Bladen farm turns to truffles

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A delicacy that’s grown in Italy, Spain and France is growing right here in our own backyard. Bladen County is putting itself on the map by growing a type of mushroom that’s not easy to come by. A couple is uncovering the secrets of the black perigord truffle. No, we’re not talking about chocolate. The fungus grows at the end of tree roots. It’s a very expensive fungus that has a price tag of around $800 per pound.

“We saw an article in an airline magazine about 15 years ago, and we really liked the idea because our only employee would be a dog,” Craig Magill of Noble Truffle said.

Magill and Krista Hansen use dogs to sniff out the truffles, but the job is harder than it sounds.

“We actually found our first truffle last year,” Magill said. “One out of 2,500 trees, so we’re hoping for a better year this year.”

Magill and Hansen own five acres of land that are now home to tuber melanosporum trees, which are better known as the french black perigord. This fungus, that was once only grown overseas, now grows underground in various orchards across the United States. Most people compare it to a portabella mushroom.

Truffles are used to make butter, omelets, pastas and even ice cream. Magill and Hansen keep truffle popsicles in their freezer and say the delicacy is versatile and unique, and it’s not hard to see why. The truffle takes its time waiting for the right soil and climate to grow. On average it takes at least five years for a truffle to grow in the soil. Magill says the wait seems even longer.

“It seems like it’s been 20 years when you stand out here and watch a tree grow,” he said.

Magill and Hansen say the trees are well-worth the investment. Some restaurants and chefs have already expressed interest in buying truffles from the couple.

Two-hundred-fifty truffle trees were donated to Hansen’s non-profit organization that helps shelter dogs. The trees will be auctioned off Saturday at Lu Mil Vineyard in Dublin.