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The Tennessee Truffle Boom
Truffles have long been collected in the wild, but have been a bitch to grow under controlled conditions. Getting the fungus to grow in the lab is relatively easy, but they rarely produce truffles in controlled conditions. To form the valuable 'fruit' the fungus seems to need to connect to the roots of certain trees and form a symbiotic relationship. Many scientists believe that this 'infection' needs to happen to young trees, and the trees and fungus need to grow together for several years before truffles are formed. So seedlings are inoculated, planted, and a long wait begins. Tom Michaels (the driving force behind the first commercial US harvest) got his Ph.D. studying the secrets of the truffle life cycle. He has 20 acres of hazelnut trees where the truffle fungus is established, and expects his harvest to increase dramatically as the trees continue to mature. Michaels picked an area of Tennessee where the soils and climate are similar to the truffle growing regions of Europe. Other growers in nearby North Carolina have also reported initial success. One expert estimates the typical yield of truffles in France at 6 to 18 ounces per tree. If Tom Michaels can get that kind of yield from his 2,5000 hazelnut trees, it might bring in $2 million in a good year. Not bad for 20 acres. But truffles can be very fickle - fluctuations in the weather and the alignment of the planets can turn production on and off in mysterious ways. Truffles are being cultivated in Australia and New Zealand. The Te Arai Estate in New Zealand claims they obtain world record harvests of over 100 Kg per hectare. In non-metric terms, that is around 90 pounds per acre (and at $800/per pound, that is $72,000 per acre). The New Zealanders also claim their trees start to yield in as little as 4 years, compared to 7 years or more that is typical elsewhere. Truffles also grow in association with a variety of hardwood species, especially the oaks. One English company sells small oak trees inoculated with the truffle fungus for 65 Pounds Sterling. Another English company has a small truffle farm (trufferie) in France where individuals can buy a share that represents one tree; each year, the owners are shipped the truffles that grow in their tree's plot. Ultimately, the widespread production of truffles might bring the price down. That would be bad for growers, but good for consumers. Maybe someday someone will find that secret to growing truffles like shiitake or button-mushrooms, without all the uncertainties of tree-fungus symbiosis. That would take some of the mystique out of the truffle. I'm hoping that they taste just as good. Related Links
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