2023 Fresh Truffle Season is Closed

A small supply of ready to use, Frozen truffle is available until next season mid-Winter 2024

We use this ourselves, so supply may run out, Summer salads, dressings, Christmas meals etc. As per our Instagram feed.

###UPDATE### We are now also somewhat more exclusive in our availability, reflecting the viability of our market in the new, post-covid world.
Our customers come to us, or they at least contact us to ORDER truffle. 
We do not go, basket in hand, begging venues to purchase a truffle. Nor do we harass our past chef client's with sales calls, if they want truffle, they know what quality we have versus the market offerings elsewhere, and they have our contact details.
Post-Covid, most probably aren't even chef's anymore! {We like you, but we aren't chasing you down in your new jobs ;) }

Harvest season means we are busier than a chef at Christmas, and we only have these few weeks per year... to earn a year's income! Kitchen visits can cost kilo's in missed truffle harvesting time, especially with Melbourne traffic, vs typically just a few hundred grams of purchase.

Wholesale resellers do not begin to cover our production costs, let alone support our business.
There was NOT anyone else wholesaling "Yarra Valley Truffles" to hospitality, in Australia, in 2023.
{There has been misrepresented truffle in past seasons
 

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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