An Entertaining (If Not Educational) Read—

The Farmer’s Almanac Is Back!

By Shannon Hicks

The cover of this year’s Old Farmer’s Almanac promises “another wild year ahead.” Its 2006-07 Winter Weather Map predicts a cold, snowy winter for most of New England, with the upper two-thirds of Maine settling for just a mild, snowy winter. Colder than normal temperatures will dominate the winter from Boston to Washington, D.C., according to the book’s regional forecasts, and heavier than normal snowfalls will occur in the Upper Midwest, the Heartland, and the Rockies.

The summer 2007 map, meanwhile, is calling for a mild, dry season for the majority of the region. The upper tips of Vermont and New Hampshire are the only states that might start planning for a mild but wet summer. Abnormally hot days are ahead, however, from the Western states into the Rockies and across the Southern states.

If you’re a fan of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, it’s time to pick up the 2007 edition and plan vacations around predicted weather patterns as well as planting cycles for everything from sunflowers and squash to apples and zucchini. Weather predictions for 16 regions of the country are once again offered, and the Almanac’s editors still claim an 80 percent accuracy rate.

Solid advice and timeless entertainment are also promised by the editors of The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Released on September 12, the 2007 edition marks the 215th anniversary of Robert C. Thomas’s first annual year-at-a-glance weather predictor.

These days, of course, the Almanac is about more than the weather, holidays and observances, and moon phases — among the things we can count on in this familiar paperback with its familiar (predominantly) yellow cover and punch-hole in the upper left corner. Two things to glean from the new edition: paying down debt is In; consuming overprocessed food is Out. Sage is about to become the new black; high-maintenance goods — think ornate Victorian and Asian black lacquer furniture — are going to be put on the shelf because most people don’t have time to take care of them.

This year’s release also offers stories about collectibles to keep an eye on (plastic dolls, vintage kitchen gloves and signatures of American historical figures), tips on whistling a winning tune (“just put your lips together…”) and even carving tips to create some enviable jack-o-lanterns.

The big addition to the Almanac this year isn’t even something that can be found in print. In tipping its hat to combining its old elements with new technology, audio versions of the Farmer’s Calendar are now available for podcasts. The first installment debuted the month. Each month’s essay is read by the calendar’s author, Castle Freeman, Jr, who has provided 25 years’ worth of natural observations for the print version of the Almanac.

Who Reads It? Farmers?

In Newtown, a cursory survey showed that more people purchase the old-fashioned book (or read copies owned by others) more for the entertainment value of than for its planting, astronomical, or tides tables. It seems it would take a lot of hiking into the town’s barns to find one with the 2007 Old Farmer’s Almanac hanging from a nail, a piece of string run through its punch-hole. Even Steve Paproski, who runs Castle Hill Farm with his family (complete with the most visible crops of corn in town), says he can’t even think of the last time he purchased one of the almanacs.

Shirley Ferris, who co-owns Ferris Acres with husband Charlie, says she doesn’t know of anyone who follows the planting advice offered these days by the Almanac.

“I don’t know a single soul alive who still does that,” Mrs Ferris said with a laugh. “I know people who have passed on who used to swear by it, but not any longer.

“They used to follow it religiously,” she continued. “You do this by the moon, and that according to the tides. Me, I plant things when it feels ready, and it just works out fine.

Maureen McLachlan says she still checks for what the moon is going to do.

“I only use it insofar as the full moon,” said Ms McLachlan, a certified master gardener. “I always know that if you have a full moon, you’re going to have a cold frost, and that’s sort of plant related. When there’s a full moon you’ll find the weather is going to cool down, and that affects your work.”

Ms McLachlan admits she doesn’t go out of her way to purchase the Almanac, however. Like Mrs Ferris, Ms McLachlan couldn’t think of anyone who still uses the book for planning their gardens.

“I would think people who plant crops would certainly benefit from the book more than those of us who plant flowers,” she said.

Lexington Gardens usually sells the Almanac, but its owner doesn’t expect his customers to purchase it with their planting planning needs in mind.

“There certainly used to be more discussion among our customers regarding The Farmer’s Almanac, but of late we hear less and less about it,” said Tom Johnson, who owns the Church Hill Road nursery and specialty boutique. “Newtown is no longer a farming community, unfortunately. People farm in flowerpots.  Farming wears a different hat now.

“We do a lot of growing, and I do follow the cycles of the moon and specific time patterns of the month to do certain things in reference to planting,” he continued. “I think that’s true of a lot of the old-timers — they planted more by the calendar and the phases of the moon than by anything else.”

Frank Hufner still grows and sells a lot of small vegetables, hay, and corn. The Brushy Hill Road resident occasionally purchases The Old Farmer’s Almanac and enjoys reading it, but he doesn’t rely on its long-range weather forecasts.

“I enjoy reading it, but any agricultural person needs more professional guidance,” said Mr Hufner said. “I don’t see how you can beat Doppler. It’s accurate, and long range. I depend on Doppler.

“They put a lot of effort into [the Almanac], I know, but it isn’t accurate enough to truly plan by,” he continued. “It’s fun to read, and that’s how I approach it. I do a lot of reading just for pleasure.”

Betty Lou Osborne was the one person contacted by The Bee this week who raved about the book and still loves referring to it for the weather.

“I get the Almanac every year. I love to read it,” said Mrs Osborne, whose family has owned Apple Berry Farm in Sandy Hook for years. “We always check the weather; it’s pretty accurate. We feel a year without The Almanac is scary. It’s like heading into the great unknown.”

Mrs Osborne not only enjoys reading and referring to the manual, she said she always picks up extra copies to give to others.

“It’s fun, and homey,” she said. “It always has a lot of good information in it.”

The “usefulness” of the Almanac may have diminished in Newtown, but it is still enjoyed by many. Yankee Publishing prints more than four million copies of the book, so someone is buying it on a regular basis.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been published continuously since 1792, even making it through an episode that involved a German spy and the federal government during World War II that nearly stopped publication. Even with its updates and entertainment features, the book remains a favorite source for farming tips, recipes, home remedies, weather predictions and folk wisdom. Priced at $5.99 (for the paperback version; a hardcover edition is also available, $15.95; Yankee Publishing, Dublin, NH; ISSN 0078-4516), this is a book that can offer something new every day for an entire year. Now that’s entertainment.