Edible Blue Ridge Winter 2022

Over time, Virginia Truffles LLC has evolved away from the nursery aspect to a true truffle orchard, selling truffles to local restau rants and the public, holding truffle hunts dur ing the season, and training truffle-hunting dogs. Many truffle growers and hunters spend upwards of $6,000 on a truffle hunting canine. Certain breeds, such as Logotto Romagnolos, have bloodlines that could match a horse slated to win the Triple Crown. Taylor, however, looks a little closer to home when she brings on a new dog to train. “They’re all rescues. I don’t look for a spe cific breed; I look for this drive to dig. They just have to be really persistent, high-energy and be really food-driven, and usually that works pretty well … I don’t sell dogs. I’m not in that business; these are our family as well,” Taylor says, as the dogs bark in the distance. “I know growers here in the states that have flown over to Italy, to Croatia, to pick up puppies, and you know, everybody is different, everybody oper ates their orchards differently, but there are a lot of dogs here that need homes.” Taylor, whose background is in environ mental science and livestock management, started training truffle dogs by practicing with her former in-laws’ dog who needed a job. She soaked tennis balls in truffle oil and taught the labrador to retrieve them. After the dog knew to respond to the truffle-scented balls, Taylor brought the dog to a woman in Luray who trains scent dogs for U.S. customs. Taylor has since trained five truffle dogs. Currently, Na dine, a grizzled hound dog, is her full-time truffle hunter, while Pozzi and Harley are still in training. As we stroll through the orchard, I notice trees of varying size and species. Taylor — who also consults for new orchards— encourages growers to plant a variety of trees. One reason there are only a few producing truffle orchards in Virginia is because others monocropped their orchards, planting just one species of tree, the Eastern filbert (hazelnut). The orchards were then completely wiped out by the Eastern filbert blight. Taylor has planted four types of oak, and a few filberts, to lessen the risk of dis ease. This makes sense, as a truffle orchard is the definition of a long-term investment. Most

Opposite:Taylor points out where an animal has been digging for truffles.Top: An imported black truffle. Bottom: Geese and ducks help keep insect populations in check.

up the slope of the orchard. “The French used to think it was a burn but it’s not; the truffle fungus produces an herbicidal chemical that pushes back the grass to eliminate competitive fungus.” Two geese, Lucrezia and Lutetia, come up behind us, making their presence known with assertive honks. Taylor keeps ducks, geese, chickens and sheep, and they all contribute to the wellness of the orchard. In the spring, af ter truffle season has passed, the sheep graze the orchard, keeping the grass and the weeds in check and providing manure, while the fowl help with insect control. A stream flows quietly through the bottom of the property and Taylor lets native species flourish, encouraging birds to frequent the area. “The idea is to have a lot of biodiversity, to keep the environment healthy,” explains Taylor.

truffle orchards in the mid-Atlantic only start producing truffles between six to eight years of age, and won’t reach commercial production levels until year fifteen. “It was eight years for us. We had friends in from North Carolina and Australia. It was late February — late for the season, and all of a sudden Nadine almost pulled my arm out of socket. When there’s a truffle there you can smell it, the soil smells really strong, so I was like, OH MY GOD!!! Our friend was videotap ing it and my mom gets the truffle and my step dad, he pops the champagne. It was the best feeling ever.” Taylor points out a circle of earth around a Japanese oak that is clear of grass. “That’s the truffle fungus doing that, they call it a brûlè — burn in French — there are some more pronounced ones up here,” she says as we walk

22 | edible blue ridge WINTER 2022