Truffles Found in Manjimup!
From left to right: Truffle dog Lizzy finding a truffle, Truffle just found, Cleaned Truffle
On the 3rd of June was the day we had all been waiting for, finding our first truffle. This was the start of our first truffle harvest. Since finding our first truffle we have found more with every hunt. In the first two days we found 2kgs of truffles and are expecting a very high yeild with our first harvest. To find out more about inforamtion or to purchase a truffle Contact the nursery.
It must be stated that growing truffles in Western Australia is a speculative venture at the present time. There have been five truffle orchards established in Western Australia in the past five years. We believe that the first truffle harvest will take place in the years 2003 or 2004. There have already been successful truffle orchards established in the USA, New Zealand and Tasmania. The New Zealand success has proven that truffles can be grown in the Southern Hemisphere very successfully.
A black Truffle
Five Acre Nursery is a production Nursery supplying vegetable and tree seedlings to the farmers. We have had an involvement with mycorrhiza fungi ( of which truffles are a member) research for the past 15 years. We have produced all the seedlings for the establishment of the five orchards in Western Australia.
One of the orchards is owned by us. We currently have 8 hectares planted at various ages. We are very confident we will produce truffles within the next 2 years. We have excellent results in establishing our own truffle orchard. Testing done in May 2002 showed encouraging results.
A part of our orchard
Truffles are highly prized edible mushroom that grow on the roots of various European trees. Technically they are mycorrhizal fungi that grow in a beneficial way on the roots of hazel and oak trees and form a fruit underground that is called a truffle.
Black truffles are one of the most expensive foods available. In Europe, they can fetch prices up to US$9000 a kilo retail. Prices never dropped below US$2000 a kilo last season, The truffle season in Europe lasts from November to February. In Australia, our season would be May to August. Therefore we have fresh truffles available in the Northern Hemisphere's off season.
The climate in the South West of Western Australia is ideal for truffle orchards, as it is similar to the natural growing environment of the Bordeaux Region in Southern France.
Black truffles require a Mediterranean type climate to grow naturally. We believe the area from Donnybrook to Albany has the best potential to produce black truffles. You also require good quality irrigation water to sustain an orchard type environment.
To establish a truffle orchard you need inoculated seedlings and plant them in an orchard type layout with a planting density of about 600 trees to the hectare. Research and experience has shown that this population gives the best yields and easy access for harvesting and tree management. You also require a suitable irrigation system to maintain the trees. The orchard will need monitoring of soil conditions and manipulation of PH and fertilizers to maximize tree establishment without compromising the truffle fungi.
Harvesting truffles is done in the winter months. Traditionally pigs are used in France, but we have fully trained truffle dogs, as these have proven reliable in New Zealand and Tasmania. The dog is trained to sense the aroma given off by the truffle and the handler carefully digs up the truffle to assess its maturity. If mature, he will then harvest the truffle.
Reliable information on yields is hard to find, as a large part of the crop is sold on the black market in France. The yields increase as the trees mature. We foresee that the first production year will produce about 30kgs to the hectare and this should increase yearly to between 100 to 200kgs per hectare by year 10. Yields of 1 to 2 kgs per tree have been achieved in commercial truffieres in Europe.
We would like to see orderly marketing under one group into the local market (Australia) and international markets. This way we can exploit the clean green image of Australia and maximise returns in the out of season production in the international market.
Truffle growing is not a cheap enterprise. To calculate a cost per hectare has many variables associated with it, For example, site preparation, irrigation set up, etc. The only fixed cost is the inoculated seedlings, which would depend on the variety and numbers bought. For exact costing, contact the nursery.
We would like to see farmers involved in truffle production from a Co-op marketing group, working together to maximise returns for all involved. We will offer management or consultancy to all people involved and the level of our involvement would dictate our associated costs.
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