[1][2] It shows the artist's impression of maple sugaring traditions, with a cauldron of sap boiling on an open fire in the middle.

On the left a woman pours the maple wax into fresh snow for children who are watching.

On the right buckets of sap are poured into a large barrel for the next load to boil, while behind that a man with an ox-sled pulls logs presumably to feed the fire.

[3] In 1946, this painting was the first of forty selected for her to tell her story in her own words in the book Grandma Moses American Primitive: "In the maple orchards long ago, after the maple sap had been evaporated till it would spin a hair, then a call was sent out to all the young people to come to the waxin', they would pour the thick syrup on dishes of snow for each to eat, they would eat their fill and go home to dream sweet dreams,..."[4] The next year in 1947, this painting was also selected to become a Christmas card that later became a bestseller for Hallmark Cards.

[5] The card was a folded rectangle with the painting on the front, and on the back in small lettering, the text "This reproduction of "Sugaring Off" is from an original painting by Grandma Moses, New England farm wife, who began painting at the age of 76 and is recognized as one of the country's outstanding contemporary artists.