October is one of our favorite months at Collar City Mushrooms. The fall’s cooler weather and northeast rains make the landscape really pop with beautiful colors! It is a perfect time for leaf peeping and fungi foraging! It also means we’ve been at 333 2nd Ave for 2 full years! Our team has grown, we’re producing more mushrooms, and our mycelium has reached ever further! So much happened in the last month! Here are some of the highlights!
We started out the month vending at the Capital Region Vegan Network’s Albany Veg Fest at the Albany Capital Center!
We collaborated with the Indian Ladder Farms’ brew team to create a reishi saison that will be coming out in November! Stay tuned for an episode of their podcast where we discuss mushrooms and beer!
We were visited by the biology teachers from the Averill Park School District for an extended tour and discussion on including mycology in the classroom.
New Team Member Jess Jones joined us! You’ll see her on weekends if you pop by the farm store!
We installed a brand new fully stainless steel process bench!
We collaborated with Primo Botanica on a new Cacao and Functional Mushroom Powdered drink and popped up at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, October 15 to celebrate National Mushroom Day!
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Our October NYPAC meeting was very informational!
We had Wayne Kamir Speak at our New York Psilocybin Action Committee Meeting.
Medicinal chemist and cannabis specialist with formal education, training, and research experience in total chemical synthesis & purification, natural product extraction, compounding & formulation, organic chemistry, and analytical chemistry. Currently offering services for Research & Development (SOPs, experimental design, patentable innovations), Laboratory Facility Design, and Training & Certification (extraction, purification, analysis, formulation).
Wayne completed his studies for Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of California, Riverside, and his studies for Master of Science in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of San Francisco. During his tenure at both universities, he served as an instructor for organic chemistry laboratory courses, and as a lead technician for botanical and chemical research laboratories.
Following his employment as Director of Extraction for the world’s first medical cannabis company (Tikun Olam) during their expansion into North America, Wayne founded Cweed LLC where he now proudly serves as Chief Scientific Officer. The company currently provides professional consulting services to the global cannabis/hemp industry, as well as food & beverage, cosmetics, and psychedelics (where law permits), while also contributing to numerous cooperative scientific research efforts in each aforementioned industrial sector.
Wayne is a survivor of 19 months of immuno-suppressive chemotherapy and an allogeneic central bone marrow transplant following his diagnosis with very Severe Aplastic Anemia (vSAA). Through this period of intensive medical isolation and treatment, cannabis medicine played a central role in managing chemotherapeutic side effects, and was implicated as a direct contributor to transplant success and the ultimate recovery of his immune system. Extensive academic research he conducted regarding the relationship between cannabis and human immunocompetence has recently been compiled into a formal article and submitted for publication to the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Here’s an article he recently published in Psychedelics today:
https://psychedelicstoday.com/2022/10/05/how-psychedelics-could-combat-chronic-pain/
Watch the full meeting here. The content gets started about 5 minutes in and Wayne’s presentation starts about 22 minutes in.
NYPAC 10 11 22 meeting featuring Wayne Kamir
We had a blast during the Sober Silent Disco Party! We danced and laughed and switched between three silent disco channels provided by Woop Life and Dj Positive Energy Corporation.
We presented to the Science Teachers Association of New York State Eastern Science Division about including mycology in science classrooms of all types!
Avery wrapped up the Hudson Valley Community College Continuing Education Class with a tour to the farm and then a discussion on the nutrition, medicine, and environmental impact of fungi.
The Team behind Divinely Guided Wellness lead a Healing Sound Journey as part of one of our bi-monthly meditation sessions.
The Sculpt and Sip at the Helderberg Meadworks Troy Tasting Hall was so fun!
The Mycelium Open disc golf tournament fundraiser for New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives and NYPAC in Prospect Park drew nearly 40 disc golfers to the course on Saturday, 10/29.
Our October Dinner on the Farm featured Chef Matt Olley and a 4 course Mexican inspired feast!
Our Mushrooms can now be found at the New Lebanon’s Farmer’s Market!
We were interviewed by Times Union Journalist Pam Abrams for a feature piece that will be coming out in early November. We’ll post links to the digital version on our website and in our next newsletter.
We were also interviewed by Times Union Health Reporter Rachel Silberstein about our Psilocybin advocacy through New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives and the New York Psilocybin Action Committee. That article will be coming out in a Sunday edition some time in the coming weeks as well. Stay Tuned for links!
We continue to be supported by the Rensselaer County Tourism Social Media team!
COMING SOON:
In November a new Farm to Table restaurant, The Scarlet Knife, will be opening in Latham and serving dishes featuring our mushrooms! Make sure you check them out!
Tuesday, Nov 1, 7pm – 8pm: Meditation Amongst the Mushrooms Drop-in Session led by Linda Anderson.
Thursday, Nov 3, 6pm – 8pm: Inspiring Wellness Enriching your Body with Healthy and Healing Mushrooms https://www.inspiring-wellness.org/
Saturday, Nov 5, 5pm – 8pm: Music and Creativity Celebration featuring Jade Warrick and DJ Mercy!!!
DJ Mercy!!! Is a Latin-American musician, record producer, and bandleader. On stage he can be heard behind the congas in a funk band, on kit in a jazz band, or spinning deep cut disco in your favorite club. Behind the scenes he’s known for producing hiphop records and engineering for jam bands. Come hear what DJ Mercy!!! Is up to now!
Thursday, Nov 10, 1pm – 3pm: Knit Wits drop in knitting class with Kerri Herrington
Thursday, Nov 10, 4pm – 6pm: Mushroom Soup and Ovenbird Bread Boule popup by Chanterelles Kitchen! Stay tuned for details on how to pre-order! It will be a Mushroom Autumn Harvest Soup with a rich veggie broth (Vegan) $25.00 for a quart with 2 boules, $20 for soup and 1 boule. $15 for just soup.
Thursday, Nov 10, 7pm – 8pm: Mushroom Book Club: first half of the Mushroom Hunters by Langdon Cook.
Sunday, Nov 13, 2pm – 4pm: Second Sunday Open Mic for Poetry and Prose
Tuesday, Nov 15, 6:30pm – 9:30pm: NYPAC Meeting in Kingston!
Saturday, Nov 19, 5:30pm – 8:30pm: Dinner on the Farm Featuring Chef Kate Ray (Vegan)
Tentative menu:
Cremini, black-eyed pea, & black olive pastelitos with tangy herb dipping sauce
Salad with king oyster bacon, carrots, sunflower seeds, furikake croutons and a savory porcini-shiitake mustard dressing
Pozole rojo with mixed mushrooms, chickpeas, and hominy, served with huitlacoche crema and crispy paprika-lime chickpeas
Truffled Trifle — Chocolate chaga buckwheat cake, coconut truffle whipped cream, mushroom caramel, black sesame-oreo crumble
Check out Kate’s Blog “Soft Leaves” for some of what she’s been working on! Her current project is to get people to “Shroomify” their meals by replacing the main protein with mushrooms!
Tuesday, Nov 29, 7pm – 8pm: Pop Up Meditation class featuring Divinely Guided Wellness Sound Healing. Suggested donation $15
2023:
Avery will be teaching a second course of 4 classes through Hudson Valley focusing on the basics of Mycelium and mushrooms as well as a one off 2 hour cooking with mushrooms class! Stay tuned for updates
Collar City Mushrooms 