Grow Your Own Truffles
Usually one thinks of collecting truffles as a solitary activity carried out in secrecy at dead of night. However it is now possible to buy trees already inoculated with truffle spores.
Contrary to common belief commercial cultivation is nothing new. Truffles have been cultivated since the 1800s and reached a peak in France in the late 19th century. Large tracts of land were freed during this century by the spread of the fungus phylloxera which destroyed many vineyards. Also, the French silk industry collapsed when disease killed the silk worms, making mulberry trees redundant.
It was only with a shift of population from country to town, and the devastation of the First World War that cultivation on a mass scale declined. In recent times, Australia and New Zealand have been successfully cultivating truffles. It remains to be seen whether it takes off in this country.
Truffles are, of course, a fungus and “ectomycorrhizal”, that is they are found in association with plant roots, and have a symbiotic relationship with the trees they grow under. The first cultivation of truffles was achieved in France by planting acorns from an oak that was known to have truffles growing at its roots. Truffles prefer oaks, beech, hazels or poplars, and like sun and a moist, alkaline soil. You will have to be patient though – it takes 5-8 years for them to start fruiting.
Although truffles are associated with France and Italy (Piedmont), there are many different varieties that grow all over the world. They do grow wild in this country too, and the most common is the white, summer truffle (not to be confused, however, with the white Alba truffle from Italy which commands such high prices but cannot be grown here unfortunately!)
Despite its reputation as a luxury food, French and Italian peasants associated the truffle with famine. As the food writer, Elizabeth Luard, explains in her book, truffles were a cash crop. The peasants who collected them only ate them in times of war and hardship, when the market had collapsed. They were used to flavour a pot of beans when no meat was available.
Having planted your inoculated tree and watched it grow, how do you find your truffle? Trained dogs are preferred to pigs because they don’t root and are less likely to eat what they find! Alternatively, some people say all you need is a stick to disturb the flies (there is a variety of fly which is particularly associated with truffles) and watch where they fly up. A disturbance in the earth where they have swelled is another sign. Good hunting!
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Discussion
How do I find out if my deciduous Woodlands in the South East of England have indigenous truffles ,if there is such a thing? Or failing that how do I find out if the soil conditions/ecosystem could support the commercial growth of truffles and, if so, which type?
The question of tree inoculation and truffle species identification is quite a science. Even scientists pose themselves questions as there are a variability of features within the same species. Certain truffle species lose their perfume when cooked…the ‘British truffle ‘ does not exist as there are many different species of various commercial values. The local truffles may have no commercial value, foreign truffles may not grow.
The growing of a truffle plantation requires appropriate ground, trees, inoculum ( not serum) and working the ground just like for any other crop. Many fail or succeed to have anything 20 years later, and it may be the wrong type of truffles. For those that succeed, like some claim…they became experts and have failed many times before that. Advances have helped but the experts go back to the ‘old manuals’ too.
To be practical and minimize your risks, ask yourself if there are any truffles and what species they are, LOCALLY. If there are some, let me know! Best time ? In October many species can be found. Any other time and you will find a restrictive number of potential species. Many are only of scientific interest, some too rare to harvest.
The second thing, if you want to succeed, is a survey of the area and plot. If you do not want to spend money, just plant trees and wait…some of the british land have already inoculum, it just needs a little magic of the right environment to make it happen. If this was not true, there would be no truffles in the UK, and this is not correct. On the other hand… it may be mushroom type or bracket type mycelium and what a deception!
Ask yourself : What do you I want to achieve?
We will buy and use certain inoculum only.
I hope this is helpfull.
How do I obtain inoculated trees, please?
I have noticed various adverts for inocculated trees that will hopefully produce truffles. However, I have a five acre field in Suffolk that has been left fallow for over 10 years and has over 150 oak saplings (quercus robur)of up to 9 years old. In addition I also have about two dozen oaks of 3 to 12 years old in pots. The ground is clay and slow draining in wet weather but is very hard with many cracks in very dry conditions, the PH according to a Guardman meter is 8.1. Is there anyone who sells the truffle serum, as a large number of young trees are already available?
Jennifer- We ID truffles free of charge for our research, so if you find any truffle-looking fungi please send pictures and a description of habitat to the email addresses on our website: http://www.PlantationSystems.com
We’re harvesting quite large amounts of British truffles at the moment!
Paul
“I believe my dog dug up a truffle. I have photo’s of it but am not sure how to identify it as a truffle. Any help would be appreciated.”
