In 2008 we embarked on a tree change adventure and purchased an 80 acre farm in Manjimup, Western Australia with the aim of growing the prized Black Truffle.
On a weekend in mid-November 2009, with a planting team comprised of 10 family members and friends armed with spades, we planted 2300 oak and hazelnut trees. The roots of each tree had been inoculated with the Black Truffle fungus.
Our first truffles were harvested in 2014 using contract harvesters with trained dogs.
We, Rose Yeoman and Paul Robinson, the owners and operators of Silverwood Truffles have science backgrounds. Paul worked for many years as a geologist in the oil and gas industry and Rose has a background in biological sciences and science journalism.
We have discovered that growing truffles is both an art and a science and there is much that we do not know but this is partly what makes the journey so engaging.