Foodies and home chefs may be familiar with the way a shaving of black truffle can elevate a dish. But did you know the flavorful fungi grows right here in Virginia?
In Culpeper County’s Rixeyville, Virginia Truffles offers guided truffle hunts, giving visitors a hands-on peek into the art of growing and harvesting the funky food.
Origin Story
Pat Martin founded Virginia Truffles in 2007 with her husband, John. They began with a greenhouse and an acre of trees inoculated with the Tuber melanosporum — commonly known as the black Périgord truffle.
“The original intention was to only grow and sell inoculated seedlings to potential other growers,” says Vanessa Shea, Martin’s daughter and the current farm manager. But over the years, they ended up planting 5 more acres. They harvested their first truffle in 2018.
Shea and her husband, Adam, joined the farm in 2020 and launched the truffle hunt experience. While it’s still somewhat of a well-kept secret, the hunts sell out every year, Shea says. “Everyone is astounded to hear that we are here. We get a larger and larger following every year, and the response has been amazing.”
Happy Hunting
The hunts begin with a gathering around a fire pit, complete with hot cider, while Martin and Shea explain the history of the farm and teach visitors about the black Périgord truffle. Then, out comes Pozzi, a 6-year-old Lab mix who’s been trained to sniff out truffles.
In the orchard, the group follows as Pozzi sniffs her way through rows of walnut trees. When she catches a scent, she paws at the base of a tree, and Shea begins to dig. Feeling around in the earth with bare fingers and a small trowel, sometimes pausing to sniff the soil, she locates the truffle and invites a volunteer to unearth it.
“It’s an interactive experience. We love bringing in the guests to help dig out the truffle and come in close [to] smell the soil, because it smells like the truffle that is within it,” Shea says.
Sampling the Spoils
After about 45 minutes of hunting, the group warms up by the campfire with truffle-infused hors d’oeuvres, made fresh by Adam, a professionally trained chef. On one visit in December, that included deviled eggs, a lox-inspired beet dish, shepherd’s pie, and a creamy carrot soup, each thoughtfully made to showcase the truffles’ distinct flavor. (Adam also recently released a cookbook of truffle-focused recipes, Rixeyville Riches.)
Then, in the onsite lab, Martin shows how to clean and grade the truffles, and guests have an opportunity to purchase the day’s harvest at a discount.
Truffle hunts run from December through February, and tickets sell fast. Each two-hour tour can accommodate about 14 visitors; tickets are $165 each. There’s also an option for a truffle hunt followed by a four-course truffle dinner at nearby Hazel River Inn. Those events are $332 per person, with a limit of 12 guests. 11047 Settletown Pl., Rixeyville
Feature image by Maggie Roth
This story originally ran in our February issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
