Rules for planting and watering blueberries
Healthy planting material is the key to active growth of the shrub. Young two-year-old seedlings are suitable for planting. The root system must be closed. Saplings are planted in the spring or autumn.
For young seedlings, it is important to choose a windless, well-heated area. In the sun, the plant will grow well, the berry will ripen sweet, the bushes will be healthy
Instructions for planting blueberry seedlings:
Site selection: soil preparation, fertilization, determination of the acidity level; digging, loosening;
It is necessary to dig holes (diameter - 1 m, depth - 0.5 m), the distance between them is 1.5 m
Pour a peat mixture of high-moor peat and coniferous sawdust into the pit, do not tamp the layer;
It is good to moisten the earthen lump around the roots of the seedling, if it is very dense, then gently knead it, but so that it does not crumble. There are important mushrooms in the ground, which in the future will participate in the nutrition of the bush;
Pour 5 liters of water into the hole, place a seedling in the middle, sprinkle the empty space with earth, tamp the earth a little near the bush;
Mulch the hole with a layer of coniferous sawdust, make the mulching layer 5-10 cm
The procedure will avoid the appearance of weeds.
Loosening is carried out for better air permeability, which is important for the root system. The roots are located close to the surface of the ground, so loosen should be done carefully so as not to injure the bush. Weeding must be done manually, without gardening tools. After removing weeds, water and mulch the hole.
After planting a young seedling for the next season, you will need to apply fertilizer. You can make mineral dressing yourself. Manufacturing proportion:
- Ammonium sulfate (90 g);
- Superphosphate (110 g);
- Potassium sulfate (40 g).
On a note. The main condition is that potassium chloride cannot be used from mineral fertilizers. He can destroy the plant.
Pruning is an important procedure in the care of bushes. For the third season, sanitary pruning is carried out for better shrub growth.
When pruning, remove dry, damaged branches, thin out the crown of the bush a little. A tall bush is formed by pruning, giving the bush an aesthetic appearance.
In order to prevent diseases, after pruning blueberries, the bushes are treated with fungicidal agents (Euparen, Topsin).
Tips for watering garden blueberries:
The blueberry hole should be moist, but no stagnant water should be allowed
The roots are located close to the surface of the earth, therefore, with excessive moisture, they begin to rot;
It is important to prevent the soil from drying out and crusting on the ground. Soil moisture must be maintained at 60-70%
It is better to water from a watering can. If the soil is moistened with a hose, the jet can erode the mulch layer;
Watering frequency is every three days, twice a day. Favorable hours for watering are morning and evening. An adult bush will require 5 liters of water;
The bushes need abundant watering in July and August. During this period, the formation of flower buds of the future harvest occurs;
If the days are hot and sunny, then besides watering, the bushes can be sprayed with cool water. The procedure helps to cool the plant and increases the rate of photosynthesis.
Advantages and disadvantages, features, differences from other varieties
Tomato Truffle is not the only “colorful” series of varieties. Among the relatively old ones, this is the well-known De Barao, among the new ones - a series of 14 varieties of Nepas tomatoes. True, Nepas differs not only in color, but also in the shape of the fruits. The peculiarity of the Truffle tomato is its interesting fruit shape and great taste. It is the combination of these parameters that distinguishes Truffle tomato from most other varieties, and in fact their number is already measured in many hundreds.
The most important advantages of the variety are:
- excellent fruit taste, slightly different for different variations;
- good transportability and long-term preservation of the crop;
- high disease resistance;
- versatility of use, including for table decoration.
It is difficult to name the disadvantages of the variety: there are no huge ones, and among the insignificant ones they call both the need for systematic pinching and the high demands of the variety on the nutritional value of the soil. In addition, in the middle lane, and even more so to the north, planting a tomato Truffle in the open field is very risky, and growing in a greenhouse is available only to those gardeners who have the opportunity to visit the site every day. The yield is not very high in the variety, especially in the case of unskilled care.
Varieties
White truffle has an exquisite taste and aroma. In the process of growth, it forms a kind of symbiosis (mycorrhiza) with coniferous or deciduous trees.
