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coon
big odd son

Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3,243
Loc: behind the rows....
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yep, I'd be a rakin' maniac if they grew around me,at least I got morels around here.thanks.
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Hotnuts
old hand


Registered: 02/26/05
Posts: 3,436
Loc: Wild Blue Yawnder
Last seen: 1 month, 13 days
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Quote:
Lysergic_Milkman said: Truffles do not grow in the South-East U.S. They are found primarily in Europe and parts of Asia, and are known to grow in the PNW of North America. Finding a true truffle in Florida would be a strange anomaly.
That's incorrect. Tuber texense and canaliculatum are actually found quite often in GA, FL, TX and AL.
Edit: You guys in the southeast US should check around Pecan trees for truffles. That's where the majority of them are found.
Edited by Hotnuts (03/24/07 08:48 PM)
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coon
big odd son

Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3,243
Loc: behind the rows....
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Re: truffle (?) ID request [Re: Hotnuts]
#6707935 - 03/24/07 11:24 PM (16 years, 10 months ago) |
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you guys are killing me.
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Hotnuts
old hand


Registered: 02/26/05
Posts: 3,436
Loc: Wild Blue Yawnder
Last seen: 1 month, 13 days
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Re: truffle (?) ID request [Re: coon]
#6708510 - 03/25/07 02:57 AM (16 years, 10 months ago) |
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Corporal Kielbasa


Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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Re: truffle (?) ID request [Re: coon]
#6712765 - 03/26/07 12:21 PM (16 years, 10 months ago) |
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There are also truffles down south. It's Orange colored. They call it the pecan truffle because it grows in pecan orchards.


Out west you got White truffles and black truffles. Winter and Spring varieties of both.


Edited by Corporal Kielbasa (03/26/07 12:29 PM)
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coon
big odd son

Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3,243
Loc: behind the rows....
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you're the.....man?thanks.
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SirTokesALittle
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/07
Posts: 1,283
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Re: truffle (?) ID request [Re: DrunkyDaBear]
#6712973 - 03/26/07 01:37 PM (16 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
PECAN TRUFFLE FACT SHEET
Identification:
The truffle found under pecan trees is Tuber lyonii (=T. texense). It is the same genus but a different species as the very expensive white or black truffles found in Europe. It has been found under pecans in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and New Mexico, but this truffle has been found on other tree species across eastern North America from Mexico to Canada. The color of individual specimens varies from light to dark brown and range in size from a buckshot up to the size of a golf ball (occasionally larger). Some will be round but most will have lobes and irregularities. The interior will be very firm, lighter in color, and have a conspicuously "marbled" appearance with alternating streaks of brown and white. They will also have a very strong earthy aroma.
Truffle Hunting:
They are usually found in well-irrigated orchards, particularly after a dry year such as 1999. They tend to be in more crowded, shaded sections of the orchard. We have found them on numerous varieties of pecans, but often in heavier clay soils. The fungus grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with the pecan tree roots, but the truffles will be found unattached in the top inch or two of soil. They may be adjacent to the trunk or anywhere out to about the drip line of the tree. Raking under trees for pecan trufflesAreas devoid of vegetation such as herbicide strips in managed orchards are easier to search.
We have found truffles by simply raking the surface of the soil with a stiff-tined garden rake.
Of course, a trained dog or pig would help since they are not usually visible above ground! They can be seen sometimes following pecan harvest where the sweepers have swept the soil surface.
Guidelines for Eating:
These truffles are generally considered edible, but as with any wild mushroom it is an "eat at your own risk" situation. Specimens should be fresh and have a firm texture. Avoid older, darkened specimens, especially if they are noticeably softer than usual. Truffles from managed pecan orchards that have been sprayed regularly may have low levels of pesticide residue. The small quantities consumed would reduce the potential risk, but this has not been thoroughly evaluated. One pesticide that should be avoided is aldicarb (Temik). This insecticide is highly toxic and is applied directly to the soil. DO NOT CONSUME TRUFFLES FROM ORCHARDS TREATED WITH TEMIK.
There are also other fungi that can be mistaken for truffles. Puffballs are the most common. Features that distinguish them from truffles include the fact that they usually are uniformly round or pear-shaped and grow above ground. They also are often white and will have a sterile base or stalk. Fortunately puffballs are generally edible also, except for the genus Scleroderma which will be purple when cut open. Potentially the most serious case of mistaken identity would be to consume a mushroom "button" (ie. small, unexpanded mushroom) from a highly poisonous species such as Amanita. Slicing the specimen in half will reveal the stalk and cap instead of the uniformly marbled interior of a truffle. As with any fungus, it is important to know what you are eating as some species are highly toxic. If you would like assistance in identifying truffles, images can be submitted electronically to arachis@tifton.uga.edu or samples can be mailed to the following address:
Dr. Tim Brenneman Dept. of Plant Pathology University of Georgia, CPES Tifton, GA 31793
-------------------- Unlike many herbs, mint likes it moist.
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SirTokesALittle
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/07
Posts: 1,283
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"All truffles grow in the soil in conjunction with the roots of various trees. The Pecan Truffle can only be found by digging in the soil around the roots of pecan (Carya illinoensis) trees; a small garden hand cultivator with tines is convenient for this purpose. Occasionally, fruiting bodies may be exposed during cultivation or due to soil erosion following heavy rains.
The Pecan Truffle is the only truffle reported thus far from Georgia. It is most likely to be found in late summer to autumn (August - November) in the pecan growing areas of South Georgia, but it may occur wherever pecan trees are grown throughout the state."
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Corporal Kielbasa


Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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For truffles all you need is a three or four tined rake and a pale. That and a good eye for host trees and a mushroom sence. You need to sing a song, about mushrooms when looking for them.
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coon
big odd son

Registered: 07/06/06
Posts: 3,243
Loc: behind the rows....
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you've just had some kind of truffle,and your mind is moving ohh!
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SirTokesALittle
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/07
Posts: 1,283
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I live right in GA where there's tons of pecan orchards, I wonder what my chances are on hitting some up with permission and a shared crop?
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Corporal Kielbasa


Registered: 05/29/04
Posts: 17,235
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good
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SirTokesALittle
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/07
Posts: 1,283
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Thats amazing, I can't believe truffles are actually right near me! Under my nose the entire time. And it seems easy, since they are in the top layer of the soil...
Does anyone know how predominate the Pecan truffle is?
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SirTokesALittle
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/07
Posts: 1,283
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Just found this great tidbit about the truffles, worth the read if you live in the south from Texas to GA, or from Florida North to Ohio, possibly even into Canada!
Quote:
Just received a shipment of T. texense, the pecan truffle, from Georgia.
Fungus is relatively hard (for a truffle) with reddish-brown to brick-red brown peridium, no warts visible, large venae externae patches, peridium sometimes cracking, exposing lighter buff to grayish-brown interior; sprores visible under 30x. Odor intriguing: to my nose a combination of fresh green corn and fresh whole milk, on 9/20/2000, two days after being harvested. Package received in zip-lock bag with soggy paper towel enclosed and visible water droplets inside the bag, most truffles exuding water vapor/water, and most truffles slick to the touch. (While this does not necessarily harm the truffle, it can, in my opinion, reduce their shelf-life/storage life, so will be immediately drying the truffles before passing them along to Chef Greg Higgins for culinary experimentation.
The pecan truffle is known from nearly anywhere pecans are grown. The production reported by Dr. Tim Brenneman of the University of Georgia, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Tifton, GA 31793 would indicate it is relatively abundant (4 people collected "over 20 lbs." in 3.5 hours, or about 1.5 pounds per man-hour of labor. Many were found partially exposed (epigeous).
Most of the specimens sent me were were hazel-nut to walnut sized or larger, with some specimens (received last year) several inches in diameter. Some specimens have indications of animal predation, possibly squirrel, chipmunk or mouse (another indication of maturity, since animal mycophagy generally does not occur with immature truffles, in my experience).
It is our opinion these truffles may have culinary importance, and may be common enough in other stands of pecans for other orchardists to be looking for them.
T. texense has been reported from Texas to Georgia, from Florida north at least to Ohio, and possibly into Canada.
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