In Your Element

We had a great time at the 2024 Great Lakes Foragers Gathering last weekend ! This event is something we look forward to every year, and the past few days have been full of reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, learning, sharing, EATING, working with plants, and spending time in nature. So grateful for this community!

A big thank you to Rachel for making this event happen each year, and to all the knowledgeable instructors + kitchen chefs + work study participants + everyone else who supports the gathering.

It’s such fun and is so valued.

Already looking forward to 2025! 🧺🌱🍄‍🟫

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Two weeks from today! There are 5 spots left and we’d love to have you there! 🍄‍🟫🌱

Join foraging instructors Katie & Luke Venechuk from In Your Element on Thursday, June 27th from 6-7:30pm for an adventure into the world of wild foods!

During this class, you’ll learn how to identify edible plants, trees and mushrooms in the forest, along with how cook and prepare them, how to ethically, legally, and safely forage for these foods, and more.

Learn more and register with our Community Calendar: https://loom.ly/Tk1c2KY



Image Description:
Katie Venechuk holding her fresh forage up to the camera.

ALONE. Out here. It’s been a while. And wow is it nice. Have you ever laid in nature with your legs up a tree? HIGHLY recommend. ❤️🌳😌

(Also…I found an egg in the forest this morning. So unusual! Swipe right to see it. It looks like a chicken egg, doesn’t it? For scale, it was about that size. Any wildlife enthusiasts out there have any ideas of what type of animal it’s from? The things you find when you slow down! Time in nature is a constant unfolding of discovery. Grateful for every moment out here.)

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We’re EXCITED about this one! 🤩 Come learn how to ID & use wild local plants for skincare with our foraging instructor Katie and wild plant skincare expert Aubrey ( ) during this 2.5-hr, full-circle workshop.

During the first half of class, you’ll join Katie for a plant walk at Highland Park to learn how to identify wild plants that are useful for skincare, and then you’ll walk back to the lovely Gathered Botanicals shop space (located in the building) for hands-on instruction from Aubrey about how to use the plants to make your own infused oils and salves.

This program includes a wild foraged sun tea, a snack, a 1-oz salve sample and a personalized 4-oz oil infusion to bring home.

Registration is $45 and space is limited to 12 participants.

Sign up soon via the calendar (linked in our bio 🙌) to save your spot!

We hope you’ll join us on July 20 as we explore how to use wild local plants for DIY skincare!

🌱🧴🌱

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A big thanks to everyone who came out for foraging & wild tending class yesterday morning! We had a full crew and we were gifted with a beautiful day to be outside. We chatted about poison ivy and jewelweed, wild grape tendrils, prickly gooseberry, yarrow, multiflora rose and elder flowers. 🧺🌸

We also shared some samples of Katie’s elderflower syrup and elderflower fizz, and we sniffed some of our fragrant multiflora rose water, too (a wonderful facial toner you can make on your own)!

Days like this offer such a reminder to be grateful for abundance. Michigan is full of it.

We have a TON of foraging classes coming up on the schedule, so we hope to see you again soon! Head to our calendar to learn more or stay tuned here.

Enjoy the week!

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Hi all! We just learned that the GR Triathlon is happening in Ada tomorrow (6/9), so if you’re joining us for foraging class at Cascade Peace Park in the morning, there are some road closures to be aware of for those coming from Grand Rapids. Check your email for more information if you’re registered to join!

We suggest you give yourself a little extra time + watch for bicyclists on Grand River Drive.

Maybe give a whoop of encouragement for them as you go by! 🎖🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🏼🚴‍♂️🎖

If you aren’t signed up and want to join, there are still 3 spots open for class. Head to to sign up!

We’ll see you tomorrow, everybody.

Let us know if you have any questions! 😊

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Sometimes the beauty of nature in Michigan takes you by surprise, but sometimes you know exactly what you’re looking for.

I’ve been hunting the Wrinkled Peach Mushroom for years, and this spring I finally found it while it was still growing.

