# Wild Mushroom Certification



## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

It's that time of year again.
Midwest American Mycological Information (MAMI) has scheduled the Wild Mushroom Foraging Certification Program again this year. The workshops and exam will be held starting the middle of April in Hessel, East Lansing, and Marquette. 

http://www.midwestmycology.org/Workshops/Workshops.html


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Thanks petronius!!
Very interesting forsure, the "sample only test" was fun.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

I took the class a few years back and passed it barrrely. It is a fun class amd not easy but very informitive


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

I took it last year April 15th. It was easier than it should have been.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Wild Mushroom Certification List

MDARD Certified Experts
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/Passed_Certifications72815_495538_7.pdf


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

I looked for my name on that list and was surprised to see my husband listed. His cert expires in 2022 just like mine and he didn't even take the test! 

I see another person listed from my tiny town. I'll have to look her up. She only lives 4 miles from me. It would be so nice to have a picking buddy!


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Anyone planning to take the test in April?

I want to take it in East Lansing.


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

petronius said:


> Anyone planning to take the test in April?
> 
> I want to take it in East Lansing.


In a couple years maybe petronius.

Heck I have a hard enough time trying to give away shrooms to the locals I find much yet trying to sell them, I did finally meet a gent that wanted to try the lobsters I sauteed up and frooze and he and his family loved them, so if I get lucky with a decent year at least I have a home for any excess of them.


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

For those wanting to take the test this year your best bet is to get a hold of the book that comes with the test. They give it to you the morning of the test but it's a lot of info. I used the online version of the book last year to study but it was incomplete. I haven't looked to see if it's been updated. I imagine it has.


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## rugbym10sflyu (Jan 19, 2011)

I signed up for the east lansing class this year and they sent my book a couple weeks ago


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

rugbym10sflyu said:


> I signed up for the east lansing class this year and they sent my book a couple weeks ago


I didn't get a book. Were they supposed to send one?


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## rugbym10sflyu (Jan 19, 2011)

petronius said:


> I didn't get a book. Were they supposed to send one?


I might send an e-mail to make sure you get one. I haven't been told anything yet about when the class starts though...


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

rugbym10sflyu said:


> I might send an e-mail to make sure you get one. I haven't been told anything yet about when the class starts though...


Registration starts at 8:30 while the class starts at 9:00 am on 4/21/2018.
http://www.midwestmycology.org/Workshops/Workshops.html

Right after I replied to you, I sent an email to Chris Wright, Executive Director of MAMI.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

rugbym10sflyu said:


> I might send an e-mail to make sure you get one. I haven't been told anything yet about when the class starts though...


If I don't get an email back real soon, I'm going to call them.

Ok, I called already. If Chris Wright calls me back, I can go to his place and pick it up. He's located a couple of blocks from my doctor's office.


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

We were not supplied a book until we arrived to take the class. I suppose if one was supplied 100% of the test takers would have passed. I spent hours researching each species plus all the poisonous species. 

I guess I'm just a better mushroom identifier because of all the extra work. I feel very confident in my identification skills compared to my bestest buddy whom I met at the test in East Lansing last year. She doesn't know anything and still passed with 81%. So says she knows how to take tests.

I'm really glad I met her last year. We may be headed down to the First Annual Paynetown moral foray on the 21st. We spent a lot of time together last year not finding morels. We also had a blast picking blueberries in da UP.

Mushroom people are the greatest!


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## DanSS26 (Jul 10, 2008)

Can anyone tell me the name of the book and if it can be obtained without taking the class. I would want to study it for a long time before signing up for the test.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

rugbym10sflyu said:


> I might send an e-mail to make sure you get one. I haven't been told anything yet about when the class starts though...


I got a reply to my email asking if a book was going to be sent out. I also called and left a voice mail. I received a one word answer to my email. It said "Yes." that was it, nothing else. i sent another email offering to pick the book up since I live not too for from the address MAMI uses. I got nothing back. What kind of outfit is running this certification program? They better get on the ball. My next step will be contacting someone from the state.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

DanSS26 said:


> Can anyone tell me the name of the book and if it can be obtained without taking the class. I would want to study it for a long time before signing up for the test.


