you're a little south and east, like in B'town, take a look at last year's post -- it's worth it for the links to the two local sugar shacks. There are still some good weeks left in the season -- enjoy!

From Our Most Recent Snow Storm

Leaves in Late Autumn

Photos taken Sunday afternoon after a long walk down Shay Street in Amherst.
View from the Grass photo taken by my wonderful husband.

The Red Red Oak

Autumn Visions

Western Massachusetts is truly in its glory in autumn.

Scene Around Town: 2

Hickories

The local shagbark hickory trees have been dropping nuts for a few weeks now. I thought I'd take this opportunity to identify the tree for you. I love their bark!

Foliage

This is definitely peak foliage weekend -- trees range from brilliant burgundy to fiery scarlet, fierce orange, and glowing yellow. The hillsides are ablaze and amazing to see.

I'm afraid I have not yet been able to capture the glories of nature on electronic film yet this season, but I highly recommend that if you have not yet made it into the countryside for a little leaf-peeping, you do so soon -- these beauties won't last forever and will soon be followed by bare trees and snow!

Colours

October in New England means glorious fall colours in the trees and bushes. I'm anticipating great things this season. Many leaves have already changed and fallen; there are roads that seem to glow golden because of the leaves that line the streets and fill the trees and blanket the yards.
Unfortunately, my little camera and I haven't yet been able to capture any truly stunning views -- it seems there is still plenty of green out and about, but even the small changes are beautiful.

Hamilton Orchards

It's autumn and time for peaches and apples -- and apparently, raspberries. I've never considered raspberries fall food before, but I was definitely mistaken. Yesterday morning and friend and I went to Hamilton Orchards in New Salem to pick raspberries. And my, were there raspberries! Rows of red and golden raspberries, buzzing with happy bees and being nibbled by japanese beetles. It was good picking -- we each picked four quarts in about 1.5 hours; not too bad for raspberries -- and you can freeze them, make jam out of them, put them on cereal, make pie -- so many good things can be done with raspberries!

The orchards also had apples ready -- macs and cortlands -- which you can buy by the 1/2 peck or peck, or you can pick your own. (There are a number of pick-your-own orchards and farms around -- I'll try to get a good post about those, soon.) The macouns come later. The orchard store carried apple cider ($3.50 for a 1/2 gallon, if I remember correctly), pies, cookies, chocolates, honey, apple dumplings, corn, and a variety of other candies, pastries, and such things.

The farm is also home to some goats, sheep, dogs, pigs, and a donkey (who kept braying, making quite a racket) -- part of their little petting zoo. The dogs and goats were quite friendly -- that I can attest to. (I'm always taken by an adorable goat face.)

Hamilton Orchards is just up 202, north of Belchertown by about 20-25 minutes. The view on the drive is spectacular, showing off the Quabbin, which sits below the road, surrounded by trees.

Happy picking!

Local Earthly Beauties

It seems as if every day is so full of new things to report on that I have hardly taken the opportunity to talk about the beautiful things I see every day. I went on a walk this afternoon, and took a few pics to share (sorry the formatting doesn't necessarily match the pic with the description)~

Queen Anne's Lace that was so prolific towards the end of August...

Fields of goldenrod that blaze in yellow...



Hills of ferns, sheltered in wooded areas...

My favourite sun-dappled tree-lined road, just down from the Transfer Station...



And a number of interesting birds and bugs that fill the air with colour and sound (the ladybugs weren't all I saw -- I saw also a pair of brilliant blue jays, some rather large dragonflies, singing crickets, and more).

Some may consider them common things, but to me, each is a joy.

(Click on the pics for bigger views.)