John Muir said “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

This mushroom is not edible or medicinal, but finding it and exploring its world for a few hours certainly fed me.

Want to learn more about Michigan mushrooms? Our next mushroom class is coming up in a few weeks on Wednesday the 19th. There’s more info and a sign up in the link in our bio! 🍄 Happy hunting, everyone!

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Time off in nature is so good for the soul! We had a great week taking Anna on her first backpacking trip at the ripe age of 9 months old, and also staying at a little off-the-grid cabin down in Hoosier National Forest. Beautiful area! (Holy TICKS down that way though, never seen anything like it! The tick-crammed forest did offer us some inspiration on things to share with you all about being happy and safe outside, though … so stay tuned. More on that later! 😉)

It’s nice to be back! Excited to welcome June and see many of you for adventures and relaxation in the forest this month. We have LOTS planned and can’t wait!

PS - head to our stories for a few cool videos from our trip. Lots a beautiful scenes!

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We’re feeling the PULL - and we’re headed offline to take a little time to recharge & get out into nature together! Excited to share some pictures of our outdoor adventures when we return. Til then, have a GREAT week everybody! We’ll be back soon! 🌳☀️

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Katie here, enjoying a bit of leftover sun tea with baby Anna after a BUSY week of guiding workplace wellness events + presenting our 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 conference session + meeting property owners for Rent-A-Forager explorations (…now known as our “FORAGE YOUR LAND” service) + making a wild food sample for a very cool meeting focused on exploring a collaborative approach to invasive species management … and perhaps the MOST special, reconnecting with old coworkers and friends. What a gift of a week!

Swipe 👉 for a lovely scene from a guided Shinrin-yoku event at the Asylum Lake Preserve in Kalamazoo on Tuesday.

That dappled sunlight and the lake in the background… so pretty. 🌳✨

To those I connected with this week - what a joy to spend some time with you!

Hope you all get some quality time in nature over the long weekend.

Wishing you well until our paths cross again!

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It was very cool to attend & contribute to a ‘𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝘼 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩’ event today, led by Lea Sevigny + + the West MI Conservation Network!

This was a great education opportunity with inspiring conversations among land managers, local and county park representatives, a few other local foragers and more.

There were a bunch of delicious wild food samples, too - including Katie’s Japanese Knotweed + Golden Oyster hot and sour soup!

Pretty exciting stuff in the works here. 🌱

Thanks for inviting us to be involved today, Lea! Grateful for our wild food community here in west MI and excited to be part of this ongoing conversation.

We believe in this deeply and we are *all hands on deck* in support!

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Wow, what a crowd! We had a blast teaching our 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 program at the Grandville KDL branch last night, fully sponsored by the library and free for all to attend. To everybody who came out, glad you were there & so nice to meet many of you for the first time! And to - a big thanks yet again for sponsoring this program at another library branch, helping to support our work in bringing the joy of wild foods to our community.

Happy foraging, everyone!

Enjoy the process of learning and feel empowered.

We learn one plant or mushroom at a time. 🌱🍄

Hope we catch you again soon!

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Come learn about wild mushrooms with Luke during our FIRST Explore & Learn Mushroom Hike: tomorrow, Thurs, May 16, from 6-7:15pm at Johnson Park! You’re never too young or too old to learn, and mushrooms are truly fascinating in so many ways. 😍🍄🍄‍🟫

You can learn more about this class + sign up to join via our webpage at https://iyewellness.com/calendar-and-booking/

$15 or you can use your class pack!

Hope to see you there!

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It was so nice to start off our Sunday in nature with a spring foraging adventure! Yesterday at foraging class we taught about pearl oyster mushrooms, bee balm, pheasant back mushroom (aka, dryads saddle) and common violet.

We also enjoyed some violet and dandelion cookies made by Katie, in honor of Mother’s Day!

While Mother’s Day means something different for all of us, it was a joy to share such a lovely morning with each of you. For Katie, it was her first Mother’s Day, and this was very special!

