Locally Farmed Mushrooms (Capital Region, New York)
We Grow ’em. You’ll Love ’em.
Growing fresh, gourmet, nutraceutical mushrooms is our primary focus.
We sell to:
- restaurant partners
- food pantries
- small independent grocery stores
- walk in customers
Now located in the town of New Scotland on the Indian Ladder Farms‘ Campus.
Collar City Mushroom is New York’s Capital Region’s premier mushroom farm. Founded in 2020 by Amy Hood and Avery Stempel, Collar City specializes in culinary mushrooms and provides fresh, flavorful and nutrient-rich mushrooms and fungi related products for chefs, markets, and mushroom enthusiasts. With a commitment to sustainability and innovation, the farm prides itself on being the Capital Region’s foremost mycological hub.
Founder, Avery Stempel, teaches classes on mycology locally at libraries and garden clubs as well as at HVCC. Avery is also one of the founders of New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives, a nonprofit organization working to create legal pathways for safe access to psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
Visit the Corner Spore in the Indian Ladder Farms’ Store at 342 Altamont Rd (rte 156), Altamont, NY 12009
Purpose
Educate
The world of fungi is one realm that most people know very little. Mushroom cultivation and how fungi can benefit our communities and the world as a whole are something more and more people are becoming curious about. At Collar City Mushrooms we built our farm to be approachable and open. With viewing windows into our grow rooms and lab visitors can watch the process unfold before their eyes. We host fieldtrips for learners of all age ranges. We are listed on the NYS BOCES Arts & Enrichment website ID number 6253.
Enrich
American diets are often severely lacking in nutrients and fiber. Mushrooms offer a complete package as a healthy food. They are the all natural, unprocessed, soy free, gluten free, cruelty free alternative to alternative products. Meaty, tasty, and varied across different strains they provide rich flavors and texture differences to round out every meal. Low in sodium, rich in minerals, mushrooms are functional foods: they nourish the body and also provide potential health benefits (statements not approved by the FDA). See our Dao de Mogu page for a breakdown of a selection of the mushrooms we grow and how they act as true warriors in the fight for your health.
Entertain
The Collar City Mushrooms team members are all creatives in one form or another and we strongly support the idea that life is better when you are surrounded by art. When we had our own space in Troy, we regularly rotated visual art, hosted poetry readings, music events, book club meetings, and featured cooking demonstrations. We now push into other spaces to create immersive experiences. Growing mushrooms is an art itself and as the fruit unfurls the beauty grows. Anyone who joins us at one of our events can marvel at these incredible organisms. Check our (b)log page for upcoming ways you can be entertained at one of our events.
Our Community
“So glad to be paired with Collar City Mushrooms. I’m looking forward to collaborating more in the future. What you have at your farm is a gift to the Capital Region culinary community.” – Chef Matthew Joyce, Prime at the Plaza
“Thank you for providing such incredible food. The mushrooms were a crowd favorite!” -Capital Roots NY
Our farm wouldn’t exist without the generous beginning donations of our GoFundMe supporters. While the original campaign has ended and the rewards have all been handed out, we would still greatly appreciate any additional funds you may be interested in providing! See our campaign here, and donate if you’d like! We Will be creating a second “Wall of Mycelial Supporters” piece of art acknowledging those folks who continued to contribute after our campaign ended.
See our PHASE 2 campaign and contribute (or share) here: https://gofund.me/4951e015
(B)Log Life
- Kicking off the New YearDecember marked our first full year of occupying space at Indian Ladder Farms. We are so grateful for this opportunity to grow together. 2025 provided many challenges (redesigning and relearning our grow conditions in the new space) and many successesContinue reading “Kicking off the New Year”
- As the Light RecedesNovember is always a bitter sweet month. Wild mushroom season wraps up with the spreading cold and darkness and preparations for the long winter nights get underway, but there are always reasons to be grateful. Our Mushroom Experience Dinner featuringContinue reading “As the Light Recedes”
- The Cold and Rain ProvidesOctober finally saw some rain in the Capital Region of New York and with the rain, the Mushrooms showed up in Force! Read on to see all the mushrooms we identified on the Indian Ladder Farms’ campus during the month. Continue reading “The Cold and Rain Provides”
Collar City Mushrooms 