Portland, OR

Ok, so when I moved in to my house, I noticed these white tuber-like things growing just below the surface of some areas of my back yard, areas under some trees. I thought, huh?, at the time, and really thought nothing else of it.

Until this summer, that is, when I was cleaning out an area of rocks that line my driveway. I found quite a few of these little whitish orbs under the earth. They were growing in colonies, it seemed, and erupting through the surface of the soil.

Here is a picture of a group growing in the back yard, by the mountain ash and birch tree. I guess the truffles really like birch trees, as well as maple, elm and doug firs.

Well, who knew, but we have truffles that grow in Oregon.

So I cut one open, and woo-ee, did it stink. Not quite like the truffles of the French variety of which I am accustomed, but I guess that the truffle may take a couple of days out of the ground before they are ready to consume. It takes that long for the flavor and aroma to develop properly. My truffles were still young at the time as well, so the stink may mellow with maturity. I guess that the color also changes with age, moving from fleshy white to orange-y brown. Some people do indeed cook with the Oregon white and black truffles, and you can find some more information about Oregon truffles at the Trufflezone by clicking here.

Some say the Oregon truffles are fine truffles, much like the famed Italian and French truffles without the famed price tag. Oregon truffles can be found at farmers’ markets around town when the truffles are in season, but it is more fun to find them yourself. However, like all fungi, be careful what you eat. Although there are no known poisonous truffles, you never really know when you are stumbling upon a relatively unknown species, so never eat something unless you know what it is. You can find help in identifying truffles from professional fungi-hunters, known as mycologists.

I have not tried the truffles I found. One, when I first started looking into the Oregon truffles it didn’t seem as though the particular variety I found was the edible variety. I am however more and more curious about trying my “yard truffles.” I am awaiting the new season, which starts around November.

Oregon truffles, Oregon, trees, fungi, fungus, white truffle, black truffle, birch, elm, maple, douglas firs, mycologists