Growing Home Ep. 5 - 2019 Farmers Almanac Preview with Peter Geiger

Will it be a White Christmas? What is the best day to go fishing? When should we harvest?

Since 1818 the Farmers’ Almanac has been our guide to good living. In this episode we chat with Peter Geiger, the 40 year and second generation Editor of the Farmers’ Almanac. Peter shares with us the Almanac’s history and the development of life hacks and predictions.

Hosts Len & Terry

Growing Home Episode 5
2019 Farmers’ Almanac Preview
With Peter Geiger

1. What exactly is the Almanac?
   • Guide to Good Living
   • Empowers people to do things they’ve never tried before
   • Never political
   • Practical advice for manners and skills
   • Weather is only 16 pages out 200
2. Why call it the Farmers' Almanac?
   • Tradition of almanacs for specific purposes
   • Farming was a common trade when the Almanac was founded
   • We associate farming with the earth and good
   • People want food that’s healthy and not tainted
   • Most popular content on website is for fishing and hunting
3. How are the “Best Days” for doing a task determined?
   • Based on lunar cycle and signs of the zodiac, among other things
   • Moon has impact on mood
   • Relevant to a variety of activities, from farming to party planning
4. How are the weather predictions done?
   • Almanac predicts weather up to two years in advance
   • The first editor of the Almanac was a Mathematician and Astronomer
   • Formula based on sunspot activity, planetary position, the moon, and other factors
   • Predicted the snow for Super Bowl XLVIII the August before
5. How do you find some of the more random information?
   • Good staff and people also like to send things in for the Almanac
     • If you wash your windows horizontal on one side and vertical the other, you can easily see where you missed a spot
     • Use fresh coffee grounds as an environmentally friendly way to de-ice after shoveling
     • Crack an egg on a flat surface, then open, to avoid getting shells in your egg
6. Why is there a hole punch in the top left corner of the Almanac?
   • People used to hang them up with the bibles
   • Put the Almanac where it’ll be read, not on a bookshelf
   • Sometimes hung in the outhouse

Farmers' Almanac website: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/