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 ]

Oregon Wine Tours

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The inherent beauty and nuance in an Oregon Pinot Noir is rivaled by few other varietals. (Photo: low view of a wine glass with wine and grapes and napkin image by David Smith from Fotolia.com)

“Oregon boasts an amazingly diverse wine scene. The first vineyards were established in the early 1960s and have grown into this country’s third largest wine-producing state…

“Main Street Tours offers an affordable foray into the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate regions of southern Oregon. The tour exposes guests to stunning rural vistas nestled in rolling hills with lavish panoramic views of various wineries and vineyards…” [ read more ]

– Isobel Washington, Demand Media
USA Today – Travel Tips

French contingent samples a taste of Rogue Valley

“The Southern Oregon wine industry may be in its relative infancy compared with winemaking in France. But when a group from France toured the American West in August, two Medford wineries and a Jacksonville tasting room were part of the itinerary…

“Kim and Ginny Lewis, of Ashland-based Southern Oregon Wine Tours, conducted the Rogue Valley portion.”…

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Read more from the article by Cleve Twitchell in the Mail Tribune.