In the foothills of Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers, Australia’s first and finest black truffles are carefully and slowly nurtured, hidden within the fingers of deep-rooted hazelnut trees.
This fabled black fungi grows slowly underground, protected within the tangled roots of its host tree. But once it is discovered, a single truffle has the power to send hardened farmers into raptures of happiness, to weaken the knees of great chefs, and to seduce the most ardent food lover.
The intense flavour, aroma and other-worldy appearance of these exotic black fungi have no rival. And any attempt at describing the perfume and taste of a truffle pale in comparison to experiencing this delicacy in the flesh.
If growing truffles is a fine art, then harvesting them is perhaps an even finer one. We nurture every moment of every truffle’s life by hand, from inoculating each hazel seedling with truffle spores, to the moment our truffles finally emerge into the light.
Each truffle is hand harvested by gently brushing away the soil until the fruit is revealed. We then wash and air dry our truffles by hand before grading them – an art that can only be learned through the experience of living with and growing truffles over many years.
Growing truffles is an art, a science, and an exercise in patience. French black truffles do not occur naturally in Australia, but the climate and growing conditions in Tasmania are perfect for producing cultivated truffles.
Delve into the processDoug – our ever-faithful, truffle-obsessed golden Labrador – is our chief forager and hunter. Every week, he leads us into the orchard, where he seeks out treasure – breathing in the earthy aromas at the roots of our hazel trees until the truffles tell him that the harvest is ready.