the essential
The black truffle season officially begins on Tuesday December 3 in the Lot with the Lalbenque market. The harvest promises to be very good, both in quality and quantity.
It’s a season that promises to be exceptional. The kind of year to mark with a blank cross. “We will have, at least in the Lalbenque sector, a much better season than last year. And for good reason, we had water until July 14 and then, since the beginning of September. At the moment, the mild weather is very favorable for truffles”, explains Jean-Jacques Fourès, president of the truffle growers' association of the canton of Lalbenque and the Causses du Quercy. For him, as for the entire profession at the dawn of the black truffle season, “all the indicators are green”. The first harvests will take place from the end of November. But already, the truffle market program is ready throughout the department. And for once, it's Lalbenque who opens the ball on Tuesday, December 3.
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Truffles: the season is looking good in the Lot, a little early
And the traditional ban should regain its colors. “Last year, the quantity sold on the Lalbenque truffle market was especially low with 250 kg, 50 of which were produced by truffle growers from the canton of Lalbenque. In fact, we found ourselves with a lot of requests and few offers “, that's the only downside”, specifies the producer who keeps his statistics up to date, after each market day, on Tuesday. This year, he hopes that 600 to 700 kg will be able to sell. Although it is still “a little difficult with a mushroom like the truffle to predict anything”.
Still, the season opens in Lalbenque on Tuesday, December 3 with musical entertainment, and a stroll through the market which opens at 3 p.m. for professional sellers. The truffles are systematically checked and a green badge awarded if the goods are good. But the sale of truffles is far from being reduced to Lalbenque in the Lot. Here are the other markets planned, the list is not exhaustive: in Cuzance, Saturday December 14; in Martel, Saturday December 21; in Bretenoux, Saturday December 28; in Gramat, Tuesday December 31; in Cressensac-Sarrazac, Sunday January 12; in Martel on Saturday January 18; in Gourdon, Saturday January 25; in Gignac, Sunday January 26; in Souillac, Saturday February 1; in Cuzance, Friday February 7 at night; in Saint-Céré on Sunday February 9 and in Martel on Saturday February 15. To these dates we must add the Lalbenque market, every Tuesday afternoon, and that of Limogne-en-Quercy, every Friday morning.
