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Editors' musings, reflections, and ideas

Orion Constellation

How to See Orion: The Hunter Constellation

In December, many people start to notice Orion the Hunter in the night sky.  It’s one of the most...
Pumpkin Chunkin'

Blog: What Is Pumpkin Chunkin?

This autumn, I drove past an unusual site in rural New Hampshire: a giant contraption towering...
Woolly Bear Caterpillar by SillyPuttyEnemies

What a Woolly Worm Knows

It’s time again to shine the spotlight on a certain caterpillar—the woolly worm! According to...
Storm

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

What should you do in case of a power outage? Having survived many power outages, here are some of...
Red-Tailed Hawk

Blog: Signs of Autumn

It’s my favorite time of year again. Autumn is in the air. Anyone who’s sweated their way through a...
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...
Clothesline

10 Great Reasons to Line Dry Your Laundry

Why would people line dry their laundry when dryers have been invented?  I’ll give you ten great...
Hummingbird at Feeder

Do Hummingbirds See Red?

I love to watch the hummingbirds at my bird feeders. A friend told me hummingbirds are more...
Spring peeper HGW frogs

5 Signs of Spring: Birds, Peepers, and Tree Buds

What are the first signs of spring? For most of us, spring brings us many of our favorite things:...
Wool Socks

How to Keep Warm in Winter

Cold much? Where I live, winter temperatures are often in the single digits. No matter where you...
Halloween Hands Punch

Easy Halloween Dinner Recipe Ideas

Cook up a Halloween dinner for something fun! Here is an easy Halloween menu with three recipes for...
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. Here are photos of the...
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,...
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 ...
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...
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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