Why we're doing this
Because this flat has always been able to do more than graze a few stock. Because good trees outlive us. And because the work is worth doing well - for the land, for the income, and for whoever farms it next.
A living, earning land
Two crops, two seasons, a real margin once the trees mature - and a place that finally earns what it's capable of.
Better than we found it
Shelter, deeper roots, cleaner water, birdsong in the margins. The soil and the place improve every year we tend them.
Something to hand on
A 30-50 year orchard, mapped tree by tree, that can be handed to the next pair of hands in better heart than we got it.
The climb - where we are, what's next
Year 0
Prep & plant. The hardest, least visible year.
Year 3
Roots taking hold. Truffle test confirms the take.
Year 5
First chestnuts. The first money off the trees.
Year 7
First truffle dig. The one we've waited for.
Year 10
Finding our feet - both crops earning.
Year 12
Full harvest. The orchard pays its way.
When it's hard, remember
- The trees are working even when nothing looks like it's happening. Roots grow in the years you can't see them - that's the whole game with truffles.
- We planned for the lean years. The slow start is expected and funded - it isn't a sign anything's wrong.
- Every season is data. A photo, a note, a weight - each one makes next year sharper and the trees more ours.
- We don't sell alone. The chestnut collective and the truffle pool carry the volume and the buyers - our job is to grow it well.
The year's rhythm
Autumn
Chestnut harvest & pick-up. The busy season.
Winter
Truffle digs with the dog. Prune. Plan.
Spring
Feed, lime the truffle block, weed control, watch for frost.
Summer
Irrigate, mow, walk the rows, log what you see.