The term “Indian Summer” is used when we experience a little revival of summer after it should have finished. The sky is usually cloudless but hazy or even smoky looking, especially toward the horizon. In England, this warming trend used to be called Little Summer of St. Luke if it happened in October, or St. Martin’s Summer if it happened in November. Today, we Americans just call it Indian Summer. although no one knows the exact reason for the name. There are stories about how early settlers mistook the haze of late new England autumn air for the campfires of Native Americans, the the name “Indian Summer”.

By my definition, Indian Summer is when there are 2 or more days with above normal temperatures after the first hard frost has been experienced. For some parts of the country that is in October and for others, November. But autumn brings about changes from the hot, humid thunderstorms of summer to cooler weather that comes down from northern Canada. It may not feel like it, but fall is at hand. So, check your thermometer and see if we have Indian Summer.

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by pgeiger
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Q. What are the best apples to make applesauce?

A. For extra tasty applesauce, try using apples that have been around for awhile (the ones that have become soft and not good for eating). Those aged apples are often more flavorful. Also, use more than one kind for a tastier sauce. The combination of sweet and tart makes the best sauce.

In 2001 the Farmers’ Almanac ran a Favorite Dessert Contest. The mission was to determine what was America’s favorite dessert. We narrowed it to 6 items and our readers determined that Apple Pie was the “All American Dessert”. The choices were between Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, Cheesecake and Apple Pie. We held a national convention at the Portland Public Market (Maine) and had speakers and accepted votes on our website for 6 months. No real surprise. Apple Pie was the hands down winner as the All American Dessert.

We then asked for the best apple pie recipes and published them in 2003 edition.

Recipes are something that go as far back in our almanac as the tides, moon and weather information. Over the years the types of recipes and ingredients have changed. From time to time I do get recipes including this one below from Opal in Suffield, Conn. I am not a pie baker but since this is apple picking season, I thought you might enjoy her local award winner:

Crust: Double 8″ pie crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup shortening (4 ounce weight)
1/4 cup butter,cold (1 ounce weight)
3/4 t. salt
2 Tblsp. white sugar
1/2 cup ice cold watr
——————————————————-
Filling:
8 cups (mixed VARIETY of apples), peeled, cored, and
sliced
2 Tblsp. brandy
1 Tblsp. amaretto
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tblsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
——————————————————-An
example of a variety of apples, red delicious,paula
reds, granny smith, galas, MacIntosh and I added green
apples, very sour and tart. Any or all in combination
to equal 8 cups. Always include a little of the sour green apples!
——————————————————-
Crust: Mix dry ingredients, cut in shortening and
butter with a pastry blender. Sprinkle with water and
mix until dough is moistened. If it is too dry, add
more ice water. Dough will be loose and crumbly.
Gather it into a ball, knead a few times, wrap and
chill for at least one hour.
——————————————————-
Filling: Place apples in large bowl, toss with brandy
and amaretto. Mix all other ingredients together then
mix with the apples. Roll out 1/2 of the dough, and
place in pie pan, leaving enough to overlap. Fill pie
shell with apple filling. Roll out second half of
dough and place on top. Brush with egg, seal edges
well and crimp sides together. Let set in
refrigerator 1/2 hour. Bake 400 degrees for 10
minutes. Remove pie and cut slits in top of pie.
Return to oven, bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.
——————————————————-

If you love recipes, check out our website and click on recipes and desserts for more favorite treats.

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by pgeiger
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One of the most popular Full Moons is at hand. At 3:45pm (Eastern) today the Full Harvest Moon appears. Two out of three years this moon occurs in September. The third year it can be found in October. It is no wonder that the moon got it’s name. The light from this Full Moon gives farmers an additional 50+ minutes to get the work done. A couple days ago, I mentioned that Southern Colo. was getting a hard freeze. This time of year, farmers need every last minute of light to pull in crops, particularly when there is cold weather coming.

To learn more, go to our website www.farmersalmanac.com. Click on Astronomy.

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by pgeiger
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Yesterday I mentioned the first frost in Colorado. But, why does frost occur at all? It happens when the temperature of the Earth’s surface falls below freezing. The freezing temperature ensures that water condenses on the surface and becomes ice.

There are several degrees of frost:

A light freeze is when temperatures are between 29 and 32 degrees (F). During a light freeze, tender plats may be killed, with little destruction to heartier vegetation.

A moderate freeze is when temps are between 25 and 28 degrees (F). During a moderate freeze, there can be wide destruction on most vegetation with heavy damage to fruit blossoms and semi-hardy plants.

A severe freeze is when the temps are 24 degrees (F) and colder (as was the case in Colorado) yesterday which causes heavy damage to most plants.

The trick to this in the early fall is that the temps, while they may drop, are usually at the low mark for an hour or so. And, the ground and plants can absorb and retain some warmth from the morning sun during the day. Water in pipes freeze when the temp remains at 24 (F) or colder for many hours and/ or days. If you live in New Orleans where the insulation in buildings is relatively nonexistent, folks will leave their taps dripping when they know the temp will drop below 32 degrees.

