Growing up in Weston, Connecticut, I remember well a little pamphlet that hung over the shelf in the garden shed. It had a string through a hole in the upper left-hand corner that was attached to a nail. The pamphlet was well-worn and covered with my father’s dirty fingerprints as he often consulted it. A new one replaced the old one every year. The cover always had a cameo of Benjamin Franklin, its first publisher.
The title: The Old Farmer’s Almanac and my father swore by it. As did several million other Americans, who wanted to be guided in the ways of gardening, know what to expect weather-wise for the year and find out about new seeds or ways to get better harvests of existing crops. If you were a sailor, like my father, he would also consult the Almanac for the tides in Westport, where our boat was moored.
My father also read the Almanac for pure pleasure. There were short stories, interesting aphorisms, jokes, and even amusing cartoons. I remember my father hooting from the garage soon after the pamphlet arrived in the mail. I might have been seven. When I asked him what was so funny, he showed me a cartoon. I didn't get it as he tried his best to explain it. But as he knew well, being a professional cartoonist, as well as a gardener and sailor, if you have to explain a joke, it's not funny.
The Old Farmer's Almanac is the contemporary version of Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack first published by Franklin on December 28th, 1732. Franklin would go on to publish the Almanack for 25 years, selling as many as 10,000 yearly copies, bringing in a tidy sum while enriching his reputation and popularity as well. When Franklin’s brother, James, died, Ben sent his widow 500 copies for free so that she could make enough money to support herself.
Some Serials Ran from Year to Year
My father was a huge fan of Ben Franklin. He told me about Franklin's many inventions and accomplishments besides the Franklin stove and adding his signature to The Declaration of Independence. Franklin was an outstanding diplomat and philosopher – a man of myriad talents and accomplishments with a wicked sense of humor. My father especially liked that a Jones grandfather was fisherman on Nantucket about the same time as Franklin was flying his kite and discovering electricity.
The Almanak contained stories in serial format so that readers would purchase it year after year to find out what happened to the protagonists. An astute businessman, Franklin had discovered a simple way to keep his readership, without the help of ads. The cartoons (some satirical) were also part of the pamphlet’s appeal.
Historical as well as personal stories are still a big part of The Almanac's appeal. One from the 2014 issue is a doozy if true: In 1942, A German spy was caught by the FBI after being put ashore by a U-boat on Long Island. A copy of The Almanac was found in the soldier’s pocket. It was surmised by our intelligence service that the Germans were using The Almanac for weather forecasts, which meant that the U.S. was unwittingly supplying the enemy with valuable information!
Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanak became The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 1792, during George Washington’s first term as President. It too was an immediate success and by its second year of circulation, subscriptions had tripled. The sixpence price remained the same for decades so that everyone could afford it. The 2024 issue is $8.95. It has 288 pages and lots of ads. Yankee Publishing, the present owners, says The Almanac is profitable.
Recipe Challenges and the Dangers of Pizza
I've carried on my father's fascination with the quirky pamphlet. As soon as it arrives, I turn immediately to the food pages, which now offer recipes from faithful readers, who are awarded if their recipes are accepted. I keep trying. 2020’s $300 first prize was for Buffalo Eggs, answering the challenge of combining two classic appetizers into one phenomenal bite. The 2021 challenge? A family favorite using only four or five ingredients, excluding salt and pepper. The winner was Apricot Sriracha-Glazed Baby Back Ribs from a reader from Wrentham, Massachusetts. She used Cajun spice blend, sriracha sauce and soy sauce for seasonings. For 2022 the winner had to use bananas in a unique way. The winner in 2023 was Rosemary Chicken with Spinach.
The Almanac welcomes readers’ anecdotes and pleasantries. H.O. Shelby, from North Carolina, wrote that, “according to the Consumer Safety Commission, pizza-related injuries are now up to around 4,000 a year and range from pizza-cutter wounds and roof-of-the-mouth fork stabbings, to delivery people tripping on stairs and a young woman overly zealously swallowing her tongue ring amidst the mushrooms.”
Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Many readers turn first to the weather forecasting pages. The Old Farmer’s Almanac claims its forecasting is 80% accurate. With the 2019 issue The Almanac got caught up in a snowstorm kerfuffle with its rival, The Farmers’ Almanac. Franklin’s projected a cold and snowy winter for the Northeast, while its rival, which also claims 80.5% accuracy, said winter would be mild. Both claim they use secret formulas to determine the weather. The 2022 Almanac apologized for missing the 2021 forecast by 5%.
The Almanac has gone digital and there are hardcover and Kindle and Kid versions. The little hole punched into the top left corner is still there in the paper edition. My father would opt for that one, being a hands-on kind of guy.
The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts snowfall above normal across most snow-prone areas (except for the Pacific Northwest). In other words, Santa Barbara probably won't see any snow.
Time now to sit back and enjoy Barry DeVorzon’s timeless “It’s Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara” (“And there is not a chance that it will snow”).
Merry Christmas everyone!
Loved it, as usual!