Gardening and farming are tiring yet fulfilling hobbies for seniors with green thumbs.

It's an activity that anyone can introduce to their family later on.

One family in northern Tasmania has been involved with the farming sector for decades, and today, they share their most elusive harvest yet.


The Terry family has been cultivating highly prized truffles on their farm for over two decades.

However, one routine farming day recently turned into an extraordinary event that captured the attention of gourmet food fans worldwide.

While tradies attended to the farm's irrigation system, they unearthed something unexpected beneath the soil.


They described it as a 'big lump', but for the Terry family, this meant otherwise.

Tim Terry and his daughter Anna immediately went to the farm and filmed the incredible scene on camera.

Later on, the Terrys dug up what turned out to be a record-breaking amount of black truffle.


The unearthed black truffle weighed around 1.074 kg.

Based on its weight alone, it has been the Terry family's biggest find after almost 26 years of farming truffles.

Summer black truffles typically do not grow larger than a tennis ball, which was the reason why the find was very significant.

'Holy h***, that's a monster!' Anna Terry exclaimed.

With an estimated market value of $1500, the black truffle they discovered could be a lucrative windfall for the family.

The giant black truffle was also considered a rare sight, as it was homegrown on Australian soil.


Tim Terry harvested Australia's first black truffle at a farm in Deloraine in 1999.

At that time, the idea of successfully growing truffles in Australia was considered 'impossible'.

Yet, the family has proven sceptics wrong, all while building a thriving business.

The Tasmanian Truffle Farm, now run by Tim, Anna, and son Henry, has been selling truffle products ever since its establishment.

They also offer hunting tours to the public as they want to share the magic of truffle cultivation with food and farming enthusiasts.

Despite the impressive size of the Terry family's truffle, it was not the largest to have been found in Australia.


Victorian grower Stuart Dunbar discovered a 1.5kg black truffle on his property back in 2016.

Meanwhile, Italy still holds the world record for the largest truffle, which weighed 1.786kg.

Truffles are a culinary delicacy that has been fetching high prices due to their unique flavour and the difficulty of cultivating them.

The specific conditions required to grow truffles make them a rare find, and harvesting them is another challenge.

Here's a video about truffles and its elusive nature, as explained by Business Insider:

Truffle farmers have the option to find these culinary gems with the help of truffle pigs and dogs.

However, when asked why she would instead use dogs rather than pigs to find truffles, Ms Terry explained the practical choice.

'I have used a pig, and it's hard work; you have to make sure that you beat them to it; otherwise, they eat it!' Ms Terry explained.

The Terry family's 'monster' truffle will likely be divided into smaller pieces to be sold, as selling the entire lump would be 'impossible'.
Have you ever had a surprising discovery in your garden or on your property? Do you have any truffle recipes you would like to share as well? Let us know in the comments below!