Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Search in the right places
• Method 2 of 3: Using handy tools
• Method 3 of 3: Cleaning, storing and selling the truffles

Truffles are rare edible fungi that grow underground. They have a distinctive smell and taste, which is much sought after in the culinary world. Truffles are hard to find and even more difficult to grow, so many chefs are willing to pay quite a bit for them. If you're a chef who needs some great flavor, or just someone who likes the idea of ​​making good money, look for truffles in all the likely places. Use helpful tools to give yourself an advantage. Once you find them truffles, but then clean them, store and sell them.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Search in the right places

1. Go to Western Europe or the Pacific Northwest. Truffles are hard to find. While you may be lucky to find a few in other areas, you will greatly increase your chances by going to countries in Western Europe and states in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. to search. Search specifically forests in Italy, France, Oregon and Washington.
2. Find where the soil is moist. Truffles thrive in moist soil, so look where the soil is often moist and / or search especially in periods after a lot of rainfall. For best results, look for 10-14 days after a lot of rain.
3. Look near beech, spruce and oak. Trees that have an ectomycorrhizic relationship with fungi, such as beech, spruce and oak, must be present for truffles to develop, as truffles attach to tree roots. Look for truffles at the base of these types of trees.
4. Look for browning soil at the base of trees. Rather than wasting your time digging around any tree that might have truffles on its roots, carefully examine the soil to determine if there are any signs of fungus. When truffles are present, a browning effect, also called brûlée, will make the soil look burnt. Also, the soil will be rougher and darker than the surrounding area, as the presence of truffles prevents vegetation from growing.
5. Look for small holes in the ground. Examine the brûlée very carefully and look for small holes. These indicate that rodents have been digging in the ground in search of food. If you see a lot of cavities, it may mean that the rodents have smelled the strong aroma of the truffles and started digging to find and eat them.
6. Identify truffles by their resemblance to small potatoes. There are thousands of different types of truffles, usually colored black, white or wine red. When they are ripe and ready to eat, they are usually a size between the size of a marble and that of a golf ball. Although their appearance varies, many truffles resemble small potatoes, so remember this while looking.

Method 2 of 3: Using handy tools

1. Train a dog to help you. One of the greatest benefits you can give yourself is the help of a dog. Dogs are a great help in the search process as they can only smell ripe truffles. So they won't dig up worthless, inedible truffles. In addition, they can be trained quite easily and you can teach them not to eat the truffles when they are found.
   • If you take your dog in the northwestern United States want to train to look for truffles, there are many trainers who offer this particular service. Some of these trainers include NW Truffle Dogs (Portland, OR), Trifecta Training (Eugene, OR), and Toil and Truffle (Seattle, WA).
   • Pigs are also good at finding truffles, but they are much more difficult to train and often eat the truffles.
2. Dig up truffles with a rake. If you've found an area under a tree that you think contains truffles, use a small four-pronged rake to dig up the soil in that area. If there are truffles, they are probably an inch deep in the ground. However, they can sometimes be as deep as 12 inches below the ground or appear above ground.
3. Use a head torch to search at night. In some of the more popular search areas, in Italy for example, people dig all day every day hoping to get rich. If you want to search in any of these areas, consider searching at night so that no one gets in your way. Just put on a LED headlamp and start digging.

Method 3 of 3: Cleaning, storing and selling the truffles

1. Remove dirt with water and a nail brush. After you've collected some truffles, put them in the sink and run some cold water over them. Run the truffles and use a nail brush or toothbrush to remove the dirt on the outside of the truffles.
2. Store your truffles in paper in the fridge. Wrap your clean truffles in kitchen paper or in a paper bag and roll tightly. Keep your truffles fresh for up to 10 days by storing them in the refrigerator this way.
   • Don't wrap your truffles in plastic.
3. Store your truffles in the freezer for the long haul. If you plan to keep the truffles for more than 10 days, consider storing them in the freezer. You can put them in a plastic bag, squeeze the air out of the bag and seal it tightly, or you can grate the truffles, mix them with butter, and then freeze the butter. Your truffles can be stored this way for up to six months if left frozen.
   • When you're ready to cook the truffles, it's best to cook them while they're still frozen, rather than thawing them first.
4. Sell ​​your truffles to quality restaurants. Truffles are scarce and it is difficult to obtain them consistently because they are not commercially grown. Truffles are a very popular culinary delicacy and are highly sought after in expensive, high-end restaurants. Immediately after you have found the truffles, contact restaurants in nearby cities to ask the chefs to buy your truffles.