5 minute read
Gustave and the Hunt for Truffles Gustave is a
By Jennie Blevins
n a lush forest south of
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IEugene, Oregon, a fiveyear-old Chihuahua mix named Gustave hunts for buried treasure. Dressed in a little orange jacket, he trots along the forest floor, until he comes to a spot rife with intoxicating smells. Here he starts digging into the earth, and in less than a minute produces one of the most
expensive and sought-after delicacies in the world: a forest truffle, black, white, or brown depending upon the season.
Marcy Tippmann, Gustave’s mom, has been bringing her beloved dog into the woods to hunt for truffles for several years. Although common throughout the Pacific Northwest, truffles grow underground making them difficult to locate. They are generally found one inch to six inches deep and are a form of mushroom that develops in a symbiotic association with the roots of trees. Truffles are said to be the “fruit” of these fungi.
Tippmann adopted Gustave from a rescue site in Washington when he was just nine months old. That
summer, she started training him right at home by wrapping truffles in paper towels and hiding them in the house. “He’s smart and easy to train,” she says. "We made a fun game out of it.”
By January he was out tracking and finding truffles in the woods.
“Gustave has some Terrier in him, so he likes to be in the ground, digging.” She adds that any dog can be trained to hunt for the delicacy.
Gustave uses his extraordinary sense of smell to assist him in locating the truffles. Scientists believe that a dog’s sense of smell is up to 100,000 times more acute than a human's. Marcy tells me that sometimes Gustave will pick up the scent of a truffle and track it 20 to 30 feet back to its source.
A typical hunt with Gustave lasts about 45 minutes. Bigger dogs, such as German Shepherds, can hunt for a couple of hours, according to Tippmann. She and her friend Kristi Anderson go out for truffle
excursions together with Gustave and Anderson’s Labradoodle, Mia. They also do group hunts with other people.
“We do guided forays. We take people to a private location and do an hour-long quest. When I hunt with Gustave we have the dogs mark the ground and everyone gets a shovel and digs them up.
“Usually Gustave and I will find 10 to 30 truffles in the same location, but when Kristi and I hunt together, we find around 50-100 and the foray guests get to keep them. We have wine and truffles after,” she said.
Like most dogs, Gustave loves to hike in the woods and Marcy says that he gets even more excited because he knows that he will be getting extra treats for truffles. His usual finder’s reward is a couple of yummy dog treats and cheese.
Truffles have a long history and were held in high regard as far back as ancient times. Although truffles grow all over the world, the majority of culinary truffles are produced in Italy, France, and the Pacific Northwest. Oregon truffles were once compared to Italian and French truffles and looked down upon. However, they are gaining momentum.
The main truffle-hunting season is from late December through early April. “We’re pretty casual and mostly hunt for fun,” Tippman says. “I know people that hunt more seriously; they are semiprofessional and distribute them to local restaurants.”
Tippman first transitioned into truffle hunting after years of being an avid mushroom hunter. “I am originally from Ohio and started learning about harvesting wild mushrooms soon after I moved here 15 years ago,” she says.
Gustave has a bit of a competitive spirit in him. In 2018, he won the Joriad™ North American Truffle Dog Championship, which takes place every January during the Oregon Truffle Festival in Eugene. The competition takes place in a dirt-covered arena. There are multiple rounds where the dogs search for hidden scented targets, generally truffle-oiled cotton balls. Five dogs compete in the final round, which takes place outdoors among the trees. This year’s event was canceled due to Covid but may take place next January.
Tippmann sometimes keeps the truffles for herself and will sometimes give them to friends as gifts. She has also sold them to restaurants. Truffles are sold in farmer's markets and are available online. Tippmann also offered some tips for trying them yourself. Truffles can also be appealing to canines and are thought to be generally safe for them to eat. Gustave likes to munch on truffles. “He’ll take a nibble off of one side,” Tippman says.
Tippman will infuse the white truffles with butter for a week. She says they are really potent and very solid. According
to her, they work well on hot dishes; they’re very pungent and thin truffle shavings can be placed on top. The black truffles are milder, almost fruity, and can be served on top of ice cream or crème brûlée. She cleans them by washing them and taking off the dirt with a brush. The white ones are good for a week; the black have a shorter shelf life. Aside from truffle hunting, Gustave likes learning different tricks and going to the dog park. Marcy says, “He is not super high-energy so he spends a lot of his day napping—especially if there is a lap available or a nice spot in the sun.”
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