There are several varieties of white truffles:
- Piedmont (Tuber magnatum);
- March (Tuber borchii, Tuber albidum);
- Duronsky (Tuber excavatum);
- Variegated (Tuber maculatum);
- Moroccan (Tuber oligospermum);
- Oegon spring (Tubergibbosum).
Truffle White Piedmont (Italian): This species grows in southern Europe. Fruiting from early October to late November. If the weather permits, until January it is found under deciduous or coniferous trees. Its size reaches a volume of 12-15 cm with a weight of 20 g to 1 kg 125 g. The aroma is strong, characteristic (the smell of cheese with garlic). The white Piedmontese truffle is considered the most valuable of all known types. It does not grow in the Moscow region.
Truffle White March: This type is considered European. Symbiotic relationships are formed with deciduous trees, in rare cases with conifers. It is small in size, up to 7 cm in diameter, and weighs from 25 g to 260 g. The taste and smell are subtle. Not particularly valuable in cooking. Known in Crimea. The color changes with the age of the fungus. Young specimens are whitish, then beige and reddish-brownish at the end. Favorable time for collection is the end of February and March. By the way. With age, the pleasant smell of the truffle is modified and becomes repulsive.
Duronsky white truffle: grows everywhere in Russia and Europe. It thrives on deciduous or coniferous species from September to December. Its size is up to 4 cm, weight is up to 70-80 g. The aroma is interesting, sweetish-spicy, the pulp is dense. In Europe, it is collected independently, but not very often.
There are several types of truffles
White variegated truffle: grows both in Europe and in Russia in conifers (including those with fir) or deciduous forests. Mass collection takes place from June to early September. The sizes are small, up to 1-2 cm and very rarely up to 7 cm. The usual weight of apothecia is 5-20 g and rarely up to 200. The aroma is refined, pleasant. On the basis of the pulp of representatives of this species, they make a delicious, strong-smelling oil for flavoring dishes.
White Moroccan truffle: found in North America, in oak, pine and cedar groves. Mass collection takes place in a short period of time (May-June). Not of interest to the restaurant business. This variety is characterized by a pleasant sweetish nutty aroma. Small size - 2.5-5.5 cm, weight - up to 130 g.
Oregon spring truffle: rarely found in North America (in the northwest), in Canada. It does not grow on the territory of Russia. Fruiting from March to May, in rare cases - to June. It looks neat, has a size of 1.5-5 cm. Weight - from 4 to 200 g. It has a pleasant aroma with a slight hint of spices. The smaller the mushroom, the more expensive it is. It is massively harvested and used in cooking.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
On the territory of the Russian Federation, a widespread type of truffle White truffle (Choiromyces meandriformis), which has the names of synonyms - Polish truffle, Troitsky truffle. Despite the Russian-language name "truffle", this species does not belong to the genus Tuber, like real truffles, but to the genus Choiromyces from the same Truffle family (Tuberaceae). This species does not have the same value as real truffles. It grows in several types of forests - coniferous and deciduous. In coniferous forests, it can be found among young pines, and in deciduous forests, it can be found next to birches, aspens, or in hazel trees.The fruit body is located in sandy or clay soil at a depth of no more than 8-10 cm, and sometimes a kind of tubercle without vegetation forms on the soil surface. Has a strong odor. It does not occur annually.
This species belongs to the 4 taste category. It is noted that this type of mushroom is characterized by a meat rather than a mushroom taste.
In the Kostroma region, this species is known as "cow bread".
Truffle mycelium of any kind usually gives rise to 3-7 fruiting bodies, which are arranged in a circle and form a "nest". These places among the collectors were called "truffle".
It takes 3-4 months for a truffle to fully develop.
Summer truffle description
The size of the fruiting body reaches 2.5-10 centimeters in diameter. The color of the fruit bodies is black-brown or blue-black. The entire surface is dotted with large black-brown warts. Fruit bodies are underground, as a rule, they lie close to the surface, and old specimens may appear above the ground.
In young truffles, the flesh is yellowish; over time, it becomes yellow-brown or brownish with a large number of whitish veins, due to which a marble pattern is obtained. In young summer truffles, the flesh is very firm, but it becomes loose with age.
The pulp has a sweetish nutty taste and a pleasant smell. Sometimes the smell can be strong, similar to the smell of forest litter or algae.
