Chestnuts

The Chestnut is arguably the most useful tree of the temperate zone and is certainly my favorite forest tree. It is vigorous, beautiful, provides deep green shade in hot weather, coppices easily, provides very durable wood (that splits easily) and is a fantastic source of food that simply falls on to the ground every year. I can only imagine how people felt when the Chestnut Blight came along and wiped out almost every mature tree in the eastern half of the country.

When I first explored the land that eventually became my garden I was very excited to find several young  chestnut trees already growing there, with trunks 4 - 6” in diameter. When I cleared away the ailing Monterey Pines to build my house I was careful not to harm these trees and they responded to suddenly being in full sunlight by growing rapidly (10 years later the largest is now 15” in diameter). Though they are still pretty young (only one tree is really productive as yet) I already harvest from 30 - 90 pounds of nuts a year. This is more chestnuts than I really know how to eat, but it isn’t a problem because we can actually make money by selling them to local natural food stores. Squirrels love the nuts as much as we do (in fact probably more) and practically move into the trees at this time of year. I don’t mind though and don’t try to deter them (actually I feel I can’t mind as they probably planted the trees in the first place).

Every year at this time (late October) the ripe nuts start to rain down from the trees. This is so predictable that the daily collecting round (it has to be done regularly to beat the squirrels) has become a family tradition. Gathering Chestnuts is one of those activities (like digging potatoes) that is both fun and productive, so much so that it is the only garden task my children do without any prompting (my youngest daughter has already been out this morning). The nuts are contained in a fiercely spiny green husk which only splits open when the nut is ripe (this protects the immature nuts from predation). Some husks open on the tree and the nuts fall out, others are opened by squirrels, and some fall to the ground without opening at all (these are held securely, relatively safe from predators, until you gather them). I step on the unopened fallen husks with my foot to feel if there is a nut inside (a full husk feels hard in the center, while an empty one just feels squishy). If there is a nut inside I roll the husk under my foot until it splits open and the nut pops out. The larger sized husks usually have one nut inside, or sometimes two, while smaller ones are usually empty because they didn’t pollinate properly.

Chestnuts are different from most nuts, in that they are low in protein and fat, but high in carbohydrate and moisture. Also unlike most nuts they mold quickly if not stored carefully and should be treated like a perishable vegetable and kept in a fridge. They like 95% humidity, but must be able to breathe, so are usually stored in perforated plastic bags. Stored in this way they will last for up to a month. If you want to keep them for a longer period, they must be dried first to reduce their moisture content. This must be dried fairly quickly otherwise they will go moldy and traditionally this was done over a wood fire (in chestnut growing areas they had special buildings for this). You can also cook and peel the nuts and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer.

The biggest problem with eating chestnuts is peeling them. Not only do you have to remove the skin (it isn’t a shell) but also an astringent inner skin (pellicle) which sticks to the nut and impairs the flavor. This can be tricky to remove and is why peeling Chestnuts has gained some notoriety among food lovers (some people use commercially prepared canned nuts because of this). It isn’t that difficult however and if you search chestnut peeling on Youtube you will find several short videos each showing you the best method. These all basically consist of cutting a slit or cross in the end of the nut to make it easier to peel and to allow steam to escape (so the nut doesn’t explode when it heats up). They are then roasted or boiled and the skin and pellicle are peeled off while the nut is still hot (this gets harder to do as the nut cools, so some people wear rubber gloves).

Chestnuts are a wonderful food quite unlike anything else I can think of and most people seem to like them instinctively. They are sweet, delicious and very addictive. They work well with both sweet and savory dishes and have been a major staple food in some parts of the world. Roast chestnuts are sold by street vendors as a traditional winter food in many northern cities.

The compulsive gardener in me has to say a few words about growing trees from these nuts because it is so easy. If you are gathering chestnuts you can try planting some to grow your own trees. If you buy fresh chestnuts from a store when they first appear in fall these should also be fresh enough to germinate (dried seed won’t work because it is dead). The large seed germinates and grows quickly and can easily grow to be 10 feet tall within 3 years. I already have so many volunteers that I don’t plant them systematically, but I always seem to plant a few seeds every year (and the squirrels plant more).  When the seedlings are big enough I transplant them to suitable sites or pot them up and give them away.