North American Truffles

Presented by Pattie Fischer, KPA CTP, ANWI

Bella Fiore Lagottos

Source: Field Guide to North American Truffles

Matt Trappe, Frank Evans, & James Trappe

What are Truffles?

• Underground fungus or mushroom

• Hundreds of varieties exist

• Grow wild in forests of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East & North America

• European White Truffles (Tuber magnatum) can cost as much as $3,600 per pound

• French Black Perigord Truffles (Tuber melanosporum) sell for as little as $300 per pound

• PNW Truffles are not the same as European Truffles

What is a Truffiere?

• A truffle orchard is called a truffiere

• Hazelnut Trees are most successful for growing Truffles

• Require a soil pH of 8 – 8.3, usually requiring the addition of agricultural lime prior to planting.

• Optimum minimal planting – 2 acres, 200 inoculated trees per acre

• Takes 6-8 years to harvest a marketable crop

• 50% of truffieres fail because too labor intensive

Tuber oregonenseGroup: Ascomycota, Tuberaceae.

Season: October - February

Distribution: Southern British Columbia to Northern California west of the Cascade range from sea level to about 2,000 feet.

Habitat: Young to early-mature Douglas Fir

Sporse: 25-52 x 17-40 µm, ellipsoid or tapered to a tip at both ends, with a honeycomb ornamentation

Features: Peridium white in youth, reddish brown at full maturity. Gleba firm – white when immature, brown with white marbling when mature. Odor “truffly,” a complex of garlic, spices, cheese, and indefinable other essences.

Comments: Commonly called the Oregon White Truffle, it is closely related to T. gibbosum. It differs in the anatomy of the peridium and spore size and shape. The two species share the same distribution with a slight overlap in seasons. The Oregon White Truffle seems to have a more intense fragrance & is particularly sought by commercial harvesters.

DR: Delicious

Tuber gibbosumGroup: Ascomycota, Tuberaceae.

Season: January – June.

Distribution: Southern British Columbia to Northern California west of the Cascade Range from sea level to about 2,000 feet.

Habitat: Young to early-mature Doublas-fir.

Sporse: 25-45 x 17-33 µm, ellipsoid, with bluntly rounded ends; ornamentation honeycomb.

Features: Peridium olive to brownish yellow with some brown mottling, smooth but with furrows that are small with short, emergent hyphae having beadlike wall thickenings. Odor “truffly,” a complex of garlic, spices, cheese, and indefinable other essences.

Comments: Commonly know as the spring Oregon White Truffle, it is a popular edible and commercially harvest truffle. The aroma develops at maturity so young specimens have no particular appeal. Size does not appear to be an indicator of maturity.

DR: Delicious

Leucangium carthusianumGroup: Ascomycota, Doscinaceae.

Season: September – February.

Distribution: Western Pacific Northwest.

Habitat: Relatively young Douglas-fir, often 4-40 inches deep in the soil

Sporse: 65-80 x 25-40 µm, fusoid, smooth.

Features: Peridium charcoal black and warty, but sometimes almost smooth. Gleba solid and firm with gray pockets of spore-bearing tissue separated by white veins. Can reach several inches in diameter with a pleasant & fruity odor in youth, becoming increasingly pungent and earthy with age.

Comments: Originally described from France but more common in the western Pacific Northwest, it is commonly known as the Oregon Black Truffle and is less common than the Oregon White Truffle. It is prized for table use and is commercially harvested.

DR: Delicious

Barssia oregonensisGroup: Ascomycota, Helvellaceae.

Season: Year-round, but mostly late winter to late spring

Distribution: Pacific Northwest

Habitat: Relatively young Douglas-fir (generally 10-60 years old)

Sporse: 32 x 18 µm, ellipsoid.

Features: Peridium lumpy but smooth, pale pinkish cream to pinkish brown. Gleba pale with white veins, firm & brittle; with cavity on top or on one side.

Comments: The species only occurs in the Pacific Northwest where Douglas-fir are present. It commonly fruits in habitats that also produce Oregon White Truffles. It is distinguished by the presence of a “belly button”, a small cavity to the interior. It has a nice texture but little flavor when added raw to salads or cooked dishes.

DR: Tasty

Geopora cooperiGroup: Ascomycota, Pyronemataceae.