Summer Truffle Areas
Summer truffles form mycorrhiza with hornbeams, oaks, beeches and other broadleaf species. Rarely do they enter into alliances with birches and even less often with pines. Summer truffles grow shallowly - at a distance of 3-15 centimeters from the surface of the earth, but sometimes they can lie at a depth of 30 centimeters. They grow in mixed and deciduous forests. They prefer calcareous soils.
Summer truffles bear fruit from late July to late November. In different regions of our country, they are sought after at different times.
On the territory of Russia, summer truffles are the only representatives of the genus. There was information about the discovery of winter truffles in Russia, but they were not confirmed.
Summer truffles annually and quite often bear fruit in the forest-steppe zones of the Crimea and on the coasts of the Caucasus. Finds were also found in other European parts of Russia: in the Moscow, Belgorod, Orel, Tula, Podolsk and Pskov regions.
Similar species
Black truffle, or French, or Perigord truffle is the most exquisite mushroom in the family. The black truffle looks like a dark tuber. Its pulp is light at first, and then darker to purple-black with white veins. The diameter of a rounded or irregular fruiting body is 3-9 centimeters. The color of the surface is reddish brown, and over time it reaches coal black. When pressed on the fruiting body, it becomes rusty. The entire fruiting body is covered with a large number of irregularities.
Although black truffles are also called Perigord, they grow not only in Perigord, but also in the southeast of France, Spain and Italy. These fungi develop underground and depend entirely on the shrubs and trees that feed them by their roots. These delicious mushrooms are cultivated in the PRC.
White truffle, or Polish or Troitsky truffle, is one of the most common types of truffles growing on the territory of Russia. But white truffles do not have the same value as black truffles. The diameter of the fruiting body is 5-15 centimeters, the weight reaches 200-500 grams. The shape of the fruit body is tuberous, flattened, the surface is felt, the color is yellow-brown.
The white mushroom truffle has a taste of walnuts or overcooked seeds, the smell is pronounced. Mushrooms bear fruit from July to November. They grow in coniferous forests among birch, aspen, hazel and young pines. They prefer clay or sandy soil. They lie at a depth of 8-10 centimeters. Sometimes a small bump appears on the surface of the soil. They do not meet every year, very rarely.
Timeline ‹Our cuisine‹ White truffle, Italian (Tuber magnatum)
Posted on 16 Sep 2018 12:54 pm, Last modified 24 Sep 2018 12:50 pm
Order: Pezizales; Family: Truffle (Tuberaceae); Genus: Truffle (Tuber); Species and synonyms: Truffle white, Italian, real, Piedmontese (Tuber magnatum, Rhizopogon magnatus, Choiromyces gangliodes f. Magnatum). The most rare, and therefore the most expensive kind of truffle. Experienced mushroom pickers know the right signs of how to find these underground treasures. For example, dry soil around a tree can serve as a sign - this is the result of the influence of an underground mycelium. A reliable remedy is the delicate smell of mushrooms, it is invisible to humans, but flies feel it and accumulate in places where truffles grow. Truffle hunting is a complex process that requires painstaking preparation. These mushrooms grow one by one, so you have to spend a lot of time on each specimen found. It is very difficult to move the mushroom away from the tree, since their flesh is very delicate and easily damaged. White truffles appear in October, and according to tradition, a truffle fair is held in Piedmont at this time. This delicacy can be bought at the fair in any form: fresh, canned, dried. Locals call truffles "diamond mushrooms" and "white gold", and this is justified, because their cost is simply fabulous - up to 8 thousand dollars per kilogram. The yield of Italian truffles changes from year to year, it is impossible to predict it. In years of poor yields, the price of these delicacies can rise significantly. In addition, these mushrooms have a very short fruiting season. In Italy, the search for truffles begins in November. The most expensive, naturally, are fresh truffles. Even many restaurants prepare a special menu during the truffle season. Many people try to grow truffles artificially, and the Chinese manage to do it with black truffles. Although “Chinese black truffle” and “poor quality product” are synonymous, they have their own customers due to their low price. But no one has yet managed to grow white truffles artificially. Truffles have a short shelf life, they are not stored in pure form, but in sauces or oil. Therefore, connoisseurs of Italian truffles manage to taste this delicacy exclusively during the hunting