10+ Awesome Activities To Do For A Productive Winter In Stardew Valley

Looking for things to do during the slow Winter season in Stardew Valley? I was, too, until I played around and came up with over a dozen activities that will turn the slow Winter into a productive powerhouse season. Read ahead for my awesome Stardew Valley Winter tips.

In a nutshell, I recommend gathering resources, building relationships with the townsfolk, leveling up skills, and preparing for the Spring and the following year during the cold, Winter season.

I am here to help you make the most out of your snowy days with over a dozen tips I have used myself during my extensive Stardew Valley playthrough.

Activities that Will Make Your Stardew Valley Winter Seasons Super Productive:

Collect Hardwood In Secret Forest (Daily)
Fish for Winter Seasonal Fish
Just fish in general to increase Fishing Skill
Forage for winter crops
Make Winter Seeds (If you have the crafting recipe available)
Reorganize your farm in preparation for the Spring
Make Crab Pots to passively collect fish and recyclables
Create Recycling Bins
Take the time to go to the mines
Focus on acquiring ore of all types
Pay attention to Winter Birthdays and Special events
Visit the Night Market and buy seeds
Keep 1,000 gold to use for the Submarine during the Night Market
Befriend Linus so you can get his recipe

Let’s jump in and I’ll explain each activity to you.

1) Collect Hardwood in Secret Forest (Daily)

We will all need precious Hardwood in Stardew Valley sometime or another so why not acquire as much of this sought-out material as you can during the slowest time of the season?

Doing so is super easy as long as you have upgraded your Axe to a Steel Axe.

If you haven’t upgraded your axe by now, head to the mines and gather enough coal, copper ores, and silver ores to upgrade your Axe.

What You Will Need to Upgrade to a Steel Axe:

Enough Copper ores to turn into 5 Copper Bars
Enough Iron Ore to turn into 5 Iron Bars
A Furnace to transform your Copper and Iron Ores into Copper and Iron Bars
Enough coal for the furnace in order to make the 10 total Bars

The Axe must first be upgraded to a Copper Axe before it can be upgraded to an Iron Axe. The blacksmith also requires Gold to complete the work for each upgrade.

The Furnace requires 25 stone and 20 copper ores to craft.

Once you have the Steel Axe, head south of your farm to the sprawling forest area known as Cindersap Forest and then to the north west.
You will come across a large log that can only be cleared by using a Steel Axe.
Clear the stump with a few whacks of your axe and enter the Secret Forest by walking to the west and off-screen.
Six tree stumps will be littered throughout the Secret Forest and each provides 2 pieces of Hardwood once chopped.
You will find one stump by itself when you enter the screen and three more farther into the woods to the west. Head through the secret passage in the trees directly south of the three tree stumps to find the remaining two tree stumps for your chopping pleasure.
These tree trumps grow back each day, allowing you to gather 12 Hardwood daily.

Visit the Secret Woods on a daily basis throughout the Winter season to obtain over 280 Hardwood and thank yourself later.

2) Fish for Winter Seasonal Fish

Spend the time and catch Winter exclusive fish so you won’t have to wait an entire year to complete your collection and Community Center requirements.

Fish found only during the Winter include

the Perch
Squid
Lingcod
and Glacierfish.

A few others can be found exclusively during the Winter’s Night Market event that lasts for three straight days.

Winter Fish Locations:

Perch can be found in the River, Mountain, and Lake at anytime of the day.
Lingcod can be found in the River, Forest Pond, Mountain, and Lake at anytime of the day.
Glacierfish can be found to the south of Cindersap Forest’s Arrowhead Island in deep water but only if you have reached level 7 Fishing or higher.

Catch these winter fish and you will have a complete Winter season under your belt in no time.

3) Just fish in general to increase Fishing Skill

It is important to increase your fishing skill level. The downtime during the Winter is a perfect time to do so.

Oh. Did I mention the Glacierfish requires level 7 fishing skill or higher to catch? Well, then, you better get to it.

Go to any body of water that fish live in (pretty much most bodies of water outside of your farm such as the beach, lakes, and rivers), equip your fishing rod, and get to work.

Spend a few days getting used to the game’s fishing mechanics and catch as many fish as you can.

Doing so will give you the experience you need to increase your fishing level slowly but surely.

4) Forage for winter items

Winter exclusive items also exist in the wild around town and the pathways that lead from your farm to the various locations within Stardew Valley.

Spot a blue or purple flower lying on the road?

Dig up a white and blue vegetable or orange seed like thing?

All of these items are foraging items that are found exclusively during the Winter.

The Four Main Winter Foraging Items:

Winter Root. Can be found underground by using your hoe on soil or soil worms.
Crystal Fruit. Can be found lying on the ground on pathways around your farm.
Snow Yam. Can be found underground by using your hoe on soil or soil worms.
Can be found lying on the ground on pathways around your farm.

