Oak Valley Truffles
Investing in Stirling

The truffle is an edible fungus that grows underground through a symbiotic relationship with the roots of specific host trees. They have a pungent, intense, earthy fragrance and lend a unique flavor and aroma to food. The truffle is impaired in extremely small quantities and yet its flavor and aroma turn a standard offering of soup, chicken, meat or game into a gourmet experience. The dark truffle or Tuber Melanosporum, also known as the Perigord truffle, grows mainly in France and Italy and is the variety maximum commonly cultivated in a truffle orchard or trufferie. With a unique scent, they our sniffed out by trained pigs and dogs. Truffles in Europe occur below their native woodland trees of oak, poplar, willow and hazelnut. In the regions of France and Italy where truffles occur naturally the truffle harvests are decreasing over time. Now the entire of France produces less than 50 tonnes. However productivity from these orchards is relatively trivial compared to that collected in the spontaneous forests. Outer of Europe, the first black truffles were produced in 1991 on specially inoculated oak trees in Oregon, USA. The dismal truffle is not sought behind because of its appearance! The size can range from that of a marble, to almost the size of a soccer ball. Icon sized truffles (more than 500 grams) are highly sought after and premium prices are paid for top quality specimens. The fungus attaches to the nice roots of oak and hazelnut trees and has a very pleasing root structure of its own called mycelium. Behind about an hour, the dog becomes weary and is rested while the dog handler retraces the hunt path and excavates the located truffles. Grading will account for factors such as smell, size, shape, and feel of the truffle. Now the production of the total of Europe is Les than 50 tonnes and in poor years less than 10 tonnes. Production is decreasing whilst demand is increasing. The Oak Valley property was selected for the trufferie because the region has a same climate to the truffle growing regions in France. Adjoining the property to the northwest is a dam, which provides the town water supply for Manjimup. The region experiences a Mediterranean style climate with hot summers and relatively gentle winters. Hazelnut and English oak trees are planted in rows at a density of 500 trees per hectare. The hazelnut tree is considered a spontaneous undergrowth tree compared to the larger growing English oak. The soil moisture levels are closely monitored and adjustments made to the watering schedules to optimism growing conditions.