Mad about Mushrooms . . .

Tizzy on Truffles

I've been hearing about the Oregon White Truffles for a long time, and finally decided to get into them this year.  After some research, I zeroed in on areas with fir trees in the 20 to 45 year old range.  I look for places where the ground is covered with moss or duff, but little or no undergrowth, similar to where I usually look for Chanterelles.  In the coast range, I've stayed under 1,000 ft elevation; in the Cascades, I've extended that to 1,500 ft.   Places where rodents - squirrels and chipmunks - have been digging are a great sign that there are some truffles around.

I use  a clam rake, but in my experience you don't have to rake deep - they're right under the surface.  They look like little new potatoes and are rock hard.  Ripe truffles are darker brown in color, while the un-ripe ones are whiter.  (editor's note: shallow raking is also less damaging to the mycelia of mushrooms like Chanterelles, which may also be sharing the same habitat!)

More of Tizzy's truffles. 

Introducing - Tizzy's Tips!

We're introducing a new feature to Mad About Mushrooms: "Tizzy's Tips." 

Tizzy is a fellow mycophile (mushroom fancier, in English) who first contacted us a couple of years after reading on this website our assertion that morels, for practical purposes, don't grow on the Oregon coast, with the occasional exception of old, abandoned apple orchards.  He'd found them in the coast range, and proceeded to reveal his findings as to temperature, altitude, type of habitat and soil, etc.  What became obvious to us over the first few months of our correspondence was that here was a person who was fascinated with mushrooms and was highly curious about them.  Although lacking formal education in science, Tizzy approaches things very scientifically and methodically, and - unlike many really skilled mushroomers - isn't at all reluctant to share his knowledge, with us and with the readers of our website.

Here are some of Tizzy's recent finds.