Take a look at this site MAMI has for mushroom study. I am looking through this site, but i prefer to use a book.

http://www.midwestmycology.org/Mushrooms/Mushroom Study.html

I also picked up a couple of books from the library. _Mushrooms Of The Midwest _and _Mushroom And Other Fungi Of North America_.


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

The course is tiny bit funny when I compare it to Germany.....Just one day and than you become an expert.....


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Well ive been a shroomer for a long time now. And i personally did not find the test easy. I knew all the subject shrooms that were in it amd still almost didnt pass. Over 50% of the class didnt pass. So not sure how it is so easy. Maybe we were all just that dumb.


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## magtech (Aug 3, 2010)

Certification to know about mushrooms... Who knew you needed a piece of paper to understand the wilderness, lol.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

magtech said:


> Certification to know about mushrooms... Who knew you needed a piece of paper to understand the wilderness, lol.


But the certification is not for the gatherer who will be keeping their horde. It is to hold someone accountable if non approved mushrooms are sold.


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

I assume your are going to sell the 5 mushroom you know. But I'm still shocked that there is no possibility to become a certified expert. The videos on YouTube are unfortunately so so and some of the information are not very good explained and might be dangerous.
And mushrooms are a lifelong learning process which does not stop with a certification....


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

magtech said:


> Certification to know about mushrooms... Who knew you needed a piece of paper to understand the wilderness, lol.


I would say that EDUCATION is important to understand wilderness and certifications are in this point useful that they force you to learn. I'm surprised how many mushrooms here are not know especially according if eatable or not if you open a mushroom book. There is not much research in this point to close the lack of knowledge as far as I see it


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Acetylcholin99 said:


> I assume your are going to sell the 5 mushroom you know. But I'm still shocked that there is no possibility to become a certified expert. The videos on YouTube are unfortunately so so and some of the information are not very good explained and might be dangerous.
> And mushrooms are a lifelong learning process which does not stop with a certification....


I don’t know if I will ever sell any foraged mushrooms. It depends on how some long range plans work out. 

This certification is not designed to give someone a degree, if you want that, take some college courses. It is set up so that people can identify the commonly used Michigan mushrooms.


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

It's nothing about a degree its more about identifying mushrooms on a regular base. The study process should stop with a certification. You post


petronius said:


> I don’t know if I will ever sell any foraged mushrooms. It depends on how some long range plans work out.
> 
> This certification is not designed to give someone a degree, if you want that, take some college courses. It is set up so that people can identify the commonly used Michigan mushrooms.


It's not about a certification or course because this want help you to avoid mistakes. It's more about studying and learn how to identify sth. When I open a book I like to know poisons or not and a description of unknown is in my eyes not satisfied. Maybe I compare to much with Europe but there you have some books with about 3200 mushrooms with detailed statement eatable or not. You have a very good webpage where you can mark the color of cap, gills, where they grow and the website tells which mushroom are more like that one you are holding in your hand. 
The next thing which is very important ( according the youtube link u send us) would be a word about the trees the mushrooms grow on that might help you to identify mushrooms too or explains why chicken in the wood may be not well tolerate when growing on special trees.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Acetylcholin99 said:


> It's nothing about a degree its more about identifying mushrooms on a regular base. The study process should stop with a certification. You post
> 
> 
> It's not about a certification or course because this want help you to avoid mistakes. It's more about studying and learn how to identify sth. When I open a book I like to know poisons or not and a description of unknown is in my eyes not satisfied. Maybe I compare to much with Europe but there you have some books with about 3200 mushrooms with detailed statement eatable or not. You have a very good webpage where you can mark the color of cap, gills, where they grow and the website tells which mushroom are more like that one you are holding in your hand.
> The next thing which is very important ( according the youtube link u send us) would be a word about the trees the mushrooms grow on that might help you to identify mushrooms too or explains why chicken in the wood may be not well tolerate when growing on special trees.


