# Truffles instead of gold...



## lazersteve (Dec 3, 2007)

All,

Here's an interesting link about a giant truffle...

1.5 kg Truffle Sells for $330,000

Read this story and you might decide to start farming truffles instead of refining gold. :roll: :lol:


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## Seamus (Nov 13, 2008)

I must be in the wrong business. Looks like organic is a good way to make money. Or I could stick with what I know best, precious metals.


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## viacin (Nov 13, 2008)

To me, paying that much for something a dog dug up sounds crazy! I wonder how hard it really is to grow truffels. lol, this sounds like a new adventure. Throw them in a pot, add a lil water and some sunlight, and you have a million dollar fungus  There must be more to it than that, otherwise everyone would be doing it.


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## Harold_V (Nov 13, 2008)

Thanks for the link, Steve.

I've seen truffles once in my life----a year or so before I left Utah. There's an Italian deli (Granato's) where we bought our Greek cheese and other import provisions. We happened by one day to pick up our needs, and was informed that they had truffles available. Not many, and not large. They were stored in some rice. 

Asking price? 

_*Only*_ $1,400/pound. 

They have a most unusual ------ and powerful------ smell. The gentleman at the store said he'd cook the rice after the truffles were gone. It had picked up the smell (and he claimed the taste) of the truffles. 

There are white and black truffles, with one being more desirable than the other. Can't recall which one is most desirable, but that 3.3 pound one most likely is. 

And you think gold is worth a lot! :wink: 

Harold


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## qst42know (Nov 14, 2008)

I would suspect truffles to be difficult to culture much like morels. If I remember correctly both are associated with certain species of trees. On another note Pigs are usually employed in finding truffles as the scent is close to their sex hormone. Perhaps Viacin can train that ugly ass bald tail long nosed cat he found to find truffles. :lol: :lol:


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## Seamus (Nov 14, 2008)

I think I will catch one of those wild cats like Viacin's for when I'm prospecting. If I can't train it to find my gold then I'll take anything organic that it finds. I'll let everyone know how it works out for me. 

Hope your sluices and refining turns yellow for you.


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## Harold_V (Nov 14, 2008)

qst42know said:


> I would suspect truffles to be difficult to culture much like morels.


Agreed.

Speaking of Morels, the year after we arrived here in Washington, I found a small flush of them in a pasture. I was driving by and noticed them, not more than ten feet off the road. They were the only Morel's I've ever found, much to my chagrin. I rate them on top of all the mushrooms I've ever eaten. We gather Chanterelles here, too, both yellow and white, but they don't hold a candle to the Morels. 



> If I remember correctly both are associated with certain species of trees.


I'm not convinced the Morel is----those I found were not near any trees. Many of the fungi are dependant on such a (symbiotic) relationship, however. I believe the Chanterelles are, being generally found in old established growths of firs. 

Harold


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## Oz (Nov 14, 2008)

The morals are often found around birch and poplar trees or associated with burn sites.


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## Harold_V (Nov 14, 2008)

I had heard of the association with burn sites, although in the case of those I found, no fire had been witnessed in years. The pasture belongs to a neighbor, not too far from our address---one in which they run a few horses. The common meadow mushroom is often seen growing there as well. 

On the subject of mushrooms, one of them that is poisonous, but exceedingly pretty, is the Amanita Muscaria, or the Fly Agaric. While rare in our area, they are to be found. Last week Susan found one growing under one of our firs. A couple pics are included, below. A bit fuzzy, but better than nothing. Note the date on the pictures. There's a D sized cell in the first one so you can get an idea of the size. 

Harold


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## Rag and Bone (Nov 14, 2008)

Nice Amanita! 

Foraging for mushrooms is one of my favorite activities. Had some good shagy manes and puffballs this year. The morels were tough to find last spring. In these parts morels are most often found near dead elms on south facing slopes. They usually emerge when the lilacs are blooming.