season, and then they spoil. Restaurateurs buy up these mushrooms literally in a matter of days. Fruit body: (modified apothecia) underground, in the form of irregular tubers, usually 2-12 cm in size and weighing 30-300 g. Sometimes specimens weighing 1 kg or more are found. The surface is uneven, covered with a thin velvety skin that does not separate from the pulp, light ocher or brownish in color. The pulp is firm, whitish to yellow-gray in color, sometimes with a reddish tint, with a white and creamy brown marble pattern. The taste is pleasant, the smell is spicy, reminiscent of cheese with garlic. Spore powder, yellowish-brown, spores 40 × 35 microns, oval, reticulate Habitat: forms mycorrhiza with oak, willow and poplar, also found under lindens. Grows in deciduous forests with loose calcareous soil at varying depths. Most common in northwestern Italy (Piedmont) and adjacent regions of France, found in Central Italy, Central and Southern France and other areas of southern Europe. Fruiting period: the collection of the white Piedmont truffle officially begins on September 21st and ends on January 31st. Collect these mushrooms, only with the help of trained dogs, pigs in Italy for collecting truffles is prohibited. Edible: it is not just an edible mushroom, it is a delicacy. In Italian cuisine, these mushrooms are almost always used raw. They are grated on a special grater and added to sauces or used as a seasoning for various dishes, for example, risotto, salads, scrambled eggs, and so on. Also, seafood, veal, grilled meat are cooked with these mushrooms. The most important thing about truffles is their unique aroma, which becomes even stronger when cooked. This white truffle has light notes of pepper, garlic and honey.Italian truffles taste softer and more refined than black French truffles. They contain more gaseous substances that are released when the pulp is pressed. In the Middle Ages, these mushrooms were harvested in hundreds of tons per season, then they were simply boiled in wine and served as a snack. Gourmets around the world agree that the taste of fresh white truffles is incomparable to other products.
Why truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world
Truffles are called royal mushrooms - one of the most expensive. You can find sellers offering over $ 4,000 a kilo. The value of the product is explained by its rarity, unsurpassed taste and aroma. French and Italian became famous all over the world. There are two truffle capitals - Grignan and Aqualanya: here fruits are harvested almost all year round: in autumn - white, in winter - black, in spring - banchetto, in summer - black summer.
White fruits are exquisite. They cannot be bred, they grow in very limited areas. For example, in Piedmont, mushrooms are found only in the Langhe, sometimes found in Monferrato, Roero, around Turin. The high price of such products is due to the high demand and low supply. They differ in seasonality, on sale they are found from October to January (the price depends on the variety). The most expensive delicacy is just white. Once a product weighing 1.2 kg was put up and sold at an Italian auction, its price was 95,000 euros.
Description of the mushroom
Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) belongs to the Truffle family and Truffle genus. The mushroom is also called Perigord truffle, or black French. This revised name is due to the fact that most of the range falls on the French region of Perigord. This type is the most sophisticated and expensive.
Appearance
The mushroom has an external form of a tuber disproportionate in its structure. The body has 4 to 6 faces. The diameter of the tuber is 7-8 cm. The weight of one mushroom is up to 400 g. The color of the surface of the fruiting body depends on age. Young truffle is dark brown in color. Over time, the top layer turns charcoal black. If you press on the surface of the body, the color will turn dark orange.
The pulp is light, darkens over time from ripening spores and acquires a purple hue. The structure of the body is marble, with many white or light pink veins. The taste of the pulp is intense, characteristic with a chocolate note and light bitterness. The aroma is pronounced.
Microscopically small spores are oval or fusiform, strongly curved. The color of the spore powder is dark brown. Fruiting of the species lasts from early December to mid-March.
Places of growth
The Perigord black truffle grows not only in Perigord. Mushrooms of this species are found in other regions of France:
- Dordogne;
- Vaucluse;
- Gironde.
The species is also found in the north of Spain and Italy. China is the world's leader in the number of artificially grown black truffles. The Chinese counterpart is more common due to its low price. However, the quality of such mushrooms is significantly inferior to French ones.