These items can be used to heal your health and energy whenever you need to, sold to gain a bit of extra cash during the Winter season, and used for a variety of activities such as being submitted to the Community Center to complete the Winter Foraging Bundle.

Make sure you grab these whenever you see them because a little goes a long way.

Extra note: You can also find Holly lying around.

Holly is only good as gifts for select townsfolk and to sell to make money. Do not eat Holly! You’ve been warned.

5) Make Winter Seeds (If you have the crafting recipe available)

Once you reach level 7 foraging, you will have access to the Winter Seeds Recipe.

This will allow you to combine 1 of each of the four Winter foraging items (winter root, crystal fruit, snow yam and a crocus) into 10 Winter Seeds.

Each of the 10 seeds has a chance of sprouting a random Winter foraging item if properly watered on a daily basis.

Winter Seeds Growing Time:

7 Days

Outside of the Greenhouse, this is the only primary way to grow crops during the Winter.

Craft a few sets of Winter Seeds and plant them to get a boost of income during the cold season.

Remember to keep making additional bags of Winter Seeds before selling all of the crops in order to continue the grow-sell cycle all Winter long.

6) Reorganize your farm in preparation for the Spring

If you are anything like me, you might have not been the most organized farmer during your first year on the farm.

My sprinkler systems, scarecrows, silos, chests, and more–you name it–were all out of sorts and placed in inefficient locations across my farm.

Bummer. But, I did not fret and I suggest you do what I did during Winter.

I used my spare time to relocate structures and buildings on my farm to new locations that created a more efficient work flow focused on saving time and getting from one task to another without obstacles.

This meant rearranging items inside my chest, heading to Robin to reposition buildings I had already built on my farm during the year, and creating new fences to separate my farm into segments.

The end result was worth it.

By the end of Winter, my farm became highly efficient as I utilized the space to its fullest.

I recommend you place most of your outdoor structures (such as furnaces, bee hives, chests, and recycling machines) all near each other for maximum time-saving synergy.

7) Make Crab Pots to passively collect fish and recyclables

You want to know how to maximize your Winter days even more?

Craft or buy Crab Pots and place them in bodies of water to obtain items on a passive basis (this means without having to do any extra work).

How to Obtain a Crab Pot:

Buy one from Willy at the fish shop on the beach south of town after reaching Fishing Level 3.
Craft one by using 40 Wood pieces and 3 Iron Bars after reaching Fishing Level 3.

How Do Crab Pots work?

You simply place the Crab Pot in water, add bait to it, and let it sit until the next day.

When you check on it a day later, the Crab Pot will have an item inside of it that you can take and do as you please with it. You will often find fish and trash.

Fish can be consumed, sold, and used in recipes (which I highly recommend), while trash can be recycled into various items that can either be used or sold.

By the end of the first Winter, I had over a dozen Crab Pots working for me each night by placing them in the small pond on my farm.

I accrued dozens of fish and dozens of trash of which I turned into treasure with little effort. This is by far my favorite tip for you to help make your Winters in Stardew Valley way more productive than it was before.

8) Create Recycling Bins

In order to get the most out of the trash you found in your Crab Pots you crafted, you must also craft Recycling Bins to turn your trash into useful items.

How To Craft A Recycling Bin:

Craft this item by reaching Fishing Level 4 and by using 25 Wood pieces, 25 Stones, and 1 Iron Bar.

Place your bin anywhere you like–closer to your Crab Pots would be ideal for faster and better access–and then start tossing trash into it.

A single Recycling Bin can take one piece of trash at a time. It will turn the garbage into a worthwhile item after (approximately) an in-game hour passes.

You will obtain a variety of items and materials once the recycling process is complete including Stone, Coal, Iron Ore, Wood, Cloth, Torch, and even Refined Quartz.

Make use of the trash you find during the Winter to obtain a bunch of materials you would have otherwise tossed away.

9) Take the time to go to the mines

Fishing and recycling not up your alley?

Well, then, do I have something more action oriented for you to focus on during the Winter season.

Visit the mines and dig as deep as you can.

Where are the Mines?

The mines are located in the mountains northeast of your farm. Head east of Linus’ tent to find the mine’s entrance.

Once you have located and entered the mines, head down the ladder into the circular hole to enter the first floor of the mines.

You will find

monsters to battle
stones and ores to collect
items to equip
and much more on your underground adventures.

One of your main quests in Stardew Valley is to get to the bottom of the mines, so you might as well start delving deep into the caverns below the earth during the slowest season of the year.

You will obtain numerous materials that will help you with upgrading your tools and crafting purposes. Also, as a bonus incentive for you to head to the mines, you will also obtain a rare item that will permanently boost your total energy levels near the very bottom.

