Truffle hunting San Miniato

After spending a slow day just enjoying being here on Friday, Saturday we headed an hour away to a tiny area of Tuscany famous for it's white truffles.  These precious little hunks of fungus sell for $6,000-$7,000 usd per kilo.  There is culture and a community of hunter families here built around the elusive delicacy.  The dogs only find it when it is ripe so a hunter can go in the morning and get nothing and another go back in the afternoon and find a huge one.  Hunters are secretive and sneak off to their best spots when no one is looking.

Our hunters, Salvatore, one of the most famous in Italy and the master, with is son Massimo. In the car is is the real hunter and star of the day, Stella.

We all follow Stella into this forest over a rickety wooden bridge and up and down the hillside.

Much to our delight she is on to one in 5 minutes.  It turns out to be an inferior black but we know now they are there.

The next one is a diamond truffle,  The famous mysterious white with the earthy pungent scent that is so distinctive.  It invokes rain, freshly turned soil, and warm forest plants. A smell like no other.  Randy inhales his first whiff.

Good Stella!  There are little treats in Massimo's pocket that she likes better than truffles so that is her reward.

The church bells peal the noontime hour as we count our truffles and head back to Salvatore's home where our lunch and cooking with truffles lesson is waiting.

We leave the peace of the forest so the truffles can grow quietly feeding on the tree roots until their spores release and call to the nose of a dog and his master.