Similar species
Besides the classic black truffle, there are other varieties with similar characteristics:
- Russian summer black truffle (Tuber aestivum): the fruit body reaches 12 cm in diameter, the mass of the mushroom is up to 450 g. With age, the color of the pulp changes from white to gray-brown. The taste gives off nuts. Places of growth - Crimea, the Caucasus, the European part of Russia. The species grows under pine and oak trees. The fruiting period is from June to mid-October.
- Black Burgundy truffle (Tuber mesentericum): this species is characterized by a rounded shape and weights up to 310 g. The diameter of the fruit body is up to 9 cm. The pulp has a light brown tint with a marble structure. The aroma contains notes of cocoa.
- Black winter truffle (Tuber brumale): rounded fruiting body, 7-20 cm in diameter. The mass of the mushroom reaches 120 g. The surface of the body has a purple hue and is covered with growths. The aroma is musky, pronounced. The fruiting period occurs in early November - mid February.Requires hazel or linden for growth. Growing places - Italy, Ukraine and southwest Switzerland.
- Himalayan black truffle (Tuber himalayensis): fruiting body usually weighing up to 50 g, with a pronounced nutty flavor. Finding tubers is difficult due to their small size.
Growth features
The mushroom grows at a depth of 35 cm
Truffle belongs to marsupial mushrooms. Such species have the following growth characteristics:
- The edible body is in the ground, at a depth of 10 to 35 cm.
- The soil for growth must contain lime in its composition.
- Certain tree species are essential for the good development of a truffle.
The black truffle species needs hazel or oak roots to form mycorrhiza. Other trees are not suitable for proper development.
The tree provides the truffle with the necessary complex of minerals, and the mycelium enhances the ability of the root system to absorb water and salt.
Doubles
The genus Tuber is the only one whose fruiting bodies are called true truffles. But there are also, very similar to the species, edible mushrooms from the genera Choiromyces, Terfezia and Elaphomyces. Unscrupulous businessmen periodically sell them under the guise of real truffles.
However, a very remarkable mushroom has long been mined in Russia, which, although it does not belong to "real truffles", is deservedly and for a long time respected for its culinary qualities, it is:
Truffle Trinity or White Choiromyces Meandriformis
Truffle Trinity or White Choiromyces Meandriformis
This mushroom belongs to the genus Chromocytes, Truffle family. The most common type of truffle mushrooms in Russia.
Appearance
The fruit body is up to 15 cm in diameter and weighing up to half a kilogram, tuberous, rounded, with a fibrous surface of a brownish-yellow hue.
The pulp is mealy and firm, reminiscent of potato color, with pronounced veins. Has a taste, somewhat reminiscent of meat, and a strong characteristic smell. It is believed that the most delicious are the latest autumn specimens.
Where and When It Grows
Grows from late July to November, on sandy and clayey soil among pine trees in conifers, and with aspen, hazel and birch in deciduous forests. It occurs at a shallow depth of 8-10 cm and sometimes protrudes above the ground. It is believed that the peaks of its fruiting coincide with the peaks of fruiting of the porcini mushroom.
Truffles are a delicacy that not everyone has tasted because of its high cost. For the majority of the Russian population, this is an unknown, bourgeois, European delicacy. However, truffle mushrooms are also found in Russian forests, and even if it is not at all easy to find them, this will make a quiet hunt for them even more exciting.
Soil requirements
The culture prefers light soil, in particular, sandy loam. If the site is mainly loam or alumina, before planting the soil is enriched with sand or expanded clay. The latter will become a drainage system that will help the water to quickly absorb and go into the deeper layers. In addition, peat and humus are also added.
Garlic loves fertile neutral soil, into which manure was introduced 2-3 years ago. Culture does not recognize fresh organic matter, and therefore it should not be introduced.
A suitable soil acidity level for garlic is 6.5.
The soil is prepared in advance: for winter garlic - at the end of summer (about a month before the intended planting), for spring garlic - in the fall. For example, loams are supplied with organic matter, Superphosphate and potassium salt. Then lime is added and dug up. In addition to what has been done, the beds are spilled with copper sulfate (one large spoonful in a bucket of water).
The most valuable species
After analyzing the truffle price market, we have compiled a list of the six most valuable specimens:
White Truffle (Tuber magmatum Pico)
This species is the most valuable.
The small area of growth of the fungus determines the high cost, and it has not been possible to cultivate this species so far.
