Oct. 19 Truffle Farm Visit

The Truffle Farm

Our Sunday evening at the Truffle Farm in Parksville was a truly unique experience curated by owners Virginia and Peter Brietzke. Located on Lowrys Rd., Parksville, the farm and business were established in 1999 when Virginia’s parents, Betty and Grant Duckett, imported their first Lagotto Romagnolo dogs from Italy, along with their first Black Perigord Truffles. The trees that are planted on the farm have been” inoculated” with truffle spores prior to planting. Over time the truffles grow and when they are harvested by Peter and his truffle sniffing dogs, truffle infused products are created for culinary use and also for sale. The Truffle Farm is Canada’s first producer of Black Perigord Truffles. This hard-working couple also host various culinary events and Virginia organizes flower arranging and wreath creating workshops. 

We were greeted by Virginia and Peter and the processes of truffle inoculation, growth and harvesting were explained.  Peter and the two Lagotto dogs took us into the trees to see if the dogs would detect any truffles for harvesting. We returned to the venue to a beautifully decorated event room where we received instruction and then created our own Truffle cheese ball to take home. This was followed by wine, lovely charcuterie created by Chef Nick of Nanaimo who sources local products.  Lively conversation, great company and gracious hosts made for a wonderful evening. Some of us also took the opportunity to purchase some of the Truffle products on display. All in all, a fabulous evening was enjoyed by the 23 Probus members who attended. To learn more about the Truffle Farm you can read through their well-designed website HERE.

Submitted by Wendy Hayes