We’re excited to head back out and see what wild foods we find during our next foraging class on Sunday, June 9, from 10:30-11:30am. Sign up is open via and we hope to see you there!

Wishing you all a great day today.

Thanks again for coming out! ☀️🌱

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There is such beauty in this world. Wow! Did it align for anyone else to see the Northern Lights last night? Boy are we tired today, but what a blessing to catch these views! 😍

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Always a joy to spend an evening at the library! A big thanks to those who came out yesterday for our first 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 program of 2024, at the Byron Township Branch.

We have more opportunities to join us for this program at various libraries around the Grand Rapids region this summer, so stay tuned for more chances to join!

The next 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 program is at the Grandville KDL Branch next Weds, May 15, 6:30-7:30pm. Again, it’s fully sponsored - no cost to you to join! 🌱

For more info head the IYE newsletter linked in our bio - or simply show up that eve. We’d love to see you there!

Thanks KDL! 📚

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Are you free tonight & looking for something fun to do? Come join us at the Byron Township Branch for our 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 program, from 6:30-7:30pm!

This beginner-level foraging class is designed and led by our guides Katie and Luke, and it is FULLY SPONSORED by the library - making it no cost for you and your family to attend. Thanks KDL! 😄

You can learn more about the class via our May Newsletter linked in our bio, or simply show up this eve at 6:30pm.

We’d love to see you there! 🧺🌱

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Want to learn all about Michigan’s wild mushrooms!? Come join us for our NEW once monthly 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚 & 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙃𝙞𝙠𝙚, kicking off next Thurs, May 16, 6-7:15pm at Johnson Park in Grand Rapids!

During this class we’ll take a walk in the forest together and hunt for mushrooms. When someone finds one, the group will pause & our wild mushroom expert Luke will tell you all about it!

We’ll discuss all mushrooms encountered, whether they are edible, medicinal, poisonous, or none-of-the-above.

Our goal is to help you expand your knowledge of mushroom anatomy, learn how to ID different types of mushrooms, and appreciate how the mushrooms we spot on the landscape change across the seasons.

Sign up is open via our Calendar & Booking page linked in our bio ✍️

$15 or use your IYE class pack
Kids under 12 are free, must be accompanied by an adult

We hope you can join!

🍄🍄🍄

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We’ve been having a grand ol’ morel season! Nature is generous, and we love the time among the trees & with friends! 😍🧺

Morel hunts around MI this year have offered us commons, half-frees, and blacks.

We’re hoping to bring another Morel Workshop your way again next year, if we can find a private land partner to team up with again! (It’s too hard to guarantee morels on public land, so we only host these workshops when we have a private land partner.)

If you have private land and you suspect you may have morels + would be interested in partnering up with us for a morel hunt, give us a holler!

We’d love to chat!

Now..for some very tasty dinner pasta. 🍄‍🟫

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So much gratitude to everyone who joined for Guided Shinrin-yoku at Blandford Nature Center last night! It was an absolutely beautiful spring evening to be out, with deer wandering close by, water views, geese swimming, frogs croaking, and fresh young leaves + flowers filling up the tree canopy. 🌸🌿

It’s always such a joy to guide these experiences and connect to so many nice people in the process.

In the words of Mary Oliver, “I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.”

It rings true!

Our next 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙧𝙞𝙣-𝙮𝙤𝙠𝙪: 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩 & 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 event at Blandford is on Thursday, June 6, 6-7:45pm. We’re excited to head back into nature together & hope you be there! Sign up is open via our linktree at https://linktr.ee/iyewellness if you’d like to join us.

Til next time, be well everyone! Wishing you many peaceful moments outside. ☀️🌳

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Happy May, everyone! Wow is spring in full swing, and we have a BUNCH of classes this month to help you get outside & enjoy the special qualities of this season while it’s still here. Here’s a peek! 👇👀

🌳 Thurs, May 2, 6-7:45pm at Blandford Nature Center: Guided Shinrin-yoku, Rest & Restore in Nature

☕️ Sat, May 11, 9:30am-12pm at Cascade Peace Park: Spring Awakening, Guided Shinrin-yoku & Cacao Meditation, with

🌱 Sun, May 12, 10:30-11:30am at Cascade Peace Park: Foraging and Wild Tending Class

🍄 Thurs, May 16, 6-7:15pm at Johnson Park: Explore & Learn Mushroom Hike (NEW MONTHLY CLASS!)

