Our operation at Indian Ladder Farms is nearly up and running. Construction of our lab, sterilization room, and grow container was completed with the help of many hands! Balancing construction, growing mushrooms, providing fungi for our customers, and engaging with events has only been possible with the support of many friends, family, and other farmers! Huge Thanks to Tivoli Mushrooms for the mushroom assist in keeping us stocked with beautiful fruits to supplement our meager capabilities while we transition.
Albany Wine and Dine for the Arts is a weekend long event that raises money to support the flourishing arts scene in the Capital Region. Our table and Indian Ladder Farms occupied space in the New York producer room. Chef Dave served up delicious mushroom waffles, Corinne baked Chaga Chocolate Brownies with Albany Distilling Bourbon, And Amy made a surprisingly delightful Mushroom Mocktail with ILF apples.
The ‘Under The Cap’ Event at Paint Cohoes brought Capital Region artists inspired by fungi together under one roof. Every piece either featured fungi or was fungal in origin! So many incredible works!
Mushroom art will be on display until March 1st at 144 Remsen St.
https://www.paintcohoes.com/on-view/luok9fewsd8ahuuwlsu23r8lnsoeyk
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/165wR4YbDZ (a walk through of the opening event)
Avery taught an hour long workshop on the various ways to grow mushrooms at home
Customer Spotlight: The Daisy
After the Paint Cohoes event our team walked down Remsen Street and finally got a chance to sit with Chef Matt Olley’s offerings at The Daisy. An incredibly bright Pappardelle with Lion’s Mane Mushrooms and an absolutely decadent Oyster Mushroom Flatbread.
Customer Spotlight: The Hill
Truffle Oil Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms served over Mushroom Pierogies. So many layers of texture and flavor!
Nearly every Wednesday you can find our fresh mushrooms and mushroom products at the Helderberg Mountain Brewing Company Tasting room on Main Street East Berne from 5pm to 6:30. Stop by for a tasty beverage and try a new mushroom!
As you may know if you’ve been following along, we experienced difficulty in securing funding to purchase the building out of which we were operating in Troy. One of the reasons for this difficulty is the broadly accepted definition of what constitutes a farm. The USDA requires a minimum of 12.75 acres. We occupied 1 floor of a building situated on .33 of an acre. Over the past year we have worked with the Rensselaer County Farm Bureau in order to remove the acreage requirement. Our effort passed through the county, made it through the state, and now has been adopted by the American Farm Bureau. The AFB is making this change a national level priority and we are going to be contributing towards a bill that will be introduced to congress! If adopted as law, this change will impact the lives of thousands of small and micro farms across the country!
Here’s a great article that we read about the healing powers of Lion’s Mane Mushrooms.
PSILOCYBIN CORNER
January was a month of preparation for our February Capitol Action. Between weekly meetings, media interviews, and logistics planning sessions it was a very full month.
Read this fascinating research article on the the way psilocybin-containing mushrooms may impact sleep:
https://www.mycostories.com/post/psilocybin-and-sleep-a-new-dimension-in-psychedelic-therapy
COMING SOON
Taste of New York: New York Farm Bureau Showcase, Monday, March 3, 5p – 7p. OPEN TO NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATORS AND STAFF ONLY. We will be serving up some mushroom forward snacks to showcase New York producers during this Farm Bureau event preceding the NYFB Lobby Day.
New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives Monthly Meeting, Tuesday, March 11th 7pm – 8pm. This monthly meeting will focus on planning future speakers and the Albany Common Council Action. ONLINE ONLY.
Join remotely via zoom here:
Regeneron Mushroom Showcase, Thursday 3/13, Chef Dave Chaiken will be working with a team of chefs at Regeneron to present a variety of mushroom forward menu options. Avery will be on hand to talk fungi and will be presenting an hour long lecture on the ‘State of Mycelium.’ OPEN TO REGENERON STAFF ONLY.
Mary Banning Exhibition at the New York State Museum, Friday 4/4 7pm – 9pm. FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC.
https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/women-of-science/mary-banning
Foraged New York Walks, Saturday, May 3rd – Saturday May 10th More info and tickets available soon. ($20 per walk)
Foraged New York Dinner and a show featuring Sean Rowe, Saturday May 10th. This multi Course Dinner curated by Corinne Carey and Dave Chaiken will feature foraged ingredients as well as mushrooms. Guests will be joined for dinner by singer songwriter and avid forager Sean Rowe. He’ll be concluding the evening with a private concert. Tickets can be purchased that include the concert with VIP seats, or even a pre-dinner foraging walk. **THIS EVENT PRESENTED AS PART OF FORAGED NEW YORK 2025**
Sounds, Sights, and Dank Bites at the Arts Center of the Capital Region featuring Yael Erel and musical guests, Saturday May 31st. Yael Erel from lightexture
(https://www.lightexture.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo7S27EuY-_5WfJnGSVtMtQ1VRO8eWg0_pyoKs8u6u8aVZMlXdC )
Yael’s incredibly entrancing light art evokes the blossoming of mycelium into space. She and her team have visited our farm space and crafted at least one new reflection disc specifically inspired by our growing mushrooms!
See some of her light art on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBZBtssOUDg/
Musical Guests TBD
Tickets available soon.
The Barn School: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms at Indian Ladder Farms. August 4th through August 8th. For learners in grade 1 through 8. Enroll your young mycologist through this Indian Ladder Farms link:
Collar City Mushrooms 