Do you know this technique for harvesting truffles?
The black truffle season began in November and will last until February. It's the perfect time to try your hand at harvesting this prized mushroom.
A treasure of French gastronomy, the truffle is as precious as it is hard to find. This fungus grows underground, in symbiosis with the roots of certain trees such as oak or hazelnut. Most of the time, it grows in chalky or well-drained soil, in wooded areas sheltered from the sun.
One of the truffle's particularities is its powerful scent, which rises to the surface and attracts animals. This makes it difficult for humans to track them down. Over the centuries, various techniques have been developed to achieve this.
Traditional harvesting techniques
Lacking the sense of smell needed to spot truffles, truffle growers rely on four-legged allies to unearth them. The traditional method used truffle pigs, especially females, which were sensitive to the smell of truffles. However, these animals tended to consume their finds, leading truffle growers to turn to other methods.
Today, the most widespread technique is surely that of the truffle dog. Certain breeds, such as the Lagotto Romagnolo, the Spaniel or the Labrador, are particularly appreciated for their docility and excellent sense of smell. These dogs are trained to pick up the scent of truffles, and to warn of their discovery by scratching the ground.
Fly-harvesting
Less well known than the previous methods, fly-harvesting is a method that requires neither animals nor expensive tools, simply good eyes and a rod about 60 to 80 cm long.
The principle is to walk facing the sun, lightly waving the rod on the ground to spot flies taking flight. Different from their cousins in our homes, this species can be recognized by its copper color and short antennae. They are attracted by the smell of truffles and lay their eggs on them. Once you've spotted several flies on the ground, all you need to do is smell the soil: if it smells strongly of truffles, the mushroom is not far away!
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