Hello and welcome May has seen the start of the summer truffle harvest across Europe. These first truffles of the season are very mild in flavour and it is normally best to wait for maturity in a month or two before getting excited about their aroma. Immature summer truffles are often white inside with very little marbling, as displayed in our recent YouTube addition detailed below. Also this month, I've been delighted to contribute to the BBC bite-size online educational resource, together with six other contributors, including Sir Alan Sugar and Deborah Meaden. The resources have just been uploaded onto the BBC website and I am always more than happy to contribute to such causes. This month we also have news of a 5* truffle event in November 2010 and discourse from climate change to truffle soup! For now, we hope you enjoy the updates and as always, please do get in contact with any questions/comments.
Kind regards,
Dr Paul Thomas and the Mycorrhizal Systems Team
Truffle fest at Balmory
We are delighted to announce that later this year we will be holding a residential course for those interested in truffles and truffle cultivation. Based in exclusive, award-winning, 5* accommodation on the Isle of Bute, the course will be over two days and involve excursions and full in-depth sessions on all aspects of truffles and their cultivation. Including meals and accommodation at Balmory Hall, a spectacular grade A listed Victorian mansion, the course will include a champagne reception and some seriously good truffle-heavy food. The course will be of interest to those who'd like to know more about truffle cultivation, or just truffle obsessives! The course will run in mid November and is limited to 10 couples so please register your interest early to avoid disappointment. Details on Balmory Hall can be found here: http://www.balmoryhall.com and for further information please get in contact:Shop@PlantationSystems.com or +44(0)1422 844 095.
MSL HQ move and Truffle Hunters move
Early May has been a busy time at MSL HQ. We've just moved offices to West Yorkshire and have a new address and telephone number, so please update your address book. We've also taken on a new research site and our new contact details are detailed at the bottom of this paragraph. We are also pleased to announce that the Truffle Hunters Dog School has moved to Somerset. Our expert trainer, Marion Dean, is delighted with the facilities and has already broadened the range of courses on offer. Excitingly, Marion and Mufti have already found their first truffles of the new season.- Although a little under- ripe, the finds are a good indication of the season to come. Video footage of the latest finds can be found on YouTube under our channel 'NativeTruffle'. The new contact details for MSL HQ are: Phone: 0845 519 5808 or +44(0)1422 844 095 Correspondence address: Mycorrhizal Systems Ltd, Unit 4A, Popples Close Farm, Edge Lane, Heptonstall, Hebden Bridge, HX7 7PG
Planting trees for climate change
DEFRA has announced its new Climate Change plan which highlighted the potential for new woodlands for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Plan gave the illustrative example that 10,000 hectares of new planting per year in England over 15 years could remove 50 million tonnes of CO2 between now and 2050. If the wood produced was also used for construction and as biomass energy in place of fossil-fuels, a further 37 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved. Paul Hill-Tout, Director, Forestry Commission England said: "It is now recognised that our woods and forests have a significant part to play in helping curb climate change. The Woodland Carbon Task Force will deliver the Forestry Commission's contribution to shifting society to a lower carbon economy. But neither the Government nor the Forestry Commission can meet this challenge without the support of the very wide range of individuals and organisations involved and interested in our trees, woods and forests. We look forward to engaging with all of these, adding their energy and ideas to our own. Identifying new ways to attract private investment funding for woodland creation will also be key if we are to achieve the major step-change in woodland creation needed." Creating new woodland as a key component in the Government's strategy for curbing climate change must be balanced with the wider objectives and benefits of forestry and woodland in the UK. For those interested in truffle cultivation and how it can be twinned with biomass and carbon-capture, please get in contact: Invest@PlantationSystems.com or +44(0)1422 844 095.
Black Moth Vodka and truffle soup
Next week sees the Distil 2010 London, held from the 18th to the 20th of May. Strictly for those involved in the alcohol trade, Black Moth Vodka will be exhibiting and running a cocktail event during the lunch hour on each day. If you run a bar or restaurant and would like to know more about the world's first all-natural truffle vodka, you can register here: http://2010.distil-london.com/ And finally, last week we were passed some information about soups in ancient Rome. The oldest intact cookbook is a text from the author 'Apicius' with some recipes possibly dating from the first century. The book is an extravagant affair, calling for such intriguing delicacies such as flamingos, sterile sows' wombs and dormice. Amongst the eclectic mix is a recipe for truffle soup. At £000's to £0000's per kg, truffle soup must be one of the most expensive dishes we've come across. It would likely be incredibly pungent, but must be a lot more acceptable then a dish of sautéed dormice and sheep's lung!