News Release

TRAIN YOUR DOG TO FETCH SOMETHING YOU REALLY WANT: RIPE TRUFFLES
November 12, 2009
EUGENE, Ore.--- The Oregon Truffle Festival presents two firsts for North America: a first-of- its-kind seminar to train dogs to hunt for truffles, and the first North American truffle woodland devoted entirely to harvest by trained truffle dogs. Both the Truffle Dog Training Seminar and “dog harvested” truffles will be presented at the fifth annual Oregon Truffle Festival, to be held in Eugene, Jan. 29 through Jan. 31, 2010.

At the unique Truffle Dog Training Seminar, attendees can bring their dogs, introduce them to the aroma of French and Oregon truffles and then dogs and their owners will share the authentic woodland experience of hunting wild truffles untouched by human hands. This two-day seminar will be taught by renowned elephant trainer and truffle dog handler Jim Sanford of Blackberry Farm Resort in Walland, Tenn., and Jean Rand of Eugene, owner of Oregon’s most accomplished truffle dog.

Truffles of many kinds are found naturally throughout North American woodlands, and some have remarkable culinary and commercial value like their famous European cousins. In addition, French truffles are now grown in orchards of oak and hazelnut trees across the North American continent. Demand for truffle dogs is growing rapidly as the opportunity to harvest truffles expands, but at this point there are only a handful of truffle dogs in the United States.

Although truffles are a form of mushroom, from a gastronomic perspective they behave more like fruit. Hidden underground,they take months to produce the enthralling aromas that humans, and famously pigs, find irresistible. Thus, “the truffle dog’s role is not just to find truffles, but like a shopper squeezing avocados or sniffing strawberries, truffle dogs choose which truffles are ripe and ready to harvest,” said Dr. Charles Lefevre, mycologist and festival organizer.

Over the past 30 years, native Oregon truffles have been harvested by raking them up like potatoes, and the result is often no more flavorful. Now, for the first time, the Oregon Truffle Festival has leased a truffle woodland for harvest exclusively by trained truffle dogs so guests can savor festival meals with native Oregon truffles harvested at their peak of perfection in the traditional European way.

Registration is now open for Oregon Truffle Festival weekend experiences and the Grand Truffle Dinner. Six weekend and several stand-alone options are available, variously including cooking classes, winery luncheons, truffle forays, farm tours and multi-course truffle dinners, in addition to the Truffle Dog Training Seminar. All options may be purchased online here.

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