We have all of that information available to us if we want to look at it.


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

Could you tell me which one. Cus so far what I saw I was tiny bit disappointed....


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Ok, so i got an email from Chris Wright at MAMI listing the areas that you need to know for all 20 mushrooms along with the genius and species name. 

I'm taking a break now and will be studying more tomorrow.


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## celticcurl (Apr 4, 2012)

Acetylcholin99 said:


> Could you tell me which one. Cus so far what I saw I was tiny bit disappointed....


Buy some books... use Google...


I have 30 mushroom identification books and I read them. I compare them to each other... I look to see what Wikipedia has to say...I use websites such as Mushroom Expert... I see what kind of you tube videos are out there and watch them. Some are terrible but some such as Learn Your Land are very good.

Join a mushroom club. Those old guys and gals are very helpful and knowledgeable. 

I'm not sure what you are looking for. The perfect website that will teach you everything there is to know about mushrooms? Can't you just use the one you mentioned from Europe? 

I used to frequent Roger's Mushrooms before it was shut down. I know it's European but it was still helpful.

And why should the study process stop with certification? That is just ridiculous.



Acetylcholin99 said:


> It's nothing about a degree its more about identifying mushrooms on a regular base. The study process should stop with a certification.


.


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## jeffm (Sep 20, 2008)

Amen


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

There are people who stop studying cus they have the certification but I agree that you never should stop studying. What I learned is the fact that you cant compare the mushrooms from Europe with them in other contents. I don't know if its true but this is something all the experts in Europe will tell you. I looked at some books even that one from the american mycological society and found many mushrooms which were unknown if eatable or not.... never found sth in Europe.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Rugbym10sflyu and I passed the mushroom certification exam.


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## Acetylcholin99 (Apr 11, 2018)

petronius said:


> Rugbym10sflyu and I passed the mushroom certification exam.


Congrats!!!


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## rugbym10sflyu (Jan 19, 2011)

oh yeah, me n petronius slayed that exam!


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## tglow (Jun 4, 2009)

Congrats! Wife and I sat in to get educated and really enjoyed class. We we're novices and maybe foraged 6 kinds and are now excited about the variety available. We don't plan on selling, but love eating mushrooms. 
We are proud that Michigan, MSU, Mdard, are at the forefront of NATIONAL certification.
They said after today there may be close to 400 people certified compared to 7 like 3 years ago.
BOOYAA!


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

tglow said:


> Congrats! Wife and I sat in to get educated and really enjoyed class. We we're novices and maybe foraged 6 kinds and are now excited about the variety available. We don't plan on selling, but love eating mushrooms.
> We are proud that Michigan, MSU, Mdard, are at the forefront of NATIONAL certification.
> They said after today there may be close to 400 people certified compared to 7 like 3 years ago.
> BOOYAA!


I talked to a guy from Indiana. His friend is involved with the Indiana certification process and was at the class to check out our certification process. BTW, he took the test and passed.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

There were many who came just for the class. I think around 10 or so took the test but did not pass.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

tglow said:


> Congrats! Wife and I sat in to get educated and really enjoyed class. We we're novices and maybe foraged 6 kinds and are now excited about the variety available. We don't plan on selling, but love eating mushrooms.
> We are proud that Michigan, MSU, Mdard, are at the forefront of NATIONAL certification.
> They said after today there may be close to 400 people certified compared to 7 like 3 years ago.
> BOOYAA!


Dr. Greg Bonito is really into his work and was a character. He made his portion of the class fun.

Did you and your wife sign up for the exam too or just for the class portion?


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

celticcurl said:


> Buy some books... use Google...
> 
> 
> I have 30 mushroom identification books and I read them. I compare them to each other... I look to see what Wikipedia has to say...I use websites such as Mushroom Expert... I see what kind of you tube videos are out there and watch them. Some are terrible but some such as Learn Your Land are very good.
> ...


I was poking around on the web and saw you are a member of the Michigan Morels forums, and I recognized another name or two as members here. What do yo think of that site?


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