Several wild borchii truffles were found in Finland only recently after a scientific survey. The small quantity previously reported may not be indicative of the country’s wild-harvest potential as a recent article in the Helsingin Sanomat (international edition) proves. With the increase of truffle interest in the Finnish media, truffle awareness has grown and so too have truffle finds.

The prestige and price is a constant carrot to encourage many would-be truffle hunters and we’re often sent pictures of finds from around the world. Very rarely do these turn out to be actual edible truffles, so it is always wise to get your haul identified. Truffles are generally quite a distinctive group of fungi, but the promise of something very special can lead people to convince themselves that what they’ve found is actually more truffle-like than it really is. The number one fungi mistaken for truffles are earth balls ( Scleroderma

This month has seen the start of our new research project with Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens is an internationally important botanical research and education institution with around 700 staff and the world’s largest collection of living plants. Kew’s

Australia’s having a good season with around 1.5tonnes of truffles tipped to be harvested in 2009. However, not all is rosy down-under with many sites underperforming and frustration among some farmers. This is not surprising as we’ve always maintained that you really do need real-research driven expertise on board to ensure the success of your truffle orchard.