Jennifer – contact Dr Paul Thomas above who would be able to identify for you.
Anyone else – my labrador Dolly is trained to hunt for truffles and is having great success this year. Anyone having suitable land or has found some and would like us to have a look please e mail at [email protected]. Sites have proved to be very prolific this year.
i’ve just found out that truffle is worth a fortune and i’m interested in growing it. may you please sent me some dtails on how. =]
Kind regards joshua Haligowski
I believe my dog dug up a truffle. I have photo’s of it but am not sure how to identify it as a truffle. Any help would be appreciated.
In my country, Nigeria, especially in the southern rain-forests, if you plant a finger, a whole body can grow from it. We have so many types of mushrooms growing; but do Trufflles grow in Africa, particularly west Africa? I will like to grow and collect Truffles fo commercial puposes. GBOYEGA.
Hi Jackie
if you can email me at [email protected] and attach a picture I will try and identify it
Have a nice day
regards
Mel
My husband believes that we have a truffle growing in our garden. It is partially underground and is very hard with a dark brown skin. Could anyone help me identify if it is in fact a truffle?
Hi
Andy are you able to upload a picture it would make identification easier.
Does anyone have truffles to sell or swap .If you do please contact me on my web site or email.I don’t want industrial quantities just a few to take a look at to see what all the fuss is about
Have a great day many thanks
Mel
I am finding small round black mushrooms under my large weeping willow couls these be truffle? They are the size of a ping pong ball and are growing in the sandy soil
Hi there, I just stumbled across this.
Gary- we would buy the native truffles, pretty much whatever you can throw at us! Please contact on the below web address.
Mesplants- we have recorded wild finds from as far north as the Scottish borders (Lothian) and the only reason that I think we don’t have finds any further north is due to a lack of suitable natural-soil conditions. I believe they can be grown further north with adequate soil amendment. We even have trees in Finland that are performing well!
To buy trees, grow truffles commercially or sell your truffles… please contact us from http://www.PlantationSystems.com
Hi Gary
I an interested to know if you managed to sell the truffles. Also does any one know how far north they will grow .I live near cambridge and am quite interested in planting a few trees
Mel
Gary Birtley, I suggest you contact some upmarket restaurants and ask them if they want to buy. Or you could look for auctioneers who deal with truffles.
Hello there i have found a lot of native truffles this year.
Can anybody tell me where to go to sell them in the UK.
how do i get an inoculated tree?
I realise that you have only people who ‘recommend’ others, and I give a reason why you have to be careful…if you can speak french there are many ‘blogs’ on truffles where you will see disgruntled planters of truffle trees.
see http://www.grosol.co.uk for a different type of research, in the living environment compared to the lab.
http://www.truffiere.org/icadres.html and their “mag’ de la truffe” on the menu ‘liens’
Hi,
If you have a woodland, you may have truffles if the ground, soil, ecosystems are correct. I have brought truffles on a piece of mixed woodland, high density in some patches. Therefore, I have been harvested my own truffles since 2003, now planting my own trees.
Before you buy any trees, do ask if they have had results and how many truffles on how many trees, first. Each country is different, and each site is different.
To encourage them you have to ‘redress’ the balance, not just inoculating. Many inoculated trees produce no truffles at all. The reasons are quite varied.
My team can do surveys to see if you have any truffles there. We can identify the smallest one if they are growing, or even rotten.
If they are there, then the ecosystem perhaps a patch only is right…but may not be for long! Competition is fierce.
We looked for a piece of woodland to buy, through this website and others…but found just one with potential, and just a tiny corner. For leisure this is just right, a place to teach yourself and your dog to practice finding truffles. The local park, with a corner of ignored copse, even with rubbish, might be right too!
Seriously…competition in nature is fierce, a lab is no comparison to being successful in the field (woodland there).
Even better, these guys are the real professionals: http://www.PlantationSystems.com
They seem to be heavily involved on the research side and work with growers in partnership
I haven’t looked into it at all, but this site seems to offer some more information on growing them here in the UK
http://www.truffle-uk.co.uk/TO_FO.php
very interesting read.can anyone supply further information on truffle growing in the UK and could it be done on a small commercial basis
How interesting! I would love to try growing them in our wood, has anyone had any success with an inoculated tree and if so could they recommend where to purchase them?
hi could any one tell me how to train your dog to find truffles or were i could read up more about truffles
meny thanks jo
jo gunner
17 May, 2010