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## Lou (Nov 14, 2008)

I love truffles! Exceptionally good but really, really potent. Typically, if you're seeing truffles (white ones or black, cheaper as I recall), you're probably at a very expensive restaurant and the meals start at $350. There's a few restaurants up in Cleveland that use and abuse them.

My friend told me a story about him being at a ritzy restaurant (might've been at the Ritz) in London and him ordering a sumptuous dish that had truffles shaved on top but the waiter dropped the truffle into his dish as he was shaving it over the meal. He promptly plucked it right back out! Len said the truffle was apparently worth more than any tip the waiter thought him likely to leave, so the poor fellow bit the bullet. The chef probably would've fired him if he didn't retrieve it!


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## Harold_V (Nov 14, 2008)

Rag and Bone said:


> Had some good shagy manes and puffballs this year.


I've seen, and tasted, the odd shaggy mane, but they are not readily found here. What few I've seen have been individuals, not a cluster as you might expect with many varieties. Puffballs are a different story. They grow all over our property----but are not great for eating. Don't recall the variety (I know very little about mushrooms) but they're a bit leathery. I've eaten far better mushrooms. 

One of the pleasures we've enjoyed, although just for a sample because of their delicate nature, is the Orange Fairy Cup. They, too, grow on our property, but as conditions change since we disturbed the area to build, they are now appearing less and less. Right now we have a small patch near the shop, growing in gravel. We've seen no others this year. 

If you've not eaten them, they rival some of the best tasting mushrooms I've eaten, but you can work yourself to death preparing enough for a meal. 



> The morels were tough to find last spring.


Makes me wonder if they aren't amongst the varieties that are ultra critical of conditions. I still shake my head in wonder when I think about the few I found in the pasture, and the fact that they've never grown there again. I've looked without success ever since. I'd go far out of my way for more if I felt I knew where to find them. My time is limited due to the house we've been building, but I do see an end in sight. Like you, I'd enjoy spending a bit of my time pursuing the hobby of collecting mushrooms. Interestingly, we have no less than a dozen varieties growing around the house we're building. The northwest is lousy with many varieties, thanks to the abundant moisture and moderate temperatures. 



> In these parts morels are most often found near dead elms on south facing slopes. They usually emerge when the lilacs are blooming.


 The blooming lilacs may be a good indicator here as well. I recall it was late spring when I found them. The one negative is there are few lilacs here, although I don't know why. They were abundant in Utah. Thanks for the tip. 

Harold


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## Harold_V (Nov 14, 2008)

Lou said:


> I love truffles! Exceptionally good but really, really potent. Typically, if you're seeing truffles (white ones or black, cheaper as I recall), you're probably at a very expensive restaurant and the meals start at $350. There's a few restaurants up in Cleveland that use and abuse them.


Heh! I'll have to take your word for the taste. I recall they had a pronounced (read that VERY powerful) aroma-----but my humble life precludes any chance of tasting them. That's particularly true when I read your comment about meals starting @ $350. My idea of a nice meal is one that costs no more than $10. It's not that I don't appreciate fine quality, for I do---but I am not well healed----and can be pleased with far less. I'd rather save my money for the important things in life (big grin), like expensive stereo gear! :wink: 

Your comment about the value of white versus black was not clear. Am I to assume that the white variety is the more valuable? Having seen only the one type, I have no way of knowing which it was. I recall it was fairly dark, but not black, and certainly not white. 

Harold


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## Lou (Nov 14, 2008)

I've had meals that cost much more than they should, but in bad company, and great meals that were priceless because they were in the best of company. 

Every now and then, it's nice to treat oneself out to a good meal with friends. It's when it's done every day that it becomes frivolous hedonism. Believe me Harold, I'm with you on food costing too much. My grandfather (98 ) tells me about how a great, fresh breakfast could be had for ten cents.


Sorry about my lack of clarity (long day), anyway, white truffles are far more expensive than black truffles (5X more; I looked it up!). To be honest, I think I've only had the cheap black truffles...wait, actually, I had some white truffles on a pasta dish once now that I think about it. They seemed milder.