🌲 Sat, May 25, 10-11am at Provin Trails: Spring Forest Bathing Class

…you can also catch us teaming up with for TWO “Wild World of Foraging” programs at various library branches, on May 9 and May 15!

To learn more about any of these classes and to sign up, head to the linktree in our bio. Our May Newsletter is jam packed with info, or you can head straight to the calendar + booking page to sign up.

Hope to see you in the forest soon!

It’s good to be back. 😊☀️

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Life is full of ups and downs, so when the sweet moments are offered to you, wow is it everything to pause and be present. 🫶

We’re really feeling this lately, and as we approach a special weekend for our family, we’re going to take a little time away from social media to really lean into it!

I will be turning 36 years old on Friday!

My little brother is getting married this weekend!

Our baby girl Anna is officially CRAWLING and cracking us up daily!

And on top of all that, the rain we just received will make it an AWESOME weekend to pop outside and do a little mushroom hunting between festivities.

Life is sweet, indeed!

Wishing you all a wonderful couple days and time to be present with the good things.

We’ll be back next week!

— Katie

☀️🌱☀️

Feeling grateful for these wonderful people and the surprise of sunshine at Spring Forest Bathing Class this morning!

The ephemeral flowers were in bloom, and the slower pace of nature slowly unfolded around us we patiently and quietly arrived. A morning in the forest is truly such a great way to start the day.

To those who came, thank you for being there! Hope you continue to enjoy the beauty in the details over the rest of the weekend, in both your indoor and outdoor moments. ☀️🌱

Our next Spring Forest Bathing Class is on Sat, May 25, 10-11am back at Provin Trails.

Sign up is open if you’d like to join!

Til next time, all the best and sending goodness your way.

🌲🪻🌲

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Is anyone else out there just absolutely DELIGHTING in the return of green on the landscape? Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can brighten your mood. Today, for me, it’s this. 🫶🌿

Hope you have some time to get outside on this beautiful, sunny Friday, west Michigan!

Even five minutes can be a self-love gift.

Pause and look up, my friend.

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Need some time to slow down and reconnect? Spring Forest Bathing Class with Katie is at Ken-o-Sha Park THIS Saturday, April 20, 10-11am. We’d love to have you there with us! 🌱☀️

We’re excited to switch it up from our typical meeting location at Provin Trails this month, heading to a beautiful deciduous forest to enjoy spring wildflowers, the oak, maple and sycamore trees, scents of spicebush, the sparkle of sunlight on the water and so much more.

We have a small and lovely group coming together, and we’re in for a beautiful sunny morning in nature!

Details below. We hope to see you there!

🪻🪻🪻

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Spring Forest Bathing Class
Ken-O-Sha Park, Grand Rapids, MI
10-11am, Sat, April 20
$13 or use your IYE class pack
Sign up: https://iyewellness.com/calendar-and-booking/

A BIG thanks to everyone who came out for our back-to-foraging classes today! WOW is the land abundant, with lots to chat about. It was great to narrow in and focus on a few of the wonderful ephemeral plants on the landscape, along with those plants that are in a prime growth phase for harvest.

🌸 Stinging nettle - ramps - spring beauty - sheep sorrel - cleavers - redbud - mash marigold…the list goes on!

Always appreciative of this wonderful land we call home, and after the winter, springtime always bumps the admiration up a whole new level.

Great to share this with so many of you today!

Our next foraging class is on Sunday, May 12, 10:30-11:30am at Peace Park. Sign up is open via our bio if you’d like to join!

We have additional foraging class opportunities planned for May too, with feature announcements to be shared soon!

Til next time, enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday everybody.

Happy foraging! 🌱☀️

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