Aussie Truffles

[Papewaio]

Australia's truffling success

They knew nothing about truffles or truffle growing when they established it five years ago.

Despite the fact that the 500 trees are barely waist-high, they have already started producing truffles.

This is the deCorsie's first harvest and so far they have gathered around six kilograms of the black treasure. That does not sound much until you learn that a kilo of good quality truffles sells for USD $2,300.

Not bad at all, my parents first one fruited this year weighed only 40 grams and was the size of an egg. Too small for commerical resale, but it is the first so they had it with scrambled eggs.

The size of the Australian harvest - about 80 kilograms is likely to be produced this year - is dwarfed by France's annual haul of eight to 10 tons.

The Australian farms are really only just starting to go online... a lot of the farms are only at 1% of their current orchard capacity and they are adding more hazel and oaks... so in about ten years their yield should go up between 10 and a hundred fold.

[Strike For The South]

Whats a truffle?

[Keba]

It's a type of funghus/root, grows only underground. Comes in two varieties, white and black, rare and exceptionally valuable. Normally, specially trained dogs (or occasionally pigs) are used to find out where the things can be dug up. When buying the stuff, it is measured in grams. Usually found in Mediterranean Europe in a fairly thin area where the stuff can actually grows.

The taste is specific and easily detectable in most meals including it, nearly all of them European oddities, and nearly all of them specifically designed around the truffle as an ingerdient. Oh, and it stinks to high heaven, you know when there's a truffle around.

There is a local saying about it, you'll either love it or hate it ... there is no middle ground. About the only meal where I can tolerate the stuff is carpaccio (a form of heavily spiced raw meat, it kills the taste, you see).

[Louis VI the Fat]

The size of the Australian harvest - about 80 kilograms is likely to be produced this year - is dwarfed by France's annual haul of eight to 10 tons.

No wombat will ever outsniff our truffle sows!

Whats a truffle?

Heaven.

[Strike For The South]

Ill stay with my slasa thnak you very much

[Louis VI the Fat]

Ill stay with my slasa thnak you very much

Well should the sow fail to find some truffles you can always eat her instead.

That's the beauty of French cuisine.

[Pannonian]

Well should the sow fail to find some truffles you can always eat her instead.

That's the beauty of French cuisine.

[Bush]
The French don't have any good cooks. They don't even have a word for cuisine.
[/Bush]

[Louis VI the Fat]

But seriously. If Australia can do with truffles what they did with wine they are onto a real winner here. Truffles are worth their weight in gold. They require a mediterrenean climate, which only few places share: the med itself, California, Chile's west coast, South Africa's Cape region and parts of Australia. In short, the great wine regions.

The great thing about the last three is that they are on the southern hemisphere. Because, unlike wine, truffles are a seasonal commodity. Australia has a natural six month long monopoly on fresh truffles in the huge Asian market every year. I can only imagine the size of the pile of gold that awaits them once they can produce quality truffles in a large amount.

[Papewaio]

Yeap thats my parents retirement plan!

[AntiochusIII]

Yeap thats my parents retirement plan!

lol.

So, what colour of gold would you like to call that fungus thingie?

[Fragony]

Truffles. are. teh. bomb. It is a bit of a surprise for me that they can be cultivated, I thought they could only be found in the wild. They are immensily expensive, sounds like a good retirementplan to me.

Pasta + truffles = heaven.

ps, isn't digging for truffles too harsh a job for retired people?

If Australia can do with truffles what they did with wine they are onto a real winner here.

Shiraz, oh yeah.

[rory_20_uk]

Anything that makes France redundant is very welcome.

[yesdachi]

I was not aware that they could be farmed, how cool!

The saplings are infected with the tuber melanosporum fungus, which is specially imported from France, and then planted in chalky soil.

Not likely the diverse climate here in Michigan will allow such a retirement plan, better stick with the lotto.

[Vladimir]

I need land.

[yesdachi]

Does anyone know more about this from a horticultural standpoint? Couldn’t someone cultivate the fungus in a lab and grow them in a greenhouse? We can clone a sheep, split atoms, make fake diamonds and send a man to the moon but we can't grow a fungus in a garden?

[Oaty]

lol.

So, what colour of gold would you like to call that fungus thingie?

The Gold of Mold

[DemonArchangel]

Does anyone know more about this from a horticultural standpoint? Couldn’t someone cultivate the fungus in a lab and grow them in a greenhouse? We can clone a sheep, split atoms, make fake diamonds and send a man to the moon but we can't grow a fungus in a garden?

At this point though, it's simpler to allow the fungus to grow under the moist soil beneath the trees. A greenhouse is a rather complex set up involving a lot of expensive glass, and it's really not worth the price.

[whyidie]

At this point though, it's simpler to allow the fungus to grow under the moist soil beneath the trees. A greenhouse is a rather complex set up involving a lot of expensive glass, and it's really not worth the price.

A greenhouse is a rather complex setup involving a lot of expensive glass. Thats awesome.

Assuming the demand is there I wouldn't be suprised to see a revolution in the truffle market in the coming years. Heck, I'd even open it up to other fungi if they taste good. Cinamon Fungus, Apple Fungus, Xtrme Fungus, BBQ Fungus.

[Tribesman]

Truffles yum yum
A greenhouse is a rather complex setup involving a lot of expensive glass.
Yep that black glass is very expensive .


Not likely the diverse climate here in Michigan will allow such a retirement plan, better stick with the lotto.
Try North Carolina or Oregon for the expanding American growers .