NC Safe Mushroom Forager Certification Course
This is a mushroom forager certification class to meet the requirements of the North Carolina Food Code and the 2017 position statement issued by the Food Protection and Facilities Branch of the Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services. Class size is limited to 30 students.
The course is designed specifically for North Carolina and covers only the 16 varieties of wild mushrooms that can legally be sold in North Carolina. Our goal is to help you become not just certified but safe, proficient, and successful as a forager. We will cover all of the requirements laid out by the state of North Carolina as well as how to forage as a business, including tips on selling your mushrooms and how to set up a business spreadsheet.
The instructor is Ernie Wheeler, founder of The Fungal Network (formerly Borrowed Land Farm), who has been foraging wild mushrooms for over 20 years and has been selling foraged mushrooms in North Carolina since 2017, when the official position statement laid out the requirements to do so.
The course itself will run about 12 hours over two days, and will also include foraging as a group. After completion of the course, you will need to document two more forages and pass an at-home test to complete certification. Additionally, the first time you find each of the approved varieties, they will need to be confirmed (via photos) to be listed as approved for that variety.
The course cost includes all materials, a book, and a certification ID card that will link to your certification information on the NCWildMushrooms.com website.