The Harvesting section is being rewritten. See the WA Truffle Guide here.
We need to add more descriptive labels on the models. White truffle varieties, and Tuber Indicum (are coming in the next next European season)
What have you found? Is it what you planted?
Identifying your truffles.
You can rotate these 3D models with your mouse, scroll wheel zooms in. The < > markers have details about specific features. Use the view full screen option.
Black 'Perigord' - Tuber melanosporum
Summer truffle - tuber aestivum
'Winter' truffle -Tuber brumale
More varieties we know are already introduced,Tuber maculatum, T. dryophilum or T. puberescens.
Hunting and harvesting
Early emergence – how to cover, check or discard
Appearance, surface truffles. Drying out.
Season – Harvesting commences in Western and Eastern Australia in late May and continues until late August.
The shape partially influenced by the soil. But also the practice of using large misshapened ones for innoculum, they’re cheaper and cheaper getting one DNA sample to verify variety. This has been suggested to create a perpetuating genotype of large truffles, at a time when the market pays best price for A-grade smaller round ones. Quality and aroma are not the issue, but value for your work.
In Spain it was considered that stony soils retained heat and moisture (acting as a mulch) better and were preferred, now there is large scale modification to create softer more viable soils, mostly because of the action on the truffle shape.
Using Dogs – Best breeds of dog
Working alone or with two or more ‘hunters’.
Small growers or those just starting harvest, will want to wait until the truffle is removed to allow the dog to see and smell the truffle before any ‘reward’ is given. They also get to understand how you get excited to find them. Once you know that the dog is working well, it will be better to mark the position with something like a weighted streamer and move on. The dog gets impatient and you need to keep them moving along the rows.
Be careful of combining truffle hunts with paying visitors where you are using the opportunity to also do one of your scheduled harvests.
Video examples here.