Holiday update

As the days shorten and the temperatures drop, we are spending most of our time here in Waynesville compiling results from the summer trials, conducting lab and greenhouse experiments, and planning for next year. We also have several publications currently under review or in press. Many grower meetings and conferences take place in the winter, as it is the least busy season for many growers and researchers, so we will also be attending several of those to provide research updates, get grower input, and to learn about others’ research.

A large chunk of our time this winter will be spent conducting commercial testing of soil and roots for colonization by Tuber sp. It seems as if there is an increasing interest in cultivating truffles, especially Perigord black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) in the eastern US. We had several growers visit the experimental orchard here at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, NC during the first week of November while we hunted for truffles. Adam Ragusea, a well-known youtube artist who specializes in food, came and shot a video about truffles, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9Jpg3b90M&t=117s

There will be a truffle field day at the Mountain Research Station from 9 to 12 am on December 7th. For more information, contact Ella Reeves at ereeves2@ncsu.edu.

Happy Holidays!