LEWISTON – Hundreds of almanacs served a nation of farmers over two centuries ago. These days, only a handful of them remain.

One of them, the Farmers’ Almanac based in Maine, is celebrating its 200th edition this month with traditional gardening tips, home-spun humor, recipes and life hacks.

In Maine, the long-term weather forecast calls for a teeth-chattering winter for the eastern two-thirds of the nation. “We’re calling it the return of the old-fashioned winter. The ice cold winter is back,” said Sandi Duncan, managing editor.

Modern scientists don’t put much stock in the almanacs’ unconventional weather formulas based on sunspots, tidal action, and other factors, but they are part of their tradition.

In Maine, Editor Peter Geiger blames an El Nino dubbed Godzilla by NASA for wrecking last year’s prediction with unexpected warmth. This winter, he says, there’s no El Nino to foul up the weather prognostication.

Geiger said his almanac circulation is declining, but he’s getting more eyeballs online, thanks to a new generation of backyard farmers interested in locally sourced produce, meat and eggs. The almanac has 1.1 million Facebook followers and sends an email blast to 250,000 readers each week. But it still publishes about 3 million printed editions, including retail and promotional versions.

“It’s full of good advice that’s still relevant in a digital age,” said 24-year-old reader Chris McKellar, who manages a 180-acre ornamental plant farm in addition to growing produce for himself in southeastern Wisconsin.

“Um, I’m a big eater. I like the recipes,” said Bill McKibben, a writer and environmentalist in Vermont.