The very first bottles of the world’s first all natural, truffle infused vodka go on sale this month. The vodka, branded Black Moth, is created with the world’s finest black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) and is truly delicious.
Made from grain, Black Moth has a warm and mellow taste, perfectly complementing the wonderful flavour of the black Périgord truffle. Infamous for its rich, earthy aroma and distinct taste, the Périgord truffle lends tangible hints of freshly dug earth and spice, creating the inimitable flavor of Black Moth.

Earlier this month we took journalist Sarah Falkingham on a secret visit to one of our UK plantations. Without giving away the location, we drove Sarah to one of our young plantations to observe our annual monitoring procedure and to see how the truffle-cultivation system works. Despite the rain, it was an interesting morning and Sarah’s investigative piece was broadcast on Friday the 9th of April on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today programme. The programme can be live streamed or downloaded from the BBC website through their ‘listen again' service.

This month MSL is delighted to have contributed to the Sheffield Lord Mayor's Charity Dinner, organized by city
councillor Ray Satur. We provided several free truffle trees to be auctioned to raise money for the charity, although it turned out that Ray had other plans.

In rural Hampshire, our expert dog trainer Marion Dean has been busy crafting a new resource for would-be truffle hunters and farmers alike. Compiled from footage taken throughout 2009, the DVD aims to show how much care must be taken when harvesting truffles to prevent any damage to the valuable fungi, their mycorrhizal growth and the trees supporting them. With plenty of footage of truffle harvesting, you can also gain an insight into Marion's style of teaching.

Anosmia is a condition that hampers the sufferer’s sense of taste. Whilst total anosmia is extremely rare, partial anosmia, the inability to taste a small number of specific flavours, is actually quite common. Amazingly, up to 30% of the population cannot detect androstenone, which is one of the chemicals used in scent-based truffle hunting. There are a whole host of factors that contribute to the truffle scent, so even if you can’t detect androstenone you can still enjoy truffles, but it does perhaps help to explain why peoples’ interpretation of the truffle does tend to vary.

Our first Newspaper article of 2010 appeared in the Telegraph business supplement and can be read by clicking here. Several more truffle-based articles are being prepared for publication and we will be displaying details here and in the newsletter.

 

 

The 27th of January is an important date for your diary as we’ll be exhibiting at the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA), the Farm and More Farm Diversification show 2010. Based in Shropshire (UK) the show is focused on diversification in farming. Come along and visit us on-site to find out more about truffle farming and how you can get involved with our partnership programme. Also, remember that we operate internationally so no matter where you are based, come along for a chat about the possibilities of growing truffles in your area.

December saw Forbes compile a list of the 11 most extravagant meals. Truffles featured three times, with a White Truffle Dinner at Les Amis (Singapore) coming fourth, at 800USD per person, not including wine! In fifth place was the 5,000USD burger by Fleur de Lys chef Hubert Keller (Las Vegas) featuring kobe beef, foie gras and truffles. Finally, in ninth place was the Chef's Table at L'Espadon Paris with a menu that includes “cappuccino-style" mashed potatoes, which featured truffles and cocoa.

The 11th Global Alba Truffle Auction was recently held in the small town of Grinzane Cavour near Alba, Italy. Private-equity investor Joseph Bae, of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Hong Kong, set his sights on an exquisite Alba Truffle. This particular truffle weighed in at 750gms (1lb 10oz) and was eventually bought by Mr Bae for a princely sum of 1 million Hong Kong Dollars, or £90,000.

This month we’re excited to be presenting our research at the First European Conference on the “European” Truffle Tuber aestivum/uncinatum.
Hosted at the Biodiversity Center of the University of Vienna, this is a small gathering of scientists that we hope will strengthen in numbers with each meeting.