Summer truffleTuber aestivum

Four approaches: (1) A trained dog (the Lagotto Romagnolo is a specialized breed) — the most effective; (2) Watching for "truffle flies" (Suillia fuscicornis) — they hover just above the ground over ripe truffles; (3) Looking for bumps and hollows in the leaf litter of oak woods on limestone soils; (4) Indicator ground-dwelling mushrooms — Hebeloma radicosum often grows next to truffle mycelium. Without a trained dog, a find is a rare event.

The aroma only comes through when it's FRESH. The classic way: shave it into very thin petals with a truffle slicer and add it at the very end of cooking (truffle is never boiled or fried, so the aroma doesn't evaporate). Serve on tagliatelle with cream, omelets, risotto, baked potatoes, foie gras, cheese boards. Store for 5-7 days in the fridge in an airtight box with rice to absorb moisture. Don't wash it before use — just brush off the dirt.

Yes, though not often — in the limestone soils of the Carpathians, Prykarpattia and western Podillia (Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytskyi and Chernivtsi regions). In the wild it is rare; in cultivation, several truffle plantations have been set up with mycorrhizal oak seedlings. The active search began in the 2010s.

Yes — but it's a long-term project. You plant mycorrhized seedlings of oak, beech or hazel on limestone soils. The first fruiting bodies appear after 6-10 years, full fruiting after 15-30 years. The Lviv and Ternopil regions have several commercial truffle plantations (since 2015-2018).

The Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is the most expensive French delicacy (1500-3000 euros/kg) and fruits in winter (December-February). The summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) is cheaper (200-800 euros/kg) and fruits in summer and autumn (June-November). The key difference is the inner gleba: T. melanosporum — black-violet with white veins, T. aestivum — cream-brown with white veins. The aroma of T. melanosporum is more intense.

In broadleaf and mixed forests on LIMESTONE or carbonate soils — mostly under oak, beech, hazel and hornbeam. At forest edges, in young plantings, on slopes. It likes light, well-drained soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. It doesn't grow on acidic pine-forest soils.

Uncommon: the Carpathians, Prykarpattia, western Podillia — in the wild. The best finds: Lviv region (Hrabovets oak forest), Ternopil region (Kremenets Hills, Tovtry), Zakarpattia (Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh reserve), Chernivtsi region (Khotyn Upland). It is actively cultivated on some farms.

June — November (T. aestivum form) and October — January (T. uncinatum, the autumn form). Two seasons that partly overlap. Peak finds — August-October. In warm autumns, until the first hard frosts.

With Tuber melanosporum (Périgord truffle) — pricier, darker inside, a winter species. With Tuber brumale (winter truffle) — also a winter species, but less aromatic. With Choiromyces venosus (a pale-fleshed truffle) — less aromatic. With false truffles (Elaphomyces granulatus) — a different family, inedible, with a powdery black spore mass inside (like an earthball).