I received the email a week ago confirming my visit to one of Western Canada’s best producing truffle farms. I couldn’t contain my excitement. Farm + pigs + truffles = a fantastic day in the life of a chef.
I packed my Barbour jacket, gumboots and a camera into my “classic” Volvo and set off. I am not known for my sense of direction but three quarters of the way to the farm I realized that I was totally lost. I called Chris, the owner of Below the Nut Farm, for more explicit directions. Truffle farms are very secretive with their locations as poaching is always a potential risk. Chris was waiting at the gate for me with a big welcoming smile. His wife, Sherry was already in the orchard with their truffle hunting pig, Annabelle. Vietnamese potbelly pigs, can be trained to locate truffles by smell. Chris let me know that the truffles smell like pheromones, which attracts the pig’s attention. Their male pig, Stevie was taking a day off in his pen at the other end of the farm. As Annabelle rooted around, Sherry rewarded her with a chickpea and then placed a cone on the spot. Chris and I spent the rest of the afternoon investigating and digging under the carefully placed cones. Chris explained that they were growing Perigord (black) truffles in one part of their orchard and Burgundy truffles in the other. The Perigords are harvested in the winter, while the French Burgundy’s in spring and summer. Chris gently started to excavate the surface of the dirt, so as to not damage the potential prize. I realized how easy it would be to damage or miss a truffle while digging in the frosty soil. Surprisingly, we found a quarter-sized truffle in our very first hole. I held the truffle up to my nose and inhaled deeply. A fresh truffle is an earthy, aromatic experience. As the truffle warmed in the sun, it only increased in its allure. We spent the next couple of hours digging up five more treasures. We went back to the house to clean them with a soft toothbrush and water. Chris disclosed his secret to training their truffle loving pigs. They placed truffles in tea balls to protect them from being eaten during training. Once Annabelle and Stevie were familiar with the smell of the truffles, they were challenged with finding the balls first on top of the soil, then below some leaves, then under the ground. Slowly, over the course of months they were finally ready to get to work on the farm. Chris and Sherry from "Below the Nut Farm" pride themselves on getting their artisanal truffles into the hands of culinary clients as soon as possible. I am inspired by their hard work and ingenuity. They have created just the right conditions and environment to make magic happen. Until the next great adventure…
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