It may be warm and pleasant today but Fall and Winter temps are coming.

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by pgeiger
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It has been warm and pleasant in many parts of the US. But, there are always exceptions as we read below - a first heard freeze.
Q.”They” are predicting a weather freeze for the Southern section of Colorado (Alamosa Colorado). I need to know if I need to pull up my carrots and potatoes from the garden. They predict it is going to get down to 24 tonight. Can you answer this question? Loretta

A. What ever happened to Global Warming?? Yikes. Much depends upon how far in the ground the potatoes and carrots are. In Maine they are planted about 8 inches deep. It also depends on how long the temperature remains at 24 degrees. If it dips down just before dawn and the ground warms up with the sun, you are OK. But, if it is in the 24 degree range for a coupe hours, you’ll get freeze damage. My best advice is to pull what you can today….

Here is another sign of winter:

My mother lives in Redding, California. She has been telling me of the massive amounts of acorns that are falling this fall. She said there are so many that they are constantly falling on the roof and cars in the driveway. They make such loud noises that she said it would wake her up in the middle of the night. She said she hasn’t seen this many in a long time. Sue

Massive amounts of acorns is one of my favorite signs of winter. This is the third time that I have heard that they are quite abundant. With an early hard freeze in Southern Colorado and acorns raining down in Southern California, what is on the way??

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by pgeiger
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According to weather lore, coffee supposedly can foretell what type of weather is in store for you. There is a belief that if the bubbles of coffee collect in the center of your cup, you can expect fair weather. If they adhere to the cup, forming a ring, you should expect rain. If they separate without assuming any fixed pattern, changeable weather should be on its way.

In my role as Editor of the Farmers’ Almanac, I have come across a lot of folklore and interesting suggestions on ways to predict the weather! This one I must say is one of the more interesting ones, but it’s worth a try (especially as an experiment with kids).

Next time you pour yourself a cup of coffee, look for bubbles. Then write down what you see and watch the weather. Let me know if you find this weather predicting formula to be accurate or not.

This weekend marks the beginning of Fall. Autumn officially starts early Sunday morning. Fall is a beautiful time of the year to head outdoors. We are predicting some cool, wet conditions for this season, but there will be some nice days in between.

If predicting the weather is too difficult (or you don’t drink coffee) be sure to consult September and October’s weather forecast here online for free. This year was also have a great story on why leaves change color in the Almanac, and a video that explains this natural phenomenon.

To find out when the best times are around the country for leaf viewing, see our new map. Drop me a line and tell me how the colors are in your neck of the woods.

Happy Autumn.

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by pgeiger
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My Dad coined the phrase “A Bride’s Best Friend” referring to the esteemed place we hold in the hearts of brides (and grooms) looking forward to a glorious, sunshine wedding day. While thousands of brides use us to pick a date many, “wing it” and hope for the best. Weather being what it is, some couples have a weather war story to tell. So here is their opportunity.In the 2008 Farmers’ Almanac we are gathering all wedding woes in our Worst Wedding Weather Contest.

The background is that in all my years, I never attended a wedding when it rained. Once, I said it would be a perfect day, putting it in writing. When I got up that morning, it was raining buckets. As I left my house to make the 25 mile drive and face the gloom of friends, an amazing thing happened, the skies parted. I got to the Church and couldn’t take a photo of the sky to capture my good fortune. There were no clouds and the camera couldn’t focus on the perfectly blue sky. It remained clear until the entire reception ended and then it rained again that night.

Meanwhile, long time friends Tamara and Scott Gleeson had to select one of 2 dates for their beautiful ceremony off the coast of Maine. I assured them the day they picked would be just fine. It rained leading up to the day and it just kept pouring throughout the morning, the wedding and the reception. Yes, the one guest who guaranteed sunshine missed this one. It was horrible. Rain flooded the lawn, seeped into all parts of the tent. Tamara had water up to her knees and Scott was dutifully holding an umbrella to keep her veil dry. To make matters even wetter In the middle of the meal, a sprinkler hose which ran through the tent went off - yes, it was on a timer. So people got wet if they went outside and those near the hose were equally drenched. It was cold and it was miserable. I felt like an outcast. . We never claim to be 100% accurate… we are told more in the 80% range. So after dozens of sunny weddings, my good luck had run out

As bad a weather day it was for the Gleeson’s it was an event they will never forget. Weather can do that to an event. So, this year the editors, with your help, will find the couple who had the worst wedding weather. An article in the 2008 Farmers’ Almanac describes the contest but the rules and entry can be found on our website www.farmersalmanac.com. Today, I will be traveling to NYC and will, along with Tamara and Scott, appear on the Today Show on Wednesday, September 18th. If you are near a TV or set your recorder for the new 10am segment, we’ll be kicking off the Contest. Entries are being submitted until February 14th (Valentine Day). Special judges will narrow the list to no more than 10 couples and America gets to vote for the couple that experienced the worst wedding weather. We will be on Today at 10:32am for about 5 minutes describing this misadventure.

