Wild Mushroom Food Safety Certification - NEW YORK - SEPT 6-7, 2025 - VIRTUAL

This 5-year certification course meets the state health department criteria for the foraging and selling of wild mushrooms in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island.

Transitioning to Online Zoom Format (Until further notice):

Due to the convenience and demand for virtual access, this class will now be held entirely online via Zoom, making it easier for anyone across the country to attend! You will receive the same high-quality instruction, study materials, and interactive learning experience—all from the comfort of your own home.

Upon registration, participants will receive a study guide and class slides one month in advance of the course. These materials will help you prepare for the live Zoom sessions and the final exam. You will have 1 week to complete the online exam. 

No refunds will be available after the study materials have been sent via email. 

Class Highlights:

• Interactive Online Format: Join the class from anywhere with live, virtual lessons and real-time Q&A.
• Comprehensive Study Materials: Access your study guide and slides a month ahead to ensure you’re fully prepared.
• Certification for Safe Wild Mushroom Foraging and Selling: Upon successful completion of the course and exams, you’ll receive your 5-year certification.
• Limited Enrollment: Class size is limited to 40 participants to ensure a personalized and engaging experience. No refunds available, but transfers to another class may be possible in emergencies.

Course Schedule (subject to change):

Day 1:

• 9:00 AM: Virtual Arrival and Registration
• 9:15 AM: Permit Overview, Exam Description, and Mushroom Foraging Guidelines
• Topics: Safe harvesting, storage, packaging, and regulations across different states
• Focus: Handling and processing for resale, avoiding toxins, and ensuring safety
• 10:30 AM: Virtual Mushroom Hunt and Collection Overview
• 12:00 PM: Break (Lunch on your own; please bring your own)
• 1:00 PM: Gallery of Tested Species and Lookalikes (Interactive online discussion)
• 3:00-4:00 PM: Specimen Dissections and Discussion (fresh and dried examples)
• 4:00-5:00 PM: Review and Preparation for Exam

Day 2:

• 9:00 AM-12:00PM: Gallery of Permitted Mushroom Species and Features

Instructor:

Instructor: Anne-Marie Bilella
Anne-Marie is the Farmer, Baker, and Medicine-Maker at Bella Vista Farm in Georgia. With a passion for herbal medicine, wild weeds, mushrooms, and natural products, Anne-Marie combines her self-taught knowledge with formal education. In 2014, she completed a 10-month intensive herbal course with Patricia Kyritsi Howell of BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies.

Certified as a Wild Mushroom Forager and Seller, Anne-Marie also teaches the Wild Mushroom Safety Course through Mushroom Mountain. She runs her own herbal product line, Forager Chick, and offers guidance to homesteaders on herbal medicine, medicinal mushrooms, and wild plant identification. Anne-Marie is an author and blogger, contributing to her own blog, Aroma Culture Magazine, and Mother Earth News – Herbal Living blog.

Course Details:

• When: September 6-7, 2025 (SAT 9:00AM-5:00PM EST, SUN 9:00AM - 12:00PM EST)
• Where: Online via Zoom (Link provided after registration)
• Cost: $325
• Accommodations: Virtual—attend from wherever you are!

Other Info: 

NY Requirements: Harvest Log, Tracking numbers on Boxes and Invoices.

Guidance Document for Sale of Wild Harvested Mushrooms in NY.

Wild mushrooms harvested by an approved mushroom expert can be sold in NY retail markets and direct to NY state customers.

As of the moment, wild mushrooms are not approved for sale to NY restaurants as per NYSDOH.

This permit may be valid in other states that have adopted a Code 13 policy, your state will need to contact us to evaluate and approve this permit for your state’s food safety authority. 

According to state law, wild foraged mushrooms species must be individually inspected and found to be safe by an approved mushroom identification expert that: 

(A) Has met the requirements of knowledge and passed an exam and 

(B) Will harvest only those mushrooms species listed below (Check the Approved Species List for your state’s allowed species) : 

• Chanterelles (Cantharellus spp. Exception C. persicinus)
• Blue chanterelle (Polyozellus multiplex)
• Morels (Morchella spp.)
• Black trumpet (Craterellus fallax)
• Lobster (Hypomyces lactifluorum)
• Wood ears (Auricularia spp.)
• Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus spp. Exception L. persicinus)
• Beefsteak (Fistulina hepatica)
• Hedgehog (Hydnum repandum, H. albomagnum)
• Lions mane / Pom Pom / Bearded tooth / Bear’s head (Hericium spp.)
• Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp. Exception Pleurotus levis, P. dryinus)
• Cauliflower (Sparassis spp.)
• Maitake / Hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa)
• Blewit (Lepista nuda)
• Honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea, A. tabescens)
• Blue milky (Lactarius indigo)
• Golden and burgundy milkies (Lactarius corrugis, L.volemus, L. hygrophoroides)
• Pecan truffle (Tuber spp.)
• Puffballs (Lycoperdon spp., Calvatia spp.)
• Bolete species: King bolete / Cep / Porcini (Boletus edulis, B. chippewaensis)
• Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
• Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma curtisii, G. tsugae, G. sessile)
• Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)
• Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare)
• Shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus)
• Candycap mushroom (Lactarius rubidus, L. fragilis, L. camphoratus)
• Saffron milky (Lactarius deliciosus)
• Hawk’s wing (Sarcodon imbricatus)
• Enoki (Flammulina velutipes)
• Shrimp Russula (Russula xerampelina)
• Umbrella Polypore (Cladomeris umbellata)
• Green Quilted Russula (Russula virescens, Russula parvovirescens, Russula crustosa)