Hello and welcome Merry Christmas everyone! One of the biggest events in the world of truffles is nearly upon us, the Napa Truffle Festival, in California. Also, the French season for Perigord truffles (Tuber melanosporum) officially opened on the 1st of December, so we can look forward to a truffley Christmas, with Perigord, summer and white truffles all in season! For those of you stuck for Christmas presents, we can help with truffle tree gifts, as explained below. For now, enjoy the updates have a great Christmas and we'll be writing again in the New Year…


Kind regards,


Dr Paul Thomas and the Mycorrhizal Systems Team


Napa Truffle Festival 

The festival will be from the 10th - 12th December this year, in Napa, California. There are many unique events planned and this is on course to be a fantastic celebration of the black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) and the black summer Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum/uncinatum). Six of the world's best chefs with a combined total of 13 Michelin Stars will be spending quality time with the festival guests and leading culinary classes culminating in a showcase of their impressive skills and talents in the Michelin Star Truffle Dinner on Saturday evening. The festival will also have the world's top truffle scientists including our own Dr. Paul Thomas, who will be discussing the principles of truffle cultivation.

If you would like any more information about the Napa Truffle Festival please contact the American Truffle Company: info@americantruffle.com or visit the festival web page at www.napatrufflefestival.com 

Christmas deliveries and gift ideas 

Well it's that time of year again and by now you should be well in the midst of the Christmas shopping frenzy so hopefully this could help a few of you with Christmas present ideas.

Our truffle-trees for gifts are supplied with full growing instructions and a gift certificate in attractive festive packaging, ready to be wrapped and put under the Christmas tree. As the truffle-trees are in their dormant state, they can happily remain in their card boxes and wrapped as a present until the New Year, if kept in a cool and dark place. You can order anytime through our website www.plantationsystems.com/shop. After ordering, simply send us an email (shop@plantationsystems.com) with your order number and preferred delivery date and we'll dispatch the trees to your preference. Simple! Anything else we can do, such as dispatching to an alternative address or including a card or note, please just ask. Please note, the final order day for guaranteed Christmas delivery is the 19th of December.

For further information, please contact: Shop@PlantationSystems.com or +44(0)1422 844 095

Scientists reveal the sex lives of truffles

New research into the sex lives of the black Winter Truffle (T. Melanosporum) has recently been published. The research led by Francesco Paolocci, now proves that truffles do outcross, meaning they are a two gender species, with sexual reproduction occurring between strains of opposite mating types. Therefore, it is important that both a male and a female stain are present for fruiting to occur. Paolocci said "...it was believed that truffle cultivation relied only on the environment and nutrition, now we know that is wrong…These results are of considerable practical use for optimising and increasing production in truffle fields. It is of paramount interest to artificial truffle plantations to encourage a balance of strains of both mating types."

This supports our conviction in the importance of maintaining genetic diversity. If you would like more information regarding this please email: shop@plantationsystems.com.

More than a mere truffle 

Last month saw the annual Global Alba Truffle Action, medieval Castello di Grinzane in a part of Italy famous for its wine and truffles.

The scheme, which can offer up to £9,000 per hectare for farmers planting native trees, was launched last month. It is available to all landowners, not just farmers or members of the Glastir agri-environmental scheme. The scheme includes a planting grant, covering the first three years, an income foregone payment over 15 years and also a payment of £3.15 per metre for new fencing.

This year's largest white truffle weighed in at a gigantic 900g, with the lucky bidder eventually paying an enormous 105,000 Euros (£89,611.40). This worked out at 117 Euros per gram, which is a massive sum of money but, believe it or not, it is actually less than last year's record price of 133 Euros per gram.

This is the second year running that the top bidder was from Hong Kong. The proceeds from the auction will go to scholarships for Italian students, a children's charity in Hong Kong and local charities in Alba.

The chef who prepared this giant truffle was Umberto Bombana, chef and owner of 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong. Over 25 guests consumed every last bit of the football-sized fungus between them.

For further information on this or any aspect of truffles please get in contact: Shop@PlantationSystems.com or +44(0)1422 844 095

All the best and Happy Christmas from MSL!