The holidays have a way of lighting up our lives — sparkling lights, cozy gatherings, thoughtful gifts, and time shared with loved ones. Yet as beautiful as the season can be, it can also be one of the most resource-heavy times of the year. From excess packaging and food waste, to energy use and travel, our celebrations often come at a high environmental cost.

We recently got a call from a family who needed to rehome their very sweet and friendly 10-year-old goat. She was born on their hobby farm and was bred at least once, but after losing her best friend last year she was tragically being bullied by the rest of her herd.

Autumn offers a perfect opportunity to align our habits with our ethics. Read on for some simple steps for you to give back to the planet this season:

October in the Garden

Autumn has settled in, the air is crisp, and our fields are golden with the last light of the growing season. This month, we’re celebrating the close of another fruitful summer, planning ahead for winter and spring, and rallying support for an important part of farm life—our hay supply!

Monster adopted a kitten!

DID YOU KNOW?: The biggest impact we have on the planet every single day is through what we eat? Read on to learn more…

At Sweet Farm, this year we grew 50 types of tomatoes. And now our Pay-What-You-Can Farm Cart is bursting with delicious, colorful options. We’ve given tomatoes to all our friends. And we still have more! If you’re like us, you need some ideas of what to do with all this abundance.

We all love our furry companions — they're family. But did you know that our beloved cats and dogs have a surprisingly large climate pawprint?

According to a study from UCLA, the meat consumption of dogs and cats contributes to up to 30% of the environmental impact of meat production in the United States. That’s equal to the annual emissions of 13.6 million cars.

August in the Garden

Here in our microclimate of New York State, it was a slow start to harvest season. We had a cool May, and a rainy start to summer (seriously, SO MUCH RAIN!) and we were getting impatient for things to ripen.

GARDEN NOTE: Make sure you keep harvesting your cucumbers or they will stop making fruit!

We recently let everyone know that our young and playful LaMancha goat Rosie, lost her sight. We had to move her to a smaller pasture, but didn’t want to have to separate her friends from the herd…so we rescued THREE NEW FRIENDS for her!: Lucy, and her babies Fawn and Hershey.

July in the Garden

Sharing garden surplus, harvest recipes, preserving your harvest. Ever wonder if there is a better way to handle all of July's riches? Read on!

How you can participate, succeed, and thrive with less plastic waste and more plant-based deliciousness in your life.

Summer is finally here, and it's time to bask in the sun, enjoy the outdoors, and embrace all that nature has to offer. However, it's also essential to remember our responsibility to protect the environment and promote sustainability even in our leisure time. With that in mind, here are some tips for having a sustainable summer:

The day after Elliot passed we received a plea to take in a 4-year-old Yorkshire mix pig (same as Elliot!) named Ben, who had been saved by local rescue when he was a baby. The rescue cared for him for 4 years, but now that he is grown up, they saw the need for him to join a proper sounder of big pigs where he could learn and form lifelong friendships.

We agreed to give Ben that home, in honor of Elliot.

June in the Garden

Managing your garden to maximize your harvest. Dealing with weeds, cover crops, succession sowing, and garden tools.

Did you know that nearly one-third of the world’s cropland is used to grow feed for livestock? The lamentable deforestation that we hear about so often is actually happening in order to create grazing land for cattle and soy fields for their food. In fact, only 7% of the world’s soy crops are for human consumption. Ask yourself: Why can we feed 26 billion farm animals, but we can’t feed 8 billion humans? At Sweet Farm, we’re committed to reducing this imbalance.

May in the Garden

Why do we choose to grow heirlooms?: flavor, nutrition, biodiversity, history.
The USDA changed growing zones - have you checked your new zone?
Garden starting - what to look for when buying starts for your garden.

EARTH DAY 2025 - Renewable Energy

April is always a special time at Sweet Farm, with our rescued animals excited for the return of lush grass, planting season hitting full swing, and the excitement that our garden will soon be churning out delicious veggies for all. But this April brings an extra buzz of excitement as this year’s Earth Day focus is “Our Power, Our Planet” — a call to harness renewable energy to build a healthy, sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for all; a cause that’s deeply rooted in our mission to create a more compassionate and climate-friendly world.