The Summer is fully upon us and the mycelium has been happily spreading everywhere… and so have we! Our products have found new markets, we’ve explored new forests, and lots of new people have visited for a variety of activities from dinner to dancing! Read on to see what we did in July, and what we’ve got coming down the hyphae!
Dinner and a Show with Sean Rowe on Saturday July 22.
The menu was curated by dinner masters Corinne Carey and Dave Chaiken, with mocktails hand crafted by Amy Hood. Music and some of the foraged ingredients provided by singer-songwriter Sean Row. We also added some ambiance lighting to our back lot which added to the magic of the night! This unique dining opportunity for fans of Sean had him joining everyone at the table to talk foraging, foods, and music before taking the stage to sing us all through the evening.
The back bay doors were open so diners could take in the furious plating action by the meal prep team.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Dyken Pond we lead a group of mycophiles through the forests on a foray. We saw some absolutely gorgeous specimens and took so many mushroom photos!
2nd Sunday open mic
The 2nd Sunday Poetry and Prose open mic hosted by Nancy Klepsch and Dan Wilcox is always a great afternoon of words and conversations. New and returning poets join us amongst the mushrooms every second Sunday at 2!
Read the full account by poet blog master Dan Wilcox here:
Mushroom to Dance
We hosted 3 DJs, multiple vendors, lots of sunshine, and plenty of grooves to move on a Sunday afternoon! We’ll be doing this again in September!
The Mushwagen’s travels!
After a brief technical hiatus, the Mushwagen has hit the streets again carrying fresh gourmet mushrooms to all our local customers!
Indian Ladder Farms’ 2023 Farming Man Festival
One of our favorite vending opportunities is at Indian Ladder Farms during their Farming Man Music Festival. A few hundred people, some great tunes, and lots of cold tasty beverages crafted by New York brewers from around the region.
The Chatham Real Food Market Co-op is now carrying a variety of our dried goods and the Cold Brew Coffee from Kru Coffee! Visit them at 15 Church St, Chatham, NY 12037
We Reached 3000 followers on Instagram!
The Around Troy Social Media page mentioned us as a destination for our dinner and a show with Sean Rowe.
We found a local soy hull provider and received our first delivery of a large sack! This will cut our costs enormously and also reduce wasteful little bags! Thank you Hudson Valley Farmers Exchange!
Avery gave a mushroom cultivation talk at the Pitney Meadows Community Gardens in Saratoga.
New Products:
Creators Allie Wist and Lisa Shonberg dropped off a few copies of their fungi book for us to sell. We recieved new stock of woolcraft mushrooms, created a few more ready to eat products, and got a whole pallet of coco coir blocks for our use and yours!
Our Book Club finished up Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book is certainly worth a read (and even a re-read). She talks about our relationship with the earth and all our neighbors and how we live in reciprocity with everything. We were even able to procure a sweetgrass braid and burn a little to surround ourselves with the scent!
Our team had two interviews in July. One by the New York Farm Bureau. (link coming soon, stay tuned).
The other interview was by Corey Aldrich, Interim Executive Director for the Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy and was published in their monthly newsletter.
Read the whole article here:
We met with the SPAC team to nail down the dinner menu and some of the art details for our Mushroom Experience dinner in November.
Psilocybin Corner:
Interest in creating a legal system for those attempting to heal using psilocybin containing mushrooms continues to grow around the globe. Australia just passed a federal level access law. Advocates from ClusterBusters spoke to the California legislators. Our Change.org survey has exceeded 1000 signatures (you can see it and sign here: https://chng.it/k9Hscmrc89 ) and our neighbors to the east in Massachusetts and Connecticut have made progress passing local referendums and statewide laws. We are gearing up for a lot of movement in 2024! Our Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 15th from 7pm – 8:30pm. Attend in person or join us virtually! Colin Pugh from the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society will be presenting on the future of psychedelic co-ops!
Click this link to watch our July Monthly meeting:
Assemblymember Scott Bendett stopped in to talk strategy for the next legislative session and grab a non-psychedelic mushroom ready to fruit bag to grow some oysters.
While our team was at Indian Ladder Farms we set up a section of our vending table to talk psilocybin advocacy.
Coming soon:
Our dinner schedule for the remainder of the year:
August Events:
August 1st: National Night Out at Knickerbacker Park . 6-8pm
Where: Knickerbacker Park, 103rd St & 8th Ave, 320 7th Ave, Troy, NY 12182
National Night Out https://natw.org
August 5th: Metal Amongst the mushrooms. Urine CD release party with Wizard Burger Popup and Rare Form! Other vendors will be on site as well. $10 suggested donation
August 19th: Dinner on the Farm with Chef Haseim. A multi course dinner served right in our farm curated by the culinary creativity behind Organa Vegan Juice Bar in Troy. $60 a seat. Buy tickets through Eventbrite or right in our farm store and avoid the fees! These will sell out, so buy them while they last!
August 26th: Metal Amongst the mushrooms. 5 bands grinding out some crunch. Rare Form Brewing will be providing locally brewed beers, Wizard burger will be slinging foods, and a few other vendors will be on hand for your purchasing enjoyment! $10 suggested donation.
September 9th: Dinner on the Farm with Chef Dave Chaiken. $60/seat
Mushroom 2 Dance Groop Lab and DJ Ali Gria will return for another dance session amongst the mushrooms. Vendors available as well.
September 14 – 17:
Avery will be giving a keynote talk about the changing perspectives surrounding psilocybin use during the 23rd annual Northeast Mycological Federation Mushroom Foray
September 23rd: Mushroom 2 Dance! The Groove Strikes Back! 3 DJS, 1 stage. Hours of dancing! 5pm – 10pm.
September 24th: 6th Annual Broome County Vegan Festival
https://www.broomeanimalsanctuary.com/
September 29th – October 1st: For the Love of Fungi at the Ashokan Center
October 7th: Photographer Eric-Jon Tasker Show featuring Inch and Sky Furrows
October 21st: Dinner on the Farm with Chef Kate Ray $60/seat
November 4th: A Mushroom Experience with Collar City Mushrooms and Friends at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Hall of the Pines . Put it on your calendars now! A fully immersive dinner and art extravaganza.
November 11th: Trojan Photographer Susan Jadlos’ show featuring the musical stylings of LSDaniel.
November 18th: Dinner on the Farm with Chef William Lind Jr. $60/seat
December 9th: Dinner on the Farm with Chef Christina Lloyd $60/seat
Collar City Mushrooms 