So, start mining today on the very first snowy day.

10) Focus on acquiring ores of all types

Okay, okay. I know you want to rush to the bottom of the mines in order to get that energy boosting item, don’t you?

But, I implore you not to skip on acquiring precious ore along the way.

Copper, silver, and gold ore are used for a variety of purposes from upgrading your tools to many different crafting recipes.

In fact, many of these tips I’m imparting onto you require you to have ore of some kind from needing a Steel Axe to enter the Secret Forest to making Recycling Machines, Furnaces, and Crab Pots.

You will need as much ore as you can get to make the most out of your Winter season.

Grab your pickaxe and break as much stone as you can as you head deeper down the mines.

11) Pay attention to Winter Birthdays and Special events

You will also want to stay above ground and celebrate numerous birthdays and attend various special events throughout Winter.

At the start of the season, head to the calendar located in the middle of town next to Pierre’s shop.

I suggest taking a picture of it with your phone or a camera, or take a screenshot with the Nintendo Switch’s screenshot button.

You can also buy the calendar at the Carpenter’s Shop for 2,000 gold and hang it in your house. With the calendar, you will always be prepared for any birthdays or special events during the season.

Giving people gifts on their birthdays will boost their affection towards you and visiting Winter special events, such as the Night Market, will let you explore more of the world Stardew Valley offers.

Take a little time in-between mining and leveling up your fishing to socialize and celebrate your neighbor’s birthdays and you will be much happier for it.

12) Visit the Night Market and buy seeds

The Night Market is the standout special event during the Winter season that you won’t want to miss.

The Night Market is held every night for 3 consecutive days during Winter on the beach south of town.

Get there as soon as you can because there is a lot of time-sucking activities available for your pleasure.

You will find a variety of shops that sell decorative and non-decorative goods. Matter of fact, I purchased thousands of gold worth of Spring seeds from a shop at the Night Market in preparation of the upcoming season.

You will also find a Mermaid dance show that can take up hours of your time as well as a submarine that will lead you to Winter exclusive fish.

Oh. And free coffee. Tons of free coffee.

13) Keep 1,000 gold to use the Submarine during the Night Market

Speaking of the Night Market, make sure to save 1,000 gold for the Submarine trip.

What is the Submarine all about?

The Submarine lowers to the bottom of the ocean floor and takes awhile to do so. Once settled, the captain opens up a large fishing area, giving you fishing access to ocean floor waters you normally would not have access to.

Yup. The Submarine trip to the bottom of the ocean floor requires a stack of gold to attend, but the price is worth it.

You will find Winter and Submarine exclusive fish for your fishing pleasure at the bottom of the ocean including the Midnight Squid, the Spook Fish, and the Blobfish.

All three of these rare fish sell for big bucks so it pays if you can catch a lot.

Experience the Submarine on one or all three nights until your heart is content from fishing for exotic, Winter exclusive fish.

14) Befriend Linus so you can get his recipe

So you caught a ton of fish from the Night Market, through leveling up your fishing skill, and by using your many Crab Pots.

What if I told you that you can turn any fish you want into a restorative item? This is true but you have to do a little work first.

You must first gain the affection of Linus, the homeless man who lives in a tent north of town in the mountains. Luckily, his birthday is in early Winter so you can gain affection points by gifting him on his birthday.

Begin the Winter by giving Linus multiple gifts a week until you raise your affection rating with Linus to 3 hearts.
Once you do, Linus will send you a recipe to make “Sashimi” in the mail the following day.

Sashimi allows you to turn any singular fish into a cooked dish that restores 75 Energy and 33 Health in a pinch. It will also sell for 75 gold, increasing the profit earned versus selling many smaller fish as is. And as a final bonus for Sashimi, they are inexpensive gifts to give as most townsfolk simply adore receiving it.

I used my Crab Pots to catch low quality fish and then I turned them all into worthwhile Sashimi during the Winter.

No joke, I started my first Winter with a handful of Sashimi and ended the season with nearly 200 of the delectable dish (not counting the dozens I gifted to townsfolk each week). Crazy!

Listen to my words, little farmer, and accrue as many Sashimi as you can during the Winter season. You will have a stockpile of gifts to give and restorative items to use while tending to the mines and your farm for seasons to come.

Just remember: you will need to upgrade your house and add a kitchen if you want to make the Sashimi. The price of the upgrade is definitely worth it.

►Conclusion

By following my tried and true tips, you will be able to turn your Winter season in Stardew Valley into one of your most productive season of the entire game.

I know I definitely did and I believe you can reach the same productivity levels if you make the most out of your winter days.

Until next time, friends.

By Wally

(Screenshots taken by me. Images sourced from product pages on the Nintendo website. Logos, characters, and images are owned by their respective owners)