Few delicacies say “fine dining” like truffles. Notoriously hard to harvest, these luxe fungi can cost thousands of dollars, making them some of the most expensive ingredients. (Like the world’s largest white truffle, which sold for a whopping $61,000 in 2014.) Truffles are high maintenance. In addition to different truffles species needing their specific climates and trees (where they grow on the roots), they can take up to 20 years to develop. The mushrooms are also hard to find once they’re ready, so truffle hunters usually need a trained pig or dog to point them in the right direction. After all the harvesting work, truffles only stay fresh enough to eat for less than a week. These hard conditions don’t just justify the high cost of truffles, they also make growing them in your own backyard a little more convenient–and profitable. Just ask farmers in California. Where in the world are truffles? Although truffles require a long list of specifics before they can make it to world-renowned restaurants, surprisingly they can grow in several areas. However, most culinary truffles come from Europe, including Italy’s coveted white truffle. While Italy, France, and Spain still dominate the truffle market, countries like Australia (now the fourth-largest truffle industry in the world), New Zealand,