Truffle farmer Heiler with Balou, a truffle-hunting dog. Photos: Uli Deck/dpa
Today’s yield isn’t bad: Balou, a golden retriever, locates several burgundy truffles within an hour and a half. The smallest is the size of a cherry pit, while the largest one probably weighs about 60g. In total, the group estimates that truffles are being grown on some 300ha to 400ha of land in total, nationwide.
It takes seven to eight years until a new farm can harvest its truffles. That's a moment many of Germany’s farmers are still waiting for. Nurseries specialising in truffle trees “inoculate” trees suitable as host trees, such as hazelnut or oak, with the truffle spores. In other countries, people can harvest wild truffles thanks to more generous licensing policies, but that is not a strategy the ministry is looking to adopt.That makes truffle farms the only legal option in Germany. While Heiler says regional restaurants are very interested in the local produce, it remains unclear if they will ever make it into the top restaurants.
Such a long harvest. Is it worth it ? Meantime need a fulltime job in btw. Or have other products to harvest