CNN has a great article about Franklin Garland, the man who first cultivated French black truffles in the US. Truffles have a reputation for being difficult to cultivate. The fungus grows in the root system of oak trees. They are detected by scent, and farmers must use either hogs or dogs to find the truffles. Hogs tend to eat the truffles they find, while dogs must be trained to seek them out.
Garland is developing his business around the gourmet item. He sells oak and hazlenut saplings inoculated with truffle spores and he grows his own crop. He hopes to build up a culinary tourism business around his truffles. His farm is in North Carolina. I've spent a little time in North Carolina, and it is beautiful. The food there is southern and really delicious. I would happily wolf down some truffle grits!
Truffle production takes an enormous leap of faith. From planting, it takes seven to ten years for a crop to develop and be harvested. What an investment of time on such a notoriously finicky process. I am happy for his success and hope to have his truffles in the future.
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