2024 Fresh Truffle Season is OPEN

Farmgate and Online Store sales are now open

-updated 3 July 2024

One of the coldest Autumns on record has kicked our truffle season into gear several weeks earlier than usual. With the first our tantalising tastes mid-May, there was a mixed harvest of good truffle, along with early-Truffles by the end of May.
Unusually, these were the only truffles in Melbourne for the first day of Winter, as interstate suppliers had a warm Autumn counter to our cold one.
Farmgate sales are now open on weekends, since 8th June, and can also be bought by appointment.
Online has opened in July {limited shipping dates, ie fortnightly, may be applied later}.

Black Winter Truffle season typically runs MID-Winter to Early-Spring.

Nature doing it's thing, the truffle spores ripen at this time to colonise newly growing tree roots and young seedlings.
Early winter only sees under-ripe or damaged truffles, which in both cooking & storage terms, perform poorly, or not at all.

"Truffles are only really good after Christmas*.....So let us allow ignorant fops, beardless gourmands, and inexperienced palates the perry triumph of eating the first truffles."
Grimod de La Reynière -Wikipedia

As the originator of food reviews and magazines in the early 1800's, he drew attention to the issue of "early truffles" perfectly.

*In Australia 'Christmas truffle' equates to post winter solstice (~22nd June), early truffles can be acceptable IF you know how to use them well in appropriate dishes, but they may still lack the true truffle wow factor.

What's an early truffle?

Early truffles are those that display some truffle like properties, namely aroma and flavour, but lack the full impact of one that is properly ripe.
Generally this should only be a problem at the start of the season. However the same quality issues can occur anytime one is harvested underripe. Whether this due to occasional error, or lamentable methods used to meet the everpresent commercial demand for cheaper supply (such as unskilled labour, or hurried harvest).

It's a shame the food industry demands truffles before the season truly commences as it results in many "I tried it once, didn't like it" experiences. Yet by half way through the season when production peaks, there's a drop in demand, as much of the enthusiasm was wasted on the early junk. Followed by total disinterest in September, before the end of season as focus shifts to Spring menus.. rather than exploring truffle in salads etc.

This sale of early truffle occurs in Australia May/June and Europe November/December. Social media is full of brown coloured truffle at these times, and even into the season proper. There's a good reason the name is Black Winter Truffle, not brown, it's the colour of the Ripe Spores.

 

Contact Us to arrange supply.


Season progression, an approximation:
October-December, Maintenance, Soil aeration, amendments, mowing, pruning, Stage 1: truffle initiation
January-April Stage 2: truffle survival. Protecting truffles, irrigation, mowing, summer pruning
May-June Stage 3: truffles begin ripening;
- early June a few truffles possibly worth eating, mashed potato, egg are appropriate dishes, but shouldn't be sold

.... June -early truffles good enough to sell with qualification on using in appropriate dishes
If you want great truffle, wait till it's peak season. If you can't wait, understand it's not going to be 100%, wherever you may buy it from.
WINTER SOLSTICE ~21st June
.... late June/July start of properly ripe truffle displaying all the proper qualities of flavour and aroma
.... July/August Peak Season
... late August/early September reducing harvest volume and concerns about warm weather ending season early.
... September tail end of season,2016=7thSept, 2017=21stSept, 2018=17thSept, 2021=27thSept, 2022 11thSept

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