The optimal white size is 2 - 6 cm. In rare cases, it reaches 15 cm and a weight of 500 grams, but the average value is equal to 20 grams.
White Truffle (Tuber magmatum Pico)
The aroma is complex and unforgettable, but it disappears when the product is cooked for food.
Black precious truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt)
This species has the highest price among black truffles, from 1 to 2 thousand dollars per kilogram.
Prized for its unsurpassed aroma - a bit like cocoa, moist soil, strawberries and a mixture of dried fruits. French chefs use to add a special flavor to sauces that are served with meat.
Black precious truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt)
Black smooth truffle (Tuber macrosporum Vitt)
This species costs from 550 to 250 $ per kg.
Like "Vittadini" (No. 4) it is used to create sauces and pâtés, but it is undeservedly cheaper and more expensive.
The sizes are small, from 2 to 5 centimeters.
Combines shades of roasted barley and garlic aromas.
Black smooth truffle (Tuber macrosporum Vitt)
Winter black or "Burgundy" (Tuber ucinatum Chatin)
The price for it starts at $ 250 and ends at $ 500, the price is highly dependent on the size.
The sizes are average. Rounded, slightly irregular
In cooking, it is actively used for making cheese fondue, it is rubbed with slices in fillets, scrambled eggs, omelettes and various pastes.
Winter black or "Burgundy" (Tuber ucinatum Chatin)
Summer black (Tuber aestimum Vitt (Vittadini)
Prices start at $ 80 per kg and end at $ 450.
It has a pleasant taste and low cost, so it is often used in cooking to create pates, spreads, oils and sauces.
Inside it has shades of white, so you need to be careful when buying in France, there it is called "summer white".
The sizes are standard for mushrooms of this species, but some specimens reach a weight of 800 grams or more.
Summer Black (Tuber aestimum Vitt (Vittadini)
Summer White (Tuber aldibum pico or Tuber borchii Vitt)
From $ 100 to $ 250 / kg are given for it because of the external and taste similarity with the famous white brother.
It goes well with game dishes (wild boar, pheasant, hare) because of the garlic notes that it has.
The smaller size and smoother surface make it stand out from its more expensive counterpart in appearance. Rarely reaches the size of a chicken egg, much more often like quail eggs.
Summer White (Tuber aldibum pico or Tuber borchii Vitt)
Growing at home
Difficulties in finding truffles forced experts to raise the issue of their artificial cultivation. For several centuries, all attempts were unsuccessful, but at the beginning of the 19th century it was successfully cultivated. However, only “black” species grow in an unnatural environment, “white” cultivation truffles are not served.
The main condition is a favorable climate. It should be moderate, warm, without sudden changes in temperature. Regions with hot summers and frosty winters are not suitable for this purpose. Seed material is best bought in a specialized store, but they are not cheap. Usually, spores are grafted onto the roots of hazel or oak seedlings.
You can try growing mycorrhiza yourself. Beech or oak sawdust is infected with mycelium and placed in a warm, sterile place until mycorrhiza forms, but this will not happen until a year.
They select a place for planting trees - protected from the wind, direct sunlight, other shrubs, trees, flowers should not grow on its territory. Especially spruce, chestnuts and poplars do not tolerate truffles next to them. The place is protected from the invasion of animals. Truffle loves alkaline soil, if it is acidic, then add lime. And also it should be rich in humus, calcium and saturated with air.
Saplings are planted in the spring. The soil is not pre-fertilized so that the mycelium does not die. It is cleared of weeds, stones and dug holes 75 cm deep, watered. Then the seedlings are planted, covered with soil and watered again. At a distance of 40 cm from each seedling, the ground is mulched with last year's oak leaves. The temperature should be in the region of +20 ° C ... + 22 ° C.
It is recommended to fertilize with potash and nitrogen fertilizers. They are added not to the place where the mushrooms are planted, but to the ground near the roots of the tree, where they grow. For the winter, they must be mulched to protect them from frost.In the spring they are fed with mineral fertilizers rich in boron, copper, zinc, calcium and iron.
The timing of harvesting depends on the type of mushroom planted. They hide at a depth of 20 cm from the surface. If the mushrooms rot or lose their nutritional value, then they may be located close to the surface. In this case, it is recommended to sprinkle the surface with clean dry sand. Dig the truffles with a small spatula. Mushrooms grow not only near the roots of trees, but also are located between them.
