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It's a good thing we had that winter month of being snowed-in to prepare for what has been an extremely busy spring! While the white landscape turned to vibrant green all around us, the Judging for The Emerald Cup continued into the first week of May, when we had our top contenders chosen. That's when all the Flower Judges convened at Yokayo Ranch in Ukiah for two solid days of narrowing it down to the top-placed winners in the several flower categories.
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It was a great group of 18 Judges who all know and love cannabis very much, yet like anything, different people = different tastes and so it takes time to make such important decisions and come to a consensus. Basically, it takes smoking a whole lot of joints!
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But we accomplished the task and then went on to celebrate at the Emerald Cup 11 days later.
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What a great Emerald Cup Awards ceremony it was! The Craneway Pavilion was a fantastic venue on the waterfront in the East Bay with sweeping views of San Francisco and Oakland.
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Mother Nature graced us with perfect sunny warm weather too, so everyone could hang outside, smoking Frenchy Cannoli's hookah and sampling fellow farmer's flowers.
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The awards ceremony was a testament to the fine craft of cannabis and the devotion of the growers, manufacturers, and activists. Swami and Nikki were honored to announce the winners in the flowers division again - this was our 19th year judging and we are proud of that!
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Swami with Mila Jansen, aka The Hash Queen, recipient of the 2023 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Emerald Cup - congrats, your highness!
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Our other passion, creating sacred spaces, was fulfilled as we brought down lots of our large statues and created altars and special areas to honor the divine. Of course, Ganja Ma was right up front!
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Now that we were back in the travel groove, we headed right up to South Lake Tahoe to see our friends at Tahoe Wellness Collective. Amazingly, there was still snow up there after such a long cold winter. But the sun was shining and inside their new dispensary space, it was inviting and beautiful!
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From there we headed to Sacramento and A Therapeutic Alternative, one of the oldest dispensaries in the State, founded in 2009. We appreciate how they focus on medical cannabis at ATA, with true compassion and knowledge shared with all their customers.
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The last stop on the grand tour was at Green Heron in the town of Lakeport in lovely Lake County. Green Heron is a mighty mouse of dispensaries, not too large but they do tons of business and the crew is all fabulous and eager to help. They also have deep respect for sungrown flowers at Green Heron and understand the benefits of clean cultivation methods.
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Thanks to all these fantastic shops for keeping the dream alive!
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Along with the start of summer always comes Swami's birthday on May 26th - and this year was a doozy as he turned 80 years young! Of course, we had to celebrate that with family and friends who came from near and afar to the gorgeous Sonoma Hills Farm. Many thanks to our hosts Shauna and Mike Harden! It must be all the cannabis he smokes, and the clean living and meditation, that keep this man so young in heart, spirit, and body!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWAMI!
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As this busy month winds down, we are planning for the upcoming Mendocino Craft Farmers Auction taking place on June 17th at the Brambles in Philo. This will be the 2nd year and we hope you can join us.
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There are limited tickets available for this special event to meet the farmers, contribute to two worthy causes (all proceeds go to the Mendocino Land Trust and the Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino), and raise consciousness about the high quality of the cannabis produced here and the incredible people who produce it.
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We strive to be known as "The Napa of Cannabis" by showing that we can do it with style too!
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And of course, the garden is our main delight. The tiny sprouts are just starting to reach to the sun as they begin their journey to becoming bountiful and healing big girls. Our team is prepping the gardens now and soon the sprouts will go into their final beds for the season ahead.
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We look forward to a warm June and also another round of Club Swami deliveries and events at the end of the month. The fun doesn't stop at Swami Select!
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Peace and love to you all,
Swami & Nikki
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The secret is out… Club Swami is building a community rooted in culture and the best part is, you are invited to join in the grassroots gatherings, exclusive allocations, Swami swag drops, and more by visiting www.Club-Swami.com
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Our next quarterly allocation drops at the end of June and comes straight from Swami’s private reserve. Who is ready for the highly anticipated Orange Turbo? This citrusy lipsmacker was bred by the late Django of MTG Seeds and grown with honor and respect in his memory and in the memory of our dear friend Frenchy Cannoli who absolutely loved this cultivar.
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In addition to the regeneratively sungrown Orange Turbo flower, we have reserved for our Club members a very limited allocation of the Orange Turbo hash that was prepared by Frenchy’s own protege Belle and her talented teammates at Heritage Hash Co. right here in Mendocino. What an amazing score for Club Swami members!
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June’s allocation will also provide a customized Club Swami journal for note-taking while taste-testing your favorite premium estate cultivars received so far.
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Of course, we will be meeting in person again for allocation pickup and a fun members-only sesh, or you can arrange for home delivery. All of those details and more can be easily managed with your Club Swami Concierge.
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Come see what California is buzzin’ about - Club Swami is cool!
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These high-quality Swami Beanies are stylish all year long! Pair one with a Swami Hoodie or a Swami Tee - or both - and show your support for our small farm with premium Swami merch.
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Written by Noah Rubin
Weedmaps | May 31st, 2023
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This past weekend, farmers, family, and friends came together to celebrate the birthday of one of NorCal's most important cannabis visionaries.
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Written by Rachelle Gordon
Green State | May 22nd, 2023
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“The Auction became a way to celebrate who we are, to step back for a moment from the frustrations of being a farmer, and shine our light brightly to all true sun-grown cannabis canna-seurs." - Nikki Lastreto, Swami Select
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You can find all of the details about these upcoming events and in-store appearances on the Events Page of our website.
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WHEN:
Saturday, June 17th, 2023
RSVP TODAY
WHERE:
The Brambles in Philo, CA (Mendocino County).
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Silent and Live Auction featuring donations from local craftspeople and farmers, farm tours, exotic vacations, fine art, and much more! Generous donors should not be surprised if their generosity is matched by growers who want to share from their Private Reserve.
Join us June 17th, 2023 at 5:00pm for the 2nd Annual Mendocino Craft Farmers Auction. This very special event will again be held at the lovely Brambles in Anderson Valley in southern Mendocino County.
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The Mendocino Craft Farmers Auction is a private event but you can visit mendocinocfa.com to request ticket info and an invitation.
Please spread the word and tell all of your buds!
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If you have awesome items or experiences that you would like to donate for the auction, you can find that link as well on the new website & we hope to see you on June 17th!
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"We strive for quality over quantity here at The Green Heron Dispensary. We understand the need to keep our shelves rotating - while still keeping frequent requests available if supplies allow of course. We love to celebrate our community and reward our friends for loyalty."
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The Green Heron Dispensary
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We are now OCal Certified by the State of California which is the official organic certification process for cannabis. We still can't call it "organic" because Uncle Sam “owns” the word so until it is federally legal we can proudly say we are OCal Certified ... along with Clean Green Certified and DEM Pure Certified - now that's certifiably and regeneratively cool!
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This is what you support through Club Swami and California’s finest dispensaries and why that support matters so much.
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Regenerative farming is hard work but oh so worth it!
www.SwamiSelect.com
Sun, Moon & Star Grown™
🌞🌙✨💛
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