If you’re behind on your American Spirit homework, here’s a quick recap of the latest three issues of the magazine Hammock publishes for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The nation commemorated the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 anniversary with solemnity and remembrance, and American Spirit paid tribute with unique stories of the sites identified with the New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., tragedies. The cover of September/October 2011 issue spotlighted St. Paul’s Chapel, a pre-Revolutionary War church in the shadows of Lower Manhattan skyscrapers. Many readers know of it as a place of healing and the epicenter for volunteers following the attack on the World Trade Centers, but few know that it functioned as a symbol of recovery as far back as 1776.

Holidays in the 18th century meant days of cooking, baking, roasting and stewing for the lavish feasts ahead. Tarts, candied orange peel and a frosted cake are a few of the holiday dessert dishes you might have been served by a well-off 18th-century hostess. Today, those early American feasts have been recreated in many historic homes and museums—from Philadelphia to Charleston. But just like the desserts on our November/December 2011 cover, they can’t be eaten.

They’re all fake. In our story devoted to the masterful art of making artificial food, we examine how faux food not only brings a historic property to life, but also lets visitors experience for themselves what an 18th-century holiday feast might have entailed.

While Americans might not be able to trust the groundhog on his winter predictions, we’ve been able to depend on The Old Farmer’s Almanac for its weather forecasts, planting and harvesting advice, and witty stories and proverbs since 1792. American Spirit looks at the origin and evolution of a publication that has been published continuously since George Washington’s first term as president and whose editorial mission remains guided by founder Robert B. Thomas’ main objective: “to be useful, with a pleasant degree of humor.”

The objective of our magazine is to be just as useful — and entertaining — as we bring you stories dedicated to the DAR objectives of historic preservation, patriotism and education. Subscribe to American Spirit today.