Growing a truffle in a greenhouse or basement is expensive. To create optimal conditions, a system of air humidification, heating, ventilation is installed, special soil and means for additional disinfection are purchased. These costs will pay off if truffle cultivation becomes your business.
Practical value [edit | edit code]
Real truffles are edible. They have a mushroom flavor with deep roasted seeds or walnuts and a strong characteristic aroma. If a truffle is immersed in water and held, then it acquires the taste of soy sauce.
The most appreciated by gourmets are Perigord, Piedmont and winter truffles, which grow in oak and beech groves in Southern France, Switzerland and Northern Italy, where they are of great industrial importance. In Russia, one species is found - summer truffle ( Tuber aestivum ) .
In France and Italy, dating back to the 15th century, the practice of searching for truffles growing in the forest with the help of specially trained search dogs and pigs, which have a phenomenally fine scent, is widespread: they are able to smell truffles underground at a distance of up to 20 m. searching for truffles is also the so-called "Hunting for flies"; It is based on the fact that some flies of the thornfly family lay their eggs in the soil in the vicinity of truffles (the larvae of these flies use the fruiting bodies of truffles for food), therefore, a truffle can be found under the foliage, having noticed midges swarming above it.
Contrary to popular belief, truffles can still be cultivated. There were already successful attempts in 1808. It was observed that truffles grew between the roots of only a few oak trees. In 1808, Joseph Talon (Joseph talon) planted acorns from those oak trees under which truffles were found. A few years later, when the trees grew, truffles were found under the roots of some of them. In 1847 Auguste Rousseau (Auguste Rousseau) planted 7 hectares with such acorns and subsequently collected a large harvest of truffles, for which he received a prize at the 1855 World Exhibition in Paris.
At the end of the 19th century, 750 square kilometers were planted with truffle groves, from which up to 1000 tons of "black diamonds of culinary" were collected. However, due to the decline of agriculture in France in the 20th century, many of the truffle groves were abandoned. The average fruiting period of truffle oaks is about 30 years, after which the yield drops sharply. As a result, although 80% of all truffles harvested in France come from special oak plantations, the annual harvest has dropped dramatically. Local farmers are opposed to new plantations, fearing a serious drop in prices for this delicious mushroom. The number of harvested truffles is decreasing from year to year. In recent years, the harvest of these mushrooms has not exceeded 50 tons. Currently, truffles are cultivated in the USA, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
French experts demand to ban the mixing of European truffles and Chinese ones, as this ultimately strongly affects the reputation of European products for which such mixtures are issued.
Other truffles
White, or Polish, or Trinity truffle (Choiromyces meandriformis) has a fruiting body with light pulp, similar in appearance and size to a potato. Edible. It grows in the forests of Western Europe, Ukraine, Belarus, as well as in the regions of central Russia (earlier it was mined in large quantities in the vicinity of Aleksandrov and Sergiev Posad).
Among the so-called steppe truffles, "tombolans" (genus Terfezia) are also edible. They grow in Southern Europe, North Africa, South-West Asia - in Azerbaijan on the Absheron Peninsula, in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the valley of the Araks River, in Central Asia and in Turkmenistan (Terfezia transcaucasica). In the same areas, the steppe truffle grows (Terfezia boudieri) .
Sometimes truffles are mistakenly referred to as inedible basidiomycetes from the genus Scleroderma (a group of gasteromycetes), whose fruiting bodies look like round and oblong yellowish tubers 3-10 cm long; found in forests, parks; fruiting bodies are at first dense, blackish inside with light veins, unpleasant smelling; later their contents are sprayed.
Reindeer truffle, inedible for humans, is a species of the Elafomitses genus, which serves as food for rodents and deer.
Truffle (Tuber) is the most expensive mushroom in the world, a rare and delicious delicacy with unique taste and strong specific aroma. The mushroom got its name due to the similarity of its fruiting body with potato tubers or cones (the Latin phrase terrae tuber corresponds to the concept of “earthen cones”). Mushroom truffle belongs to the department of ascomycetes, the subdivision of Pezizomycotina, the class of pec, the order of pec, the family of truffles, the genus of truffles.