Prizes: 3rd place = Dinner for 2 at a favorite restaurant; 2nd place = $500 LL Bean gift Certificate; 1st place = Windjammer Barefoot Cruise/ 7 days in the “sunny tropics”.

If you are near a TV, I will be on the new 4th hour segment. Look forward to your feedback!

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by pgeiger
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I always enjoy my Sunday morning. It affords me an opportunity to read at least three Sunday newspapers. There are so many ways to get news hand delivered electronically, but the Sunday paper offer a breadth of information. I look carefully at the Sunday magazines including USA and Parade. They tend to carry current topics of interest. As editor of the Farmers’ Almanac, I not only think about our long range weather but, the topics that go into the book and will be of interest to our readers over an entire year. Since we go to press almost 6 months in advance, Sandi and I have to deliberate long and hard about the topics we include.

If I use Parade Magazine as an indicator of what is relevant, then we did well with the 2008 edition. For example:

Their cover story was called “Is Anything Private Anymore?”. The article talked about cameras and computers tracking your every move. We have a story titled Don’t let Someone Steal Your Good Names. Don’t use obvious passwords, don’t hand out personal info over the phone (ever), protect your SSN like it was gold, etc. Our story runs on pages 76- 78 and has a number of links to valuable websites.

Another Parade article is called 6 Ways to Lower Your Energy Bills. We had a story about this in the 2006 edition. This year we have one called Turn Up The Heat on Greenhouse Gases. We offer similar advise on what do to to save energy and pollute less. Better insulation, careful use of water, changing light bulbs, properly inflated tires, etc. Check it out on pages 48 - 54.

In the news tonight, there was a report about a stinky plant at a college (I think it was in Ohio). Sure enough, it was the Corpse Flower. Better known as the Amorphophallus titanium, it is a giant stinker. With only 20 documented blooms between 1939 and 2006, this is big stinky news.We discuss a variety of smelly flowers including the skunk cabbage, voodoo lily and stinky gourde among others. They may stink but it is entertaining to learn when and where you might find these flowers.

Sandi and I are always looking for stories of interest. If you have a suggestion, we’ll be planning the 2009 edition before long.

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by pgeiger
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Coke has Pepsi, Fed Ex has UPS and the Farmers’ Almanac has the Old Farmer’s Almanac. No matter what you do, someone else is doing it too. There is nothing wrong with a little “competition”. On August 27th, we released news about the 2008 Farmers’ Almanac. The first topic is always the winter weather. And, as you know we call for a cold weather with snow east of the Mississippi and milder in the west. We are also trying to capture the bride and groom who has the most miserable weather during their exchange of vows.

Today, The Old Farmer’s Almanac released their 2008 edition. They are calling for the hottest year in history. Yikes. Our Caleb Weatherbee has been doing our calculations for over 25 years and is only one of 7 to ever put together forecasts for our readers. We have a good track record. From my perspective I believe our almanac is the best (no surprise). We try to offer weather in a readable format, practical advise, accurate calendars, homespun humor and now a FATV Show that brings unique stories to a new dimension. And, we have a robust website that is interactive and answers many of your questions. ‘

I am pleased whenever I meet anyone who enjoys almanacs. Both OFA and us have survived the test of time. People who enjoy almanacs also tend to be conscious of the outdoors and true to the values that have been part of our book from the start. When you are in a store looking for reading material be sure you get the almanac you enjoy most. They have a yellow cover and the Farmers’ Almanac has a pumpkin orange and green cover.

Father-time will tell which almanac did the better job of interpreting Mother nature’s weather in 2008.

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by pgeiger
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Here is an interesting question/ observation from a almanac reader.old farmers almanac lists sunrise time for sept.8,2007 @ 6:17am & your publication lists sunrise for the same day for northern states

@ 6:31. Who is correct? My location is Rochester,NY. Thanks for your help,

The short answer is that we are both right. The Farmers’ Almanac and our competitors carry valuable information about the rise and setting of the sun and moon. We list this on our calendar pages for each month. Because the exact times vary depending on the latitude and longitude of your community, we have to put a stake in the ground and pick a location for the sake of the calendar. In our case the Northern times coincide with upstate New York. So if you are looking for a sunrise and you live in Rochester, NY, you have to make an adjustment. In this case 10 minutes. The actual sunrise time in Rochester NY for September 8, 2007 was 6:41am. If you live elsewhere the adjustment is more or less. It is a math “problem”. We have a page that explains how to come up with the number. But, once you have adjusted for your town, then you add or subtract to get the time any time you use the almanac.

Don’t like math? Want to make it easier? Any time you need this info, go to our website and click on astronomy. There is a sunrise/ set line. Click it and enter you town and desired date and you can get sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset times to the minute for any day in the past or future. There are lots of hidden gems on our website.

So who cares about the times for a sunrise or set? Around Easter, many Churches plan sunrise services. Hunters need it to determine the exact time for sunset so they aren’t caught hunting after dark. But, the #1 request for sunset times comes from brides who plan nuptials around the moment the sun is setting to their backs. Our website has that time for any date going forward. Try it…. works well.

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by pgeiger
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