The season for our truffle growers is coming to an end, and with it the end of the seasonal fresh Black Truffle; however, there are still some last gasps in our lands… Mother Nature still wants to continue surprising our diners with this highly prized culinary product.
Today Terry and I are off to enjoy a day in the countryside, to recharge our positive energy, disconnect from this hectic pace of life, and of course, to hunt for our Tuber Melanosporum. We live in a village in Teruel, Santa Eulalia del Campo, and waking up here is very different from waking up in a city. We know we won't encounter traffic jams, traffic lights for 30 km around, or have parking problems... we could go on with a long list of pros and cons, but getting back to the point... Even living in the countryside, we like to disconnect, to step away from our routine... and we achieve that when we go with our dogs in search of the Black Truffle.
Getting out of the car and letting Terry run free is the starting gun for our truffle-hunting day. He starts sniffing before we even have time to say, "One, two, go!" No way! Terry, like the rest of our companions, is clearly eager as soon as he gets in the car and we head off to the truffle fields. They're excited from the moment they see us because they know we're going to have fun. And it's true, it's many hours, somewhat extreme weather conditions (remember, we live in a town in Teruel, and we've been dubbed, along with Molina and Calamocha, the "Cold Triangle"—just saying!), and also days of frustration, because not everything is as idyllic as it seems. But yes, we have a lot of fun.
Every day you go truffle hunting, you don't know what to expect, and that's true. One day you might have a fantastic day and find extra or first-class truffles, but the next day, no matter how hard you try, you won't find any, or you'll find some very small ones, so small that you'll probably have missed several while searching and buried them again.
Terry doesn't seem bothered whether we pick a big one or a small one; he plays well, getting his reward in the form of a treat... and in the end, the truffle farmer gets so caught up in this game that he forgets what time it is, whether he's eaten, or if his body is starting to feel the effects of so much bending over...
We don't know what each day will bring, but going out into nature is a pleasure that society should experience more often. Contact with nature lowers serotonin levels in the body, and therefore stress levels. It helps us connect more with ourselves and put our priorities into perspective. Isn't that positive enough? Let's make a point of disconnecting from time to time, always respecting Mother Nature, because even if we're not looking for the Black Truffle of Teruel, we can always be like Terry and seek rewards elsewhere.