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## Harold_V (Nov 14, 2008)

Lou said:


> My grandfather (98) tells me about how a great, fresh breakfast could be had for ten cents.


I still recall, with pleasure, the great breakfast we could buy in the cafeteria when I was a young lad working at Sperry. The cafeteria was a non-profit affair, so prices were exceptional. For 35¢ we could buy two eggs, cooked as you like them, hash brown potatoes and two slices of toast, along with a cup of coffee. 

I get the idea I'm showing my age, here. 

Thanks for the clarification on the black and whites. 

Harold


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## Oz (Nov 15, 2008)

With morels in particular you must be careful how you harvest them or you will destroy the mycelium that forms the mushroom proper. I have been a wild edible food scavenger almost since birth but mushrooms I have always been very cautious of. The gal I have been dating likes morels and learned to find them from family, scary enough she had never heard of a false morel that can be deadly. Because of this I did a fair amount of research on morels a couple of years ago. One of the things I learned is that the morel mycelium is particularly susceptible to injury when mushrooms are picked. The preferred method of harvest is a sharp knife cutting a bit above ground level to sever the mushroom. If it is just pulled it often destroys the mycelium and will not produce in following years. Much like the truffles, the white morels are finer in flavor than the muskier dark morels.


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## Harold_V (Nov 15, 2008)

Thanks for the tips, Oz. The variety I found most certainly must have been the dark type---they were the color of dark chocolate. I can't remember how they were harvested, but I'll certainly make a mental note of what you said for any future possibilities. 

I am aware of the look-alikes, so when I found the small lot in the pasture, I checked with the guy that helped me with the shop foundation, who has gathered them for years. It was his opinion they were edible, and all the indications I found in the three books I have were positive as well. I have no desire to die from mushroom poisoning, so unless I am positive about the variety, I never sample them. I can't tell you how many times we've found large, beautiful whitish mushrooms, but I never get tempted, knowing they are difficult to distinguish from the Destroying Angel. 

Here, the Jack O' lantern is common, so we have to use diligence when pursuing the yellow chanterelles. They're easy to distinguish if you've seen both of them, for the chanterelles don't have gills, but that's not obvious until you've seen both varieties. 

Harold


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## istari9 (Nov 17, 2008)

I used to find Giant Puffballs in the fields in Calif. I would clairify some butter and slice the rooms into steaks about 1/2" thick the fry in the butter. OH man that was a meal, very rich and tasty. Peel the outside of the ball after slicing, the skin is tough. :lol: 

Ray


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## Rag and Bone (Nov 17, 2008)

I like a thick slab of sauted puffball on a burger. They make a damn good burger even without meat. 

Anybody ever try lobster mushrooms? I found some this fall but didn't feel safe eating them. They looked and smelled like lobster!


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## Harold_V (Nov 17, 2008)

Rag and Bone said:


> Anybody ever try lobster mushrooms? I found some this fall but didn't feel safe eating them. They looked and smelled like lobster!



I don't have a clue. Do they have another name?


Ray's comment about the tough skin on a puffball helps me understand. I found the small variety that I have tried to be tough, as well. I attributed it to them being a little too old----but it's more likely the nature of the beast. 

Never seen the giant puffball, but have read about them. Must be an awesome sight!

Harold


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## Rag and Bone (Nov 18, 2008)

Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) "Lobster Fungus"
It's actually a parasite mushroom that colonizes other fungus. 

First read about this one in "Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: 
A Field-To-Kitchen Guide". Great beginner mushroom book, well written with excellent recipes and a section on poisonous 'shrooms that will curl your toes. 

Giant-puffballs are ungulate candy. They will get big and you can harvest them if you put some fencing around them. I know two spots where they come up every year. The deer gobble them up if you let them. I like all puffballs! Softball to volleyball size is just right. 

Slammed on the brakes and ran into the field many times to find a softball or volleyball.


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