Truffles in Tuscany

Ah, truffle season!

Regularly on our morning walks, Mathew and I have seen camouflage-clad men with their dogs strolling through a clump of trees. As truffles don't really care whether you're camouflaged or not (although maybe they do - who really knows?), I had decided the men weren't hunting for truffles (despite Mathew insisting they were!). Yesterday, Ralph joined us and proved me wrong by risking a frosty response and asking one gentleman whether he had found truffles. And he had! He produced three small white truffles (5 grams in total) and held them out for the kids to sniff. And then told Ralph he could keep them. I don't think I have ever seen Ralph's face light up so much (seriously). So the rest of the walk was spent discussing how we could best make use of 5 grams of truffles.

Presently they are infusing a jar of risotto rice. And in a few days, we will eat scrambled eggs with white truffles (using the biggest of the three). Ralph is also planning to infuse some olive oil with the smallest ones. For things that look like clumps of dirt, there is surely a lot of thought going into them! What they certainly have done is infuse Ralph and Mathew with an enthusiasm for Autumn in Tuscany, where truffles, porcini and wild boar reign. I am hoping that this makes up for the turn in the weather - we are now enjoying mid-twenties temperatures which feels cold and the sky is blue today but I fear it won't last. At least the feasts that await us will ensure we're happy transitioning from summer to winter....