Chestnuts

For many, many years - hundreds of years - chestnut trees covered the US landscape. In 1904, Chinese chestnut trees were imported to the US, and almost all of the native chestnut trees in the Midwest and East Coast were killed within 40 years due to a fungus in the bark of the Chinese trees. It is thought that billions of trees died between the Atlantic seaboard and the Mississippi River! This was a catastrophy for people and animals, not only for food, but for the jobs created from the lumber for homes, furniture and other items. The American chestnut trees that were lost were very beautiful, magnificent trees, and when they were gone, other nut trees had to make up for the food needed by the wildlife that inhabited our forests. With the introduction of a blight resistant chestnut tree, the chestnut trees are making a comeback in America!

Fossil evidence shows that the American chestnut trees were in North America for 60,000 years. One in four trees in the Eastern US were chestnut trees before the fungus killed them, and in some areas such as Pennsylvania, the density was even higher. The entire Eastern US chestnut population that was killed due to this fungus was one of the worst ecological disasters in the US.

The chestnut trees were so numerous along the Eastern US that it has been said that "a squirrel could jump from chestnut tree to chestnut tree all the way from Georgia to New York without ever touching the ground"!

While we may never see the number of chestnut trees in America that once served as a year-round source of food for humans and wildlife, they are coming back, and the fruit they are producing is some of the best in the world.

Chestnuts are about 50% water - very perishable. They contain complex carbs, are low in fat, and contain a lot of vitamin C and potassium. Chestnuts are free of gluten, cholesterol and oil, and contain a high quality protein that is easily assimilated. The wood of the chestnut tree was used for telephone poles, railroad ties, construction, paneling, shingles, furniture, and musical instruments.

Cooking fresh chestnuts:

Using a serrated knife, cut an "X" on the flat side of the chestnut - cut all the way through the shell.

Fire-roasting:

Using a long handled pan that is made for chestnut roasting, place the chestnuts in the pan and shake as you would popcorn holding the pan just above the flame - do not put in the flame. The cooking time is about 15 minutes - when the outside shell is black. Remove the chestnuts from the pan and allow to cool to the touch. Peel and eat - they have a some- what creamy interior.

Oven-roasting:

After cutting the "X" on the flat side of the chestnut, place the fruit in a an oven pan in one layer. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool, peel and eat.

Note:

Chestnuts are usually cooked due to the high amount of tannic acid contained in the skin of the fresh fruit.