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Editors' musings, reflections, and ideas

Orion Constellation

How to See Orion: The Hunter Constellation

Orion the Hunter is a constellation that can be seen by everyone on Earth, so find out how to find...
keep-light-power-outage

Power Outages: What to Do Before, During, and After an Outage

What should you do in case of a power outage? Here’s some advice on preparing for and enduring any ...
Mint Plants

Benefits of Mint Plants: Medicinal, Culinary, and More

What do you know about the mint family, Lamiaceae, the sixth- or seventh-largest of the flowering...
Frosty Maple Leaf

How to Predict a Frost

Here are tips to learn how to predict a frost, differentiate between a light frost and a hard...
Janus

Blog: How to Make New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions have a long history. The month of January was named for the two-faced Roman...
Halloween Hands Punch

Blog: Easy Halloween Dinner

Cook up a Halloween dinner for something fun! Here is an easy Halloween menu with three recipes for...
Woolly Bear

What a Woolly Worm Knows

It’s time again to shine the spotlight on a certain caterpillar—the woolly worm! According to...
Red-Tailed Hawk

Blog: Signs of Autumn

It’s my favorite time of year again. Autumn is in the air. What signs of the seasons do you observe...
Pickles!

In, then out, of a pickle

When an Almanac colleague and gardener greeted me one day with,”Good morning! I left a bag of...
Pickles in progress

The Easiest Pickles Ever

I thought it was about time I learned about canning and preserving after a coworker brought in her...
Woodland Garden

Blog: Gardening in the Woods

Gardening in the woods can be a challenge, especially when you love plants and flowers. But the...
Maple Syrup Sap Buckets

Maple Syrup: A Natural Wonder

Sap buckets hang on maple trees all around our small town of Dublin, New Hampshire. The buckets are...
Almanac Christmas Party

Blog: The Almanac Christmas Party

Every December, we cook up a storm for the annual Almanac Christmas party. Last year, a huge ice...
Northern Lights Tour in Alaska

What It's Like to See the Northern Lights

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to see the Northern Lights, I had the opportunity to spend...
Vines on support

Ornamental Edible Vegetables

Every January, the members of my community garden have a potluck supper, during which we thumb seed...
Are You Looking at Me?

Blog: Your Backyard Birds: What Birds Have You Seen?

At breakfast, I sit near my backyard window and listen to birds’ sweet songs in the morning light....
Cloud Shapes 5: What Do You See?

Cloud Shapes 5: What Do You See?

For the past four months, we’ve shown you photos of clouds that might remind you of a certain...
Cloud Shapes 4: What Do You See?

Cloud Shapes 4: What Do You See?

It’s amazing how invisible water vapor can condense into tiny water droplets or ice particles,...
Cloud Shape 3

Cloud Shapes 3: What Do You See?

Clouds are always changing shape. Occasionally, they’ll morph into a familiar form, such as an...
Afternoon clouds over the water

Cloud Shapes 2: What Do You See?

If you like to look for familiar shapes in clouds, you’ve come to the right spot. Every few weeks,...
Keeping Warm in Winter

Keeping Warm in Winter

Where I live, winter temperatures are often in the single digits. Whether your area is colder or...
Sleeping with Banana and Other Ways to Overwinter Tropicals

Sleeping with Bananas and Other Ways to Overwinter Tropicals

Yes, I sleep with bananas all winter long.  A ‘Super Dwarf Cavendish’ banana plant, that is.  It’s...
Travel Safe Monarchs

Travel Safe Monarchs

A week ago, I waved goodbye to the last Monarch butterflies that hatched in my garden on the...
Young Carrots

Germination

I find that getting seeds to germinate properly is the most difficult aspect of planting the garden...
Emerging Potatoes

Planting Patience

May is always a hectic month for me. Here, in the northeast, the gardening season is short and ...
Hang Out Your Laundry

Get Out and Hang Out (Your Laundry)

I don’t own a clothes dryer, which means using sturdy indoor and outdoor drying equipment. The year...
Rhubarb Crisp

Fresh Fruit Crisp: My Easy Last-Minute Dessert

I never plan ahead with my desserts unless it's a special occasion. So, the old-fashioned fruit...
Rethink What You Drink, Water

What's in Bottled Drinks?

What exactly is in bottled drinks? Many bottled drinks advertise that they are good for you, but...
Fruit or Vegetable?

Tomatoes: Fruit or Vegetable?

Last blog I asked you what edibles you would plant if you were limited to only three.  The response...
Logo Old Farmer's Almanac OFA

An Insider's Look at The Old Farmer's Almanac

Ever wondered what it might be like to work for The Old Farmer’s Almanac? I’m a college intern here...
Poor Man's Turtles

Poor Man's Turtles

Take me into a candy shop any day, anywhere, and I will walk out with a turtle every time. No...
Ann Clark Ltd. Cookie Cutters

Cookie Cutters – a Holiday Baking Essential

Baking and decorating cookies for family and friends (and, for Santa, of course) is a favorite...
Swarm of Honeybees

Ever Been Stung?

While getting stung by an insect is certainly no fun, at least one entomologist has found a way...
The Organic Hound

Reward Your dog with a Healthy Treat

Let’s be honest, if you’re a dog lover, it’s nearly impossible to say no to those sad eyes,...
Potato Harvesting

Unearthing Gifts from the Earth

Potato Harvesting Traditions on a Family Farm in Maine Cully Colantino, age 13, tells me that...
Wood Pile

Wood Warms You Twice (or maybe seven times)

According to an old saying wood warms you when you cut it and when you burn it. I don’t agree. I...
Handmade Apple Jack and Peel Soy Candle

Enlightened About Soy Candles

With the daylight hours waning and the nights getting cooler, my favorite season is approaching....
My Raised Vegetable Garden

How's Your Garden Growing (2011)?

How’s your garden growing this year? Please share below! I asked this question last year and...
Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Red Rules for Hummingbirds

I love to watch the hummingbirds at my feeders. I have one close to my deck and the other one is...
Mosquito Plant

Mosquito Repellent (Hopefully)

My son’s sandbox is near the patio. Our patio is also where the grill lives. Thus, during the...
Wondering About Watercress

Wondering About Watercress

The fun of gardening, to me, is trying to grow something different, as well as planting reliable...
Azaleas

Message Received

There was a time when I had hours to devote to my gardens. I fought the pesky bugs, creepy pests,...

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