The Trouble With Truffles

There's money to be made in the truffle business, but these fungi are famously fickle about their growing conditions.

Truffles are the wave of the future, at least according to Charles Lefevre, founder of Oregon’s New World Truffieres.

Over 200 truffle orchards are now under development in the United States—and, though they’ve yet to give the truffle forests of Europe a run for their money, there’s hope. “These people are much like those who pioneered the wine industry in California 50 years ago,” Lefevre says, and the wine market these days adds an annual $56 billion to the American economy. International truffle sales are expected to reach $6 billion within the next decade or two and Americans, understandably, would like a piece of the action.

Truffles are an appealing investment because of their whopping price. Prized white truffles

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