The Outside Institute

The Outside Institute Nature walks. Foraging classes. Forest immersion. Plant workshops. Trail snacks and botanical mixolo Explore. Discover. Grow. Have fun with flora, fauna & fungi.

Experience the wonders of nature in upstate NY. Learn new skills and dive into the world of outdoor beauty.

Join me on the trail next Sunday morning to see what’s popping in the forest. The petrichor is powerful right now and th...
08/22/2026

Join me on the trail next Sunday morning to see what’s popping in the forest. The petrichor is powerful right now and the woods are redolent of the sweet decay that marks the end of summer. Don’t miss this special microseason of fruiting abundance. Link in bio to sign up - just a few spots left! 🍄‍🟫🍄🌲🌳🌻🍇🍇🍒🦅🦨🐿️🦌💚

This magical creature NOMADIC THREAD SOCIETY and I are co-hosting Elemental Catskills, October 14-18, in Sullivan County...
08/21/2026

This magical creature NOMADIC THREAD SOCIETY and I are co-hosting Elemental Catskills, October 14-18, in Sullivan County. What is a nature, craft + culture immersion? It’s time spent in wonder—exploring, discovering, learning, creating, reflecting, processing, connecting to the land. It’s healing in nature, getting inspired by local artists and artisans, and sharing experiences and insights with like-minded seekers. Nicole and I will be your guides, gently turning you away from the usual “shopping & dining highlights” that make up so much of modern travel and toward a richer, more soul satisfying way of moving through the world with your eyes and heart open. Sign up closes 9/15. Link in bio for details or DM with questions. 🍁💚

Learning to distill sweetfern today with the lovely Sasha Botanica Yet another way to draw closer to plants and apprecia...
08/20/2026

Learning to distill sweetfern today with the lovely Sasha Botanica Yet another way to draw closer to plants and appreciate their healing magic. I feel a copper still is in my future. 💚💚

It’s been the year of the Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces strobilaceus). These grizzled boletes with their salt-&-pe...
08/19/2026

It’s been the year of the Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces strobilaceus). These grizzled boletes with their salt-&-pepper coloring and scruffy five-o-clock shadows are not considered a choice edible, but I think they’re OK when harvested young when their pores are firm and the stem breaks with a crisp snap. I prefer to dehydrate them and grind them with other mushrooms to mix with salt for an umami seasoning. Swipe to see how they oxidize red when cut and even guttate a blood-like liquid. 👴🩸🍄‍🟫

This striking toothed crust fungus, Radulomyces copelandii, is also known as the hanging needle fungus. Its other common...
08/18/2026

This striking toothed crust fungus, Radulomyces copelandii, is also known as the hanging needle fungus. Its other common name, Asian Beauty, derives from its continent of origin, but this white-rot saprophyte is now a common sight in Northeastern forests. Among the many ways a non-native species can disrupt an ecosystem is how this one accelerates the decay rate of dead wood, altering the physical stability of the forest floor and shifting the timeline for how micro-habits dissolve and recycle nutrients back into the soil. But she sure is pretty. 🦷

This dramatic and giant fishing spider was in our shed. It’s a semi-aquatic arachnid that is an active ambush hunter, us...
08/17/2026

This dramatic and giant fishing spider was in our shed. It’s a semi-aquatic arachnid that is an active ambush hunter, using fine hairs on its legs (and trailing silk safety dragline) to walk on water, where it can catch tadpoles and small fish. It injects a paralyzing venom that is mostly harmless to humans, which it tends to avoid. 🎣🕷️

Hand for scale. It’s bolete bananas out there, my friends! 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫 Thanks to all the fledgling foragers who join...
08/16/2026

Hand for scale. It’s bolete bananas out there, my friends! 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫 Thanks to all the fledgling foragers who joined us on the trail yesterday to hunt for fruiting fungi. (I love alliteration!) And a special shout-out to Lori Nelson for her eagle eye and bottomless well of fun-gal expertise! Still a couple of spots left for our next outing in Sunday 8/30. Link in bio to sign up 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫

Two spots just opened up for our Mushroom Hunt on Saturday! Grab them before someone else does 🍄‍🟫🍄🍄‍🟫🍄🍄‍🟫🍄🍄🍄‍🟫
08/13/2026

Two spots just opened up for our Mushroom Hunt on Saturday! Grab them before someone else does 🍄‍🟫🍄🍄‍🟫🍄🍄‍🟫🍄🍄🍄‍🟫

It goes on and on! Is there such a thing as too many chanterelles? Maybe just too many to carry. After filling my bag wi...
08/13/2026

It goes on and on! Is there such a thing as too many chanterelles? Maybe just too many to carry. After filling my bag with five pounds, I left plenty behind for the critters. Did you know that squirrels dry and stash mushrooms to eat during the lean times? That’s not ideal with chanterelles, which can become bitter when dried, but it actually enhances the flavor of black trumpets and porcini.

This is a reminder to you that the more you look for wild mushrooms, the better chance you will have of finding some. Funny how that works. So get outside! 🍄‍🟫💚🍄‍🟫💚

I struck gold. Yesterday’s haul blew my mind. I was delirious. Not since 2018 have I seen this kind of fungal explosion....
08/12/2026

I struck gold. Yesterday’s haul blew my mind. I was delirious. Not since 2018 have I seen this kind of fungal explosion. We feasted on chanterelles with shallots, butter, cream and pasta last night. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫💚💚💚

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