Eys has first commercial truffle farm in the Netherlands

André Leclercq (52) from Eys is the proud owner of a truffle orchard in the making. What started with an innocent conversation about lime has grown into the ambition to put a new Limburg regional product on the map. A truffle that is at least as tasty as the French or Italian.

Experimental

In his delicatessen Eyserhalte, Leclercq has been selling truffles from Hungary, France, Italy and even Australia for years. The idea of a Dutch truffle had never occurred to him, until he spoke to Bas Vervuurt, director of the Kunradersteengroeve, at a public hearing in the village. Vervuurt told him that he had delivered a load of marl lime to truffle expert Judith Evenaar in Wageningen, intended for her experimental nursery and test field. Leclercq's interest was piqued. Could he possibly grow truffles in the South Limburg soil?

Trufflehunt

Leclercq sought contact with Judith Evenaar and his idea was enthusiastically received. She came to Limburg to make a truffle hunt in the Heuvelland together. This way the entrepreneur saw the wild truffles coming out of the Limburg loess with his own eyes. Equator has shown that it is possible to grow truffles in the Netherlands; last spring she dug up the first cultivated specimens in her own truffle orchard near Wageningen.

Harvesting

For Leclercq, it's not so far. His first tentative harvest can only be expected in five to eight years. In these years, the plantings must grow large enough and establish a symbiosis between the root systems of the hazels and beeches and the fungi. For his own truffiere, as the French call it, Leclercq chose a former orchard opposite his deli. To create the ideal conditions, 100,000 kilos of marl chalk were spread over the ground and an irrigation system was installed. It is expected that, once the fungus has taken hold in his truffiere, Leclercq will be able to extract some twenty kilos of the precious fruiting bodies from the soil per season.

Culture

The truffle is not part of Dutch culture, but Leclercq wants to change that. Not only by producing and selling the truffle, but also by offering experience, recreation and education. "We want to give tours here to tell people about the truffle and what we do here. Show people how we use a truffle dog to get the truffles above ground. And we are going to give workshops to teach people how to use truffles in dishes," says the ambitious Leclercq.

Read the entire interview with André Leclercq in De Limburger.