Iconic Fall Bounty
On a neighboring farm last week the owner complained about the nuisance tree in the yard, even going so far as the threaten to cut it down because of the mess it made each year with the spiny husks that surround its nuts. The offender—a chestnut tree. I thought to myself what a wasteful and ungrateful species human beings have become to the bounty of nature. What was once a staple in the American diet has become a footnote thanks to another sort of pandemic which has decimated a once mighty native population when a blight in the early twentieth century killed over 4 billion American Chestnut trees. Universities, tree farmers, and the American Chestnut Foundation have been diligently working to restore American Chestnuts through research, technology, and breeding.
But why all the fuss about chestnuts?
While Nat King Cole has had everyone singing about chestnuts roasting over an open fire for the holidays since 1960, early settlers valued the trees not only for their prolific yields, as much as 100 pounds of nuts each year, but for the rot-resistant timber and beautifully grained hardwood lumber. American Chestnut trees were fast-growing, reaching heights of 60 feet in 30 years. Today, many of the old barns in the east continue to stand thanks to the American Chestnut.
Most of the producing chestnut trees today are either European or Asian varieties, both more tolerant to the fungus that was responsible for the greatest tragedy in American forestry. Although Americans consume over 4,000 tons of chestnuts annually, only 1% are domestically grown, the rