About Truffles
From hidden roots beneath oak and hazelnut trees to delicate shavings at the table, the Black Truffle’s journey—shaped by soil, season, and skilled hands—transforms an unseen underground partnership into one of the plate’s most distinctive aromas and flavours.
Beneath The Roots
The Black Truffle—known as the Périgord truffle, or Tuber melanosporum—is a rare edible fungus that grows quietly beneath the soil, entwined with the roots of oak and hazelnut trees.
Its existence depends on a close partnership. The tree provides energy, while the truffle returns vital nutrients through the soil. Neither thrives without the other. This unseen relationship shapes not only the truffle’s growth, but also its character and depth of flavour.
Australia is home to many native truffle species, long sought out by small mammals such as potoroos and bandicoots. While these underground finds play an important role in forest ecosystems, the Black Truffle remains singular in its appeal to human senses—its aroma and flavour unlike anything else found below the ground.
Describing a Black Truffle is never quite enough. Its scent is deep, earthy, and intensely complex, filling a room before it’s even seen. In the processing shed, the aroma can be overwhelming, yet in the kitchen only the smallest amount is needed. Shaved thinly, it transforms a dish, adding richness and depth without ever overpowering.
Like much of what grows beneath the forest floor, the Black Truffle—known as the Périgord truffle, or Tuber melanosporum— is best understood through experience—by tasting, smelling, and sharing it at the table.
From Ground To Plate
It begins with scent.
When the season is right, trained dogs move through the orchard, noses close to the ground, following aromas that rise from beneath the soil. The partnership between dog and handler is quiet and practiced. A pause, a mark in the earth, and the signal that a truffle is ready. Each one is uncovered by hand, carefully lifted from the soil, and carried back for its next chapter.
Once above ground, truffles are handled with the same care they received below it. They’re gently cleaned and assessed by their aroma, texture, and character—each one a little different, each shaped by the season that produced it. Only then are they weighed, wrapped, and packed, protected from moisture and kept cool to preserve what makes them special.
From the orchard, truffles begin a short, carefully managed journey. Staying cold is essential, helping lock in freshness and aroma until they reach their destination. Once home, they’re best kept simply—resting in the refrigerator, wrapped and refreshed daily, ready to be used while their scent is at its peak.
At the table, truffles ask very little. A warm dish, a sharp knife or truffle shaver, and restraint. Shaved thinly over food, their aroma fills the room before the first bite is taken. In that moment, the quiet work of the orchard, the dog’s nose, and the care taken along the way all come together—linking soil, season, and shared meals in one fleeting experience.
Purchasing Truffles
Fresh truffles are available during the winter harvest season from June to August.
To arrange a local collection from our farm, please contact info@silverwoodtruffles.com.au — visits are by prior arrangement to ensure peak freshness and quality.
Storing Fresh Truffles
Truffle are best stored refrigerated (at 2 - 4 °C) wrapped in paper towel in a lidded non-porous container, ideally glass. If you use a porous container, your refrigerator and food will absorb the aroma of truffle. The paper towel should be changed daily as it absorbs moisture.
Preserving Truffles
For the best truffle oil experience, infuse fresh truffle with quality olive oil and use it immediately— do not store homemade truffle oil as it has the potential to grow bacteria.
Almost always, pre-packaged truffle oil has had synthetic truffle aroma added and whilst this may be sufficient to get you through the non-harvest months of the year, it is in our opinion, a pale substitute for the real thing!
South West Truffles
In the heart of the Southern Forests, the Shire of Manjimup produces over 70% of Australia’s prized black truffles. The region’s deep, free-draining karri loam soils, naturally low in phosphorous, combined with a true Mediterranean climate of cold winters and warm summers, create ideal growing conditions. Abundant, high-quality water for irrigation further enhances the truffles’ depth of flavour and exceptional quality.