Truffles: No Mere Trifle

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By M. Kim Lewis

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Tucker, a Standard Poodle, is directed by certified K-9 trainers Deborah and David Walker. Dr. Charles Lefevre takes them to the truffle patch near Lorane.

When recently invited to my first truffle hunt, dog and all, I must admit I was pretty excited … I had foraged for chanterelles, matsutakes and morels in the Southwestern Oregon woods with only mixed success.

Now I was going with “real professionals,” a reliable truffle dog and GPS in hand to hunt the curiously pungent underground fungi called truffles.

Oregon boasts the largest concentration of native Oregon white, black and brown truffles anywhere in the U.S. Each has a unique harvest season running throughout the year. This native harvest stimulates gourmet food chefs and gourmand foragers alike with its dignified harvest. I hoped this day would yield an edible surprise for me as well…. [ read more ]