Mike and Samantha both love good food and wine. When the chance opportunity to buy a piece of country side so beautiful appeared, they both jumped at the opportunity.
The views are simply stunning with sunrises and sunsets that a photo can’t replicate. Everywhere you look the sandstone escarpment surrounds you.
Fast forward five years and many countless days of toil close to 1,000 Ilex trees have been planted and Tuscany Truffle Farm has started to take shape.
We believe fresh truffle elevates and makes any dish 5 star, whether a simple pizza or a degustation and we believe you will get that same 5 star experience the moment you step foot on the property.
We invite you to come and stay in THE LOFT – luxury off-grid eco accommodation, walk the property at your leisure, relax, reconnect with nature, let us plant you a tree to symbolise your stay and of course, meet Digga our Truffle Dog.
We love it and we hope you do too.
To showcase the Capertee Valley to the world, via truffle experiences, that create lifelong memories.
To make people smile, bring people together, sublime experiences, think green sustainability.
To create an experience that will bring to life all FIVE SENSES.
Once a year in Winter the mycorrhiza produces the truffle fruiting bodies.
The French Black truffle has a sweet earthy, pungent mushroom aroma and is famously used in European cooking. The pungent aroma and fruit are said to be an aphrodisiac and the truffle is highly prized throughout the world.
It is one of the most expensive edible fungi in the world.
Did you know that each truffle tastes differently depending on where it is farmed? It all depends on the terrior of the soil which will give the truffle its own unique taste. So, a truffle you buy in Western Australia will have a different flavour to that you will buy in New South Wales. Truffles bought on the East coast of Australia will have similar taste but still its own unique flavour depending on the growing area. A bit like wine, why not experience the different flavours of truffle.
The first truffle in Australia was planted in 1993 and the first black truffle was harvested in 1999. The Australian truffle industry has established a reputation as world class in production, processing, and supply of high-quality truffles, to both domestic and international markets. In less than three decades our industry has become the fourth largest producer in the world and projections are for two-to-three-fold increases in truffle production in the next 10 years.
Traditionally pigs were used for hunting truffles. Pigs are very effective because the truffle aroma mimics the pigs’ sexual hormones so pigs see truffle as a must have item and will eat them. Over time dogs have become the preferred hunting animal due to their ease of handling and trainability.
The selected dog should have the following desired characteristics many breeds make great truffle dogs.
Basically, every dog has the smell sensory equipment (also called a nose) to detect the truffle volatiles emitted from a ripening truffle. The suitable dog will be the one who is energetic and can work for long periods, is pleased to retrieve and is obedient. The dog can be rewarded immediately after finding a truffle with a suitable reward that is only used when finding a ripe truffle.
Truffle season in Australia is in Winter. From mid June to late August, depending on frosts. This is when you will purchase the most aromatic of truffles, purchasing out of season will give you an inferior product and possibly an under ripe truffle.
The taste of the truffle is so original and bright that even frequent consumers find it difficult to describe.
Like many exotic flavours, it is an acquired taste.
The aroma of tuber melanosporum is musty and sweet, a very intense mushroom smell overlaid with other notes, especially what wine tasters call ‘forest floor’. It cooperates with the flavours in food enhancing and intensifying them. A steak with truffle sauce becomes meatier, eggs are transformed into a gourmet item, and every aspect of the meal becomes more satisfying.
Truffles are best eaten fresh, but you can store for a few extra days by covering them in rice, flavouring the rice this way lays the groundwork for a spectacular risotto for when your truffle is almost all gone. Alternatively, just half a teaspoon of minced black truffle folded through softly scrambled eggs is pure luxury and won’t break the bank.
The aroma of the truffle has defied explanation, but then it is very hard to describe the aroma of garlic and other exotic spices.
Open the spice cupboard and take a deep sniff. Crush an unpeeled clove of garlic. Find some damp leaves and dig your fingers into the earth underneath (oak leaves are best). Then go for something floral – lilies for penetration, roses for sweetness.
There is no such thing as an Autumn (Black Perigord) truffle, it is a bit like the tooth fairy it doesn’t exist. If you have been sold a black Perigord Autumn truffle you are going to get an unripe truffle that does not have the rich earthy flavour of a ripe truffle.
A fresh truffle can go a long way and whilst the upfront cost can seem expensive, you can create many meals from just one fresh truffle.
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