COMMENTARY: Almanac Full Of Handy Information

Is there anything more comforting than the new edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac?

After all, it has changed little over the years. Same yellow cover. Same long-range weather forecast, which probably doesn’t stand a chance of being right.

A copy landed on my desk last week and it felt good. Maybe that dates me, but what the heck.

I lean toward the techie side — I have an iPhone, a computer, a Kindle Fire. I haven’t been able to swing an iPad or you can bet I would have one.

I tweet. I Facebook. I even Pinterest a little, although I am still trying to figure out the value of “pinning” pictures of things that interest me to a virtual board. If you want to waste time, that is one way to do it.

You can look at the almanac online. There’s even an app for it, but I still like the paper edition, probably because I am pretty sure the first one I ever saw belonged to my grandpa.

Grandpa Small was quite the farmer. Although he was a successful real estate agent, he always grew a huge garden and raised chickens and cows. I suspect some of his farming success came from following the Farmer’s Almanac.

The almanac goes way back before Grandpa, which is why I would bet he trusted it. Anything that can track its lineage to 1792 has got to have something going for it, right?

The first thing most people want to know about is the weather. Let me just say, I question whether forecasts for a year from now are very accurate. After all, the local guys miss the next day’s forecast as often as not. That said, the almanac people have been forecasting a long time, so why not go with them?

Sadly, there’s a big, old snowflake above us on the map for winter 2012-13. However, the regional forecast says “much colder and drier.” These words are not music to my ears. I don’t like cold, or snow, but we need moisture of some kind. The almanac then goes on to note that snowfall will be “near to above normal.”

Wait a minute. It is either drier or snowier, not both. Maybe they mean for the reader to focus on what they want and ignore the rest.

Summer is supposed to be cooler and drier than normal. Cooler we could use, but drier? Not so much.

If the info on crops is of more interest to you, there is the annual when-to-plant-based-on-the-phase-of-the-moon table. Brussels sprouts, anyone? Plant them Feb. 11-25 or March 11-20. How about muskmelons? Get those seeds in the ground March 15-27 for the best results.

Then there is advice about how to plant your garden. This is one I have heard for years: plant flowers and herbs with veggies to stave off pests. For example, according to the almanac, garlic deters Japanese beetles. This is the first time I’ve heard that but, if I can remember it, I am planting garlic all around my roses because I hate beetle traps.

Maybe you prefer cooking the harvest instead of actually harvesting crops. There is a feature story, “Baking with Ken,” that features some tasty-sounding recipes, including a sumptuous-looking glazed lemon coconut loaf.

There are even recipes for cat and dog treats. I don’t know, though. The cat treat calls for raw broccoli, string beans or carrots. I just don’t see my cats eating any of those, whether I add a pick of the optional catnip.

Perhaps my favorite thing in this year’s almanac is “56 Kitchen Tricks, Tips & Timesaving Ideas.” Leading off: “3 ways to Stop Beans From Causing Gas.” The suggestions include adding a carrot when slow cooking pinto beans. When half-cooked, rinse, remove the carrot and add a fresh one, then finish cooking. Or add a pinch of ginger — which should spice up the beans. And, finally, add a pinch of baking soda.

If any of those suggestions work, The Old Farmer’s Almanac will again prove to be a handy addition to everyday life.

Leeanna Walker is editor of the Rogers Morning News and the Springdale Morning News. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NWALeeanna.

Upcoming Events