August
2024
Farm Focus
Follow the Truffle Trail : Family-owned farm offers guided gourmet treasure hunts & luxury glamping
By Angie Helvey, Contributing Writer
Photo by: Erin Riddle at Klik Concepts
Photo by: Carolyn Wells-Kramer
The Willamette Valley is home to an abundance of naturally occurring culinary delicacies, none as highly sought after as the Oregon truffle. A reproductive fruit of the symbiotic relationship between underground plants and fungi, special varieties are popular in gourmet cooking for their earthy, complex flavors and intoxicating fragrance. No one knows the secrets of Oregon truffle foraging better than the McFarland/Luzader family and their talented brood of Italian water dogs. As the owners of Amico Farms Retreat, they invite guests to visit their property in the heart of wine country for guided truffle tours and luxury yurt and tent camping surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest.
‘Amico’ is the Italian word for friend. Carly and Kevin Luzader first traveled to Italy in 2015 and discovered truffle hunting with Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, the only breed in the world that specializes in hunting truffles. They returned from that first trip with a Lagotto puppy and began truffle hunting in Oregon. “In the early days, it was difficult to find information on truffles in this area,” says Carly. “In Italy, we would find them under hardwoods, but here, we found them under the Doug Firs.” They eventually found truffles in the Yamhill County area and met others who were interested in getting a Lagotto, but at the time there were less than 500 in the whole country, so Carly and Kevin began regular trips to Italy to learn more about truffle hunting and bring Lagotti back for hunters in the United States.
The family started the process of buying their 37-acre farm in 2016. They needed a place to grow their truffle-hunting company with space to breed and train Lagottos and were surprised and delighted to discover an abundance of Oregon winter white and black truffles right in their own backyard! Then the pandemic hit, and the idea of hosting guided truffle tours was born. “It was an easy social distancing activity and a great way to get people out in the forest to show them the beauty of Oregon and all it has to offer,” Carly says.
Starting in December through March or April, outings begin at Amico Farms but then, hunters are taken to a secret truffle spot with the Luzader dogs in the lead. “Our dogs guide the tour, but people can bring their dogs and we’ll put them over the top of the truffles so everyone can dig out their own,” Carly explains. The excursion continues either back at Amico or a local winery for a tasting of truffle-infused cheese, nuts and butter. At the end, all participants go home with their collection of tasty treasures!
Carly and Kevin are major advocates for dog-harvested truffles and being environmentally friendly in their practices. “A dog will only go after a very ripe, fragrant truffle that’s ready to harvest, and they only dig a small hole that’s easy to fill back in,” Carly explains. “The other method is to rake the bottom of the trees, which gets you mostly unripe truffles that don’t taste good and it damages the forest floor for years to come.”
As expert breeders of the Italian water dog, the Luzaders have perfected a premier variety of Lagotto Romagnolo called the Amico Roma, and they breed a few litters of puppies each year. With 11 Lagotti in their breeding program, the dogs live with the Luzaders and in guardian homes with friends and family to ensure optimal care and socialization. Carly and Kevin have five Lagotti who live on the farm with the family and their three children. “It’s a companion-based breed,’ Carly explains. “They live in our house and sleep in our bedroom; they’re part of the family.”
There’s a lot more going on at Amico than dogs and truffles. Carly and Kevin have worked hard to make it fun for their kids, including building a skatepark, a rock-climbing wall and installing an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven made by a friend from Italy. The family raises chickens and has one horse of their own plus a mustang adeptly named “Oregon Truffles” that belongs to Nikki, their friend and farm helper. The property has a large greenhouse and this year they started growing microgreens they hope to sell locally. The truffles are also sold to restaurants and Carly’s recently been hunting in the Balkans and other parts of Europe for some of the most delicious and expensive varieties in the world.
Amico Farms Retreat hosts glampers off-grid on their charming property in an all-season luxury yurt or vista tent, both nestled in secluded clearings amidst the forested hills. The yurt sleeps four people and features a full kitchen and flush toilet with an outdoor fire pit perfect for roasting marshmallows. The vista tent sleeps two and provides a comfortable full-size bed, a weatherproof kitchen with a barbecue, phenomenal views and a fantastic opportunity for nighttime stargazing. Both sites are available for booking on AirBnB and Hipcamp. Visitors are encouraged to hike the beautiful trails, explore the surrounding wine country and schedule a guided truffle tour for a fun and unique experience hunting Oregon truffles!
Amico Farms Retreat is located at 21390 SW Eagle Point Rd, McMinnville, OR, 97128. Please give them a call at
971-264-4780 or visit their website at amicofarms.com