Truffles, Oaks and Wealth

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/us/04truffles.html

Hey, if the fool's gold of truffle riches gets people planting more oak trees, I'm all for it. 

I am sure that this is the first time that a venerable culinary tradition from Europe or Asia has come to America only to become a get rich quick scheme followed by a lawsuit among the early adapters with unrealistic dreams of riches.

Wait, you mean it's not the first time this has happened?  Ah.  OK, I'll tell you how this story ends: Dreams of $800/lb profits will quickly be tempered by the reality of supply and demand; as more truffles are produced the price will come down.  A few folks will make a modest living growing them, and the quick money schemers will fall by the wayside... a process that will happen right about the time the lawsuit is settled.  See also: Mushrooms, shitake.

Mr. Garland has the right idea:  Be the guy who sells the trees.  It worked for John Chapman.  Of course that's assuming that the people who order the trees actually then take delivery of them. 

Thankfully I'm not really seeing this trend among acorn fed pork producers.
http://www.newheritagefarms.com/home
http://www.laquercia.us/home/
http://www.beckerlaneorganic.com/
http://woolypigs.com/_others.html

In my dealings with acorn fed pork producers I am not finding folks interested in quick riches, just in producing real. Good. Food.