Gardening in England - Possibly stupid question about truffles.

Author

Possibly stupid question about truffles.

Richard Brooks

2007-09-14, 1:25 pm

Has anyone found a truffle in their back garden?

My back garden in Cowley, Oxford is not so much a garden as more a
wildlife haven/orchard with the soil where I dug the thing up (under the
shade of hazel nut trees), not touched or chemically treated in any way
in over twenty years.

I thought that maybe it was the inner flesh of a Horse chestnut and if
those have a nice smell almost like you'd smell in Chinese cooking a bit
like roasted soy sauce then that's what it must have been.

When cut, it does have the marbling of this thing but the outside was a
smoother, more uniform creamy colour.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber_(genus)#White_truffle>

It's been sitting in a polythene bag so dried out somewhat but this
thing has been puzzling me for a few weeks.

I can't believe that you'd find them in people's back gardens, let alone
in Cowley in Oxford!

Bob Hobden

2007-09-15, 1:25 pm

"Richard Brooks" wrote ...
> Has anyone found a truffle in their back garden?
>
> My back garden in Cowley, Oxford is not so much a garden as more a
> wildlife haven/orchard with the soil where I dug the thing up (under the
> shade of hazel nut trees), not touched or chemically treated in any way in
> over twenty years.
>
> I thought that maybe it was the inner flesh of a Horse chestnut and if
> those have a nice smell almost like you'd smell in Chinese cooking a bit
> like roasted soy sauce then that's what it must have been.
>
> When cut, it does have the marbling of this thing but the outside was a
> smoother, more uniform creamy colour.
>
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuber_(genus)#White_truffle>
>
> It's been sitting in a polythene bag so dried out somewhat but this thing
> has been puzzling me for a few weeks.
>
> I can't believe that you'd find them in people's back gardens, let alone
> in Cowley in Oxford!

Richard, did you buy any of the trees in your back garden when they were
largish? If so they probably came from Italy where they have tree specialist
nurseries and the truffle came with it on the roots.
Worth a lot of money too.
May be worth re-posting on uk.rec.gardening and/or uk.rec.natural-history.
--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Richard Brooks

2007-09-15, 1:25 pm

Bob Hobden said the following on 15/09/2007 17:37:
> "Richard Brooks" wrote ...
>
> Richard, did you buy any of the trees in your back garden when they were
> largish? If so they probably came from Italy where they have tree specialist
> nurseries and the truffle came with it on the roots.

I did get them as small trees about 2metres tall and I think it was
Yarnton Nurseries just north of Oxford.

Really thinking it was a conker I just took it indoors and put it in a
polythene bag - where it has dried out!

> Worth a lot of money too.
> May be worth re-posting on uk.rec.gardening and/or uk.rec.natural-history.

I did a keyword search on 'garden' in my Usenet groups list but didn't
find a uk group but I shall search again.

Many thanks for you help.

Richard Brooks

2007-09-16, 1:25 pm

Bob Hobden said the following on 15/09/2007 17:37:
> Richard, did you buy any of the trees in your back garden when they were
> largish? If so they probably came from Italy where they have tree specialist
> nurseries and the truffle came with it on the roots.
> Worth a lot of money too.
> May be worth re-posting on uk.rec.gardening and/or uk.rec.natural-history.

Hi Bob,

I'll post this to uk.rec.gardening (if they have the time!) and
uk.rec.natural-history.

<http://www.kdbanglia.com/whatarethey.htm>

helene@urbed.coop

2007-10-28, 9:25 am

On Sep 14, 6:23 pm, Richard Brooks <richardbro...@vickers-
supermarine.com> wrote:
> Has anyone found a truffle in their back garden?
> My back garden in Cowley, Oxford is not so much a garden as more a
> wildlife haven/orchard with the soil where I dug the thing up (under the
> shade of hazel nut trees), not touched or chemically treated in any way
> in over twenty years.
(snip)
> I can't believe that you'd find them in people's back gardens, let alone
> in Cowley in Oxford!

Off course you can find truffles in England - and the fact that your
garden has been untouched by chemicals and disturbances in some parts
for over 20 years is beneficial to the truffles. Finds have been
recorded as far as Darlington and south of Oxford is a prime place to
find them. Check this link below and contact them. I'm from Perigueux
in the Dordogne and grew up on the stuff. I've found hundreds as a kid
and never thought they were 'rare'. It's just a matter of looking and
also a matter of unspoilt areas. It has nothing to do with bare root
trees from Italy but the perfect environment for myccrhorizals to grow
on undisturbed dead matters and form a relationship with roots from,
usually, oak trees. I've also found ceps near places we found
truffles. This summer I've found a cep growing at the foot of a young
oak tree, at the centre of coiled hose pipe! That was very unusual :o)

http://www.truffle-uk.co.uk/TO_GI.php

Richard Brooks

2007-10-28, 1:25 pm

helene@urbed.coop said the following on 28/10/2007 11:49:
> On Sep 14, 6:23 pm, Richard Brooks <richardbro...@vickers-
> supermarine.com> wrote:
> (snip)
>
> Off course you can find truffles in England - and the fact that your
> garden has been untouched by chemicals and disturbances in some parts
> for over 20 years is beneficial to the truffles. Finds have been
> recorded as far as Darlington and south of Oxford is a prime place to
> find them. Check this link below and contact them. I'm from Perigueux
> in the Dordogne and grew up on the stuff. I've found hundreds as a kid
> and never thought they were 'rare'.

People who grow up near gold mines probably also don't think that gold
is particularly rare or special either! :-)

> It's just a matter of looking and
> also a matter of unspoilt areas. It has nothing to do with bare root
> trees from Italy but the perfect environment for myccrhorizals to grow
> on undisturbed dead matters and form a relationship with roots from,
> usually, oak trees.

It's a back garden which was mainly short grass and privet hedge prior
to that (since the 30s) and there no trees for many hundreds of feet.
The truffles seemed to grow in a 4ft diameter arc around the one Cobnut.
This tree came from a specialist nursery where they in turn get their
trees from larger suppliers (not as a bare root of course) and someone
suggested that these trees may have come from Italian suppliers. That's
how the thread came to that possibility.

As much of the area owned by Oxford City Council is built upon and
changing as families come and go, the chance of finding them becomes
less and less.

> I've also found ceps near places we found
> truffles. This summer I've found a cep growing at the foot of a young
> oak tree, at the centre of coiled hose pipe! That was very unusual :o)
>
> http://www.truffle-uk.co.uk/TO_GI.php

Thank you. I've actually been there several times and by the look of
the average price of the white truffle I'd guess that it is not so
common as the black.

helene@urbed.coop

2007-10-28, 5:25 pm

Richard Brooks wrote:
> Thank you. I've actually been there several times and by the look of
> the average price of the white truffle I'd guess that it is not so
> common as the black.

Indeed. But close to privets?!! How surprising!! The Cobnut could
indeed be the answer. If I was you I'll enjoy them - make an omelet
with it with a lovely Margaux ;o)

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