Season: Year-round

Distribution: Western North America from northern Alaska into Mexico. Also found in Europe

Habitat: Pines, Douglas-fir, True Fir, Hemlock, Larch & Willows

Sporse: 16-21 µm, ellipsoid, smooth.

Features: Peridium brown & slightly but distinctly hairy. Glebawhite with some brown veins, composed of densely folded and tightly packed chambers. Odor mild to radishlike or garlicky.

Comments: Soil tends to cling to the surface hairs, so it is recommended to peal off the surface before cooking. Can be used in a similar manner to morels.

DR: Tasty.

Gastroboletus subalpinusGroup: Basidiomucota, Boletaceae.

Season: July - October

Distribution: Southern Washington to Oregon Cascades

Habitat: Whitebark & lodgepole pines, true fir & mountain hemlock at relatively high elevations to the tree line.

Sporse: 10-18 x 4.5-8 µm, ellipsoid to oblong or ovoid, smooth, colorless

Features: In the form of a contorted Boletus, with very reduced stem & long, contorted, closed tubes, cap brown, stem dirty white. Odor pleasant.

Comments: Common in its habitats. Though not a truffle, this species is always hypogeous & represents the mushrooms that have mutated to a belowground habitat. It is a truffle in the making & relies on being eaten for its spore dispersal.

DR: Delicious

Lagotto Romagnolo - History

• Lagotto Romagnolo is the only breed in the world bred specifically to hunt truffles

• Rare ancient breed from Italy – as early as the 16th century• Foundation breed for all water dogs• Originally a waterfowl dog in the lowlands of Comacchio &

marshlands of Ravenna• Excellent companions/guardians for farmer’s children• Hunting instinct has been modified by genetic selection;

nosework not distracted by scent of animals• Almost became extinct; lived in the mountains for many

decades

Lagotto Romagnolo – Breed Traits

• Italian water dog; Italian truffle dog

• Medium size

• 16-19 inches at the shoulder

• 20-35 pounds

• Hair not fur

• Average life span 15-17 years

• Great affinity for children

• Intelligent, loving, family oriented, not for everyone

Lagotto Romagnolo – Structure/Coat

• Always have liver points

• No black allowed – Spanish Water Dog influence

• Double coated

• Dense curly coat of wooly texture

• Rustic appearance

• Well proportioned

• Powerfully built

Lagotto Romagnolo – Brown Coat

Dark Brown Coat Faded Brown Coat

Lagotto Romagnolo – Brown with White Coat

Dark brown with white Faded brown with white

Lagotto Romagnolo – White with Brown

White with dark brown White with faded brown

Lagotto Romagnol – Brown Roan

Lagotto Romagnolo – Off White

Off-white puppy Off-white adult

Lagotto Romagnolo – Orange (apricot)

Orange puppy Orange adult

Lagotto Romagnolo – White with orange

White with orange puppy White with orange adult

Lagotto Romagnolo – Sable – Rarest Color

Nosework Training – How the dog detects odor

• Humans have approx. 5 million olfactory sensory cells

• Large breed dogs may have over 200 million olfactory sensory cells

• The nose is designed to move air more efficiently

• Odor moves from the source in the shape of a cone

• Temperature and humidity affect the movement of odor

• Dogs can detect individual molecules of odor

• Odor neurons die every 30-60 days

• New neurons will detect odors they smell the most

Body Movement – The Language of Dogs

• Dogs communicate mostly through body language

• Humans use mostly verbal communication

• Dogs use very subtle movements to communicate

• They can ‘read’ 118 different facial expressions

• To be an effect team, handlers need to learn their dogs body language

• Dogs learn to ‘alert’ their handlers to the source of the odor

• Handler’s can ‘shape’ a behavior as an ‘alert’

• For dogs, it is all about the hunt not the find

Nosework - A Working Team

• Nosework:• Increases a dog’s confidence

• Provides mental stimulation

• Less destructive or problem behaviors

• Allows the dog to problem solve; critical thinking

• Happier dog

• Improves your relationship with your dog

• Teaches humans to communicate better with their dogs

• Improves leash handling

Happy Truffle Hunting!

Thank you very much for allowing me to share with you

Pattie Fischer, KPA CTP, ANWI

www.BellaFioreLagottos.com