Truffles are difficult to find and very expensive as a result! In 1994, black truffles sold for $350 to $500 a pound. In the United States, edible truffles are collected in the forests of Oregon and Washington. In Europe, most truffles are collected in France and Italy.
Truffle hunters in Italy and France use pigs and mixed-breed dogs to sniff out truffles. Dogs are preferred to pigs because pigs love to eat truffles. Notice the staff held by the truffle hunter in the picture with the pig. The hunter uses the staff to force the pig to back off, once the pig has located a truffle.
In Italy, truffle dogs are trained in several steps. First, the dog
is taught to retrieve a rubber ball. Next, a small bit of smelly
Gorgonzola cheese is substituted for the rubber ball. After the dog has
learned to retrieve the cheese, the cheese is hidden, forcing the dog to
sniff it out for a reward of food. Finally, a small truffle is substituted
for the cheese. The dog is trained to fetch, then dig up the truffle.
Dogs like other food better than truffles, so bread and other
treats are used for rewards. The night before a truffle hunt the dog is
not fed so it will be eager to find truffles for the treat. Some dogs take
the easy way out. They find and eat garbage buried by campers! Dogs
generally do not find young truffles because the odor is too weak. The
odor becomes stronger with age as the spores mature.
The value
of commercial truffles means that there are laws controlling their
collection. In Italy, for example, truffle collectors are tested and
licensed. There, organizations of land owners called cooperatives control
truffle hunting on their property. Unless you are a member of the
cooperative, you can be arrested for collecting truffles from cooperative
truffle beds.
In
North America, truffle collectors use three major clues to find truffles.
First, it must be warm and the soil moist. Truffles are often found 10 to
14 days after a heavy rain. The umbrella shaped mushrooms which pop up
after a good rain can be used as a kind of clock. Look for truffles after
these mushrooms have started to collapse.
Second, the right
trees must be present. Truffles are formed by fungi that are partners
(ectomycorrhizal) with certain trees. You
will not find truffles under maples, for instance, because maples do not
form ectomycorrhizae. Trees to use as clues include: pines, firs,
Douglas-fir, oaks, hazel nuts, hickories, birches, beeches, and
eucalyptus.
Third, truffles use animals for spore dispersal. In
North America, squirrels and chipmunks are the major wild animals
dispersing truffle spores. Search among the right trees for pits dug by
rodents in their own hunt for truffles. Pits do not guarantee success,
however! Rodents also dig pits searching for acorns, onion bulbs, and
beetle grubs.
The best success results from raking around fresh pits. Look for
pits not filled with leaves or other debris. I use a four-tine garden
cultivator with the handle shortened to 30 inches to rake leaves off the
surface and dig into the soil 3 or 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) . A good eye is
required as many truffles are small and colored red, brown, white, or even
black.
Bring a supply of small paper bags for taking your
truffles home. Write your collection notes on the bag before putting the
truffles inside it. Information on fresh appearance and habitat is often
needed to identify fungi. Note the color and shape of the truffle, and
what kind of trees are close by. The date and precise location are also
useful information. These data can help you understand when and where to
look next year.
Do not put truffles in sealed plastic bags. If
you do they will mold, get slimy, and smell bad! NEVER EAT ANY TRUFFLE, OR
OTHER FUNGUS, UNLESS IT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY AN EXPERT! You might
confuse the button stage of a poisonous mushroom with a truffle, or be
allergic.
Hunting truffles is like hunting buried treasure. Good luck!
Further Reading:
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Last
update: 7 Oct 96. © 1996, Robert Fogel, Ivins, UT 84738. Edited by Patricia Rogers.