Truffles

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Leucangium carthusianum

Though there are as many as seven species of Oregon black truffles, leucangium carthusianum is the main one. Harvested late autumn into spring, they have a fruity-musky aroma, markedly different from the Perigord black. Aroma of pineapple and nuttiness. Has a texture of moist Parmesan and almond. The exterior is a smooth but warty black and the gleba is grey to grey green. Season is typically December through March.

Tuber oregonense and tuber gibbosum

There are two species of white truffle found in Oregon. Tuber oregonense (winter) is the more prevalent of the two and has a similar appearance to the Italian white, with a smooth pale brown and reddish surface and a gleba of brown with white veins. It has a strong garlic and cheese aroma, with hints of sweetness, cedar, cinnamon, and vanilla. The tuber gibbosum (spring) is similar to the Oregon winter white truffle, with a complex garlic and spice aroma, but the surface is brownish yellow with darker brown patches. Winter white is found October through March, and the spring white is found May through July.

Tuber lyonii

Also known as the American brown truffle, the pecan truffle is a species native to North America. The pecan truffle is so named because it is most commonly found in pecan orchards, in association with the pecan tree, however the pecan is not its only symbiote. It has pleasant aroma and a nutty flavor. The gleba is brown with white veins and its smooth exterior is reddish to orange brown. Their season runs from July through October.

Tuber melanosporum 

Considered to be the truffle with the most robust flavor, the Perigord black can be used in a wide variety of preparations and can even take a bit heat, unlike the white truffle. Though Perigords have their roots in France, the U.S., as well as Australia, have begun to successfully inoculate trees with tuber melanosporum spores and have begun to see returns... Gleba is black-brown with hints of purple and red, thin and dense whitish veins well outlined, accompanied by two transparent brown stripes on the sides, the surface is ornamented with polygonal 4-6 sided warts and reddish shades. Harvested November to March. (June thru August for Australian)

Tuber albidum

Similar to the Italian White, but generally smaller with a more garlicky aroma. It has a marbled gleba with whitish and white-reddish veins on a brown-reddish background. Surface is smooth, also whitish to yellow and light brown. Often misidentified as an Italian White truffle. Harvested winter to early spring.