Skydive The Ranch: What to Expect and Where to Go After
A first-timer's guide to jumping at Skydive The Ranch in Gardiner: how the day runs, what the weather does to it, and where to land afterwards.
Learn and grow with the Farmers Choice blog
Straight-talking cannabis guides and the best of what’s happening around our towns, written by the Farm Hands behind our counters.
Hiking Mohonk Preserve? How to Make a Full Day of It
A full-day plan for Mohonk Preserve: the right trailhead, when to arrive, where to eat in New Paltz, and the farm-stand stop that finishes the day.
Twin Star Orchards and Farmers Choice: Two Reasons to Love New Paltz
Twin Star Orchards and Farmers Choice sit two miles apart on the same New Paltz road. Here is how locals turn the orchard and the farm stand into one perfect outing.
Hudson Valley Summer Bucket List 2026: Start in New Paltz
Eleven summer things to do in the Hudson Valley, sky-lake swims, rail trail rides, orchard pizza nights, and river sunsets, all an easy drive from New Paltz.
Farmers Choice Sponsored the 2026 New Paltz Fireworks
Farmers Choice was a proud sponsor of the 2026 New Paltz Fireworks Celebration. A thank-you to the organizers, the volunteers, and every neighbor who looked up.
The Ultimate Hudson Valley Road Trip: Trails, Wineries & Outdoor Adventures Around New Paltz
New Paltz is a perfect Hudson Valley basecamp, cliffs, sky lakes, wineries, and a rail trail within a short drive. Here are 10 trails and outdoor stops to build your route around.
New Paltz Hosts Keith Haring & Alex Katz Art for Upstate Art Weekend
Upstate Art Weekend runs June 25-29, 2026 across the Hudson Valley, with Keith Haring and Alex Katz works on view in New Paltz. Here's what to see and where to stop.
New Paltz's Favorite Summer Tradition Returns: Robibero Winery Sangria Festival
The Robibero Winery Sangria Festival returns to New Paltz June 27-28, 2026, free admission, handcrafted sangria, food, and vineyard views. Here's what to know.
Farmhand Blog #1: Guide to Recreational Cannabis Shopping
A budtender's guide to shopping New York's legal cannabis market, how to read a COA, why THC % isn't everything, and how to spot sprayed terpenes.
What we write about here
Three things, mostly. Cannabis guides from the people behind our counters, written in plain language with no hedging. Local happenings, meaning the fairs, farm markets, trail days, and live music worth planning a drive around. And store news, the new brands landing on our shelves, holiday hours, and what the Farm Hands are into this month. When a post is about a product category, it links to the shelf it belongs to. When it is about a town, it links to that town's page. We would rather publish one post worth your time than four that are not.
Rooted in the towns around both farm stands
This blog leans local on purpose. Farmers Choice runs two stores, the original farm stand in Fishkill in Dutchess County and the barn in New Paltz in Ulster County, and the writing follows the same map our customers drive. We sponsor community events like the New Paltz fireworks and write about the small local businesses that make this valley worth living in. Neighbors in Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls, Hopewell Junction, Kingston, Highland, Gardiner, and Rosendale read these posts as much as anyone, so a local guide gets the same care as a cannabis one. If your local event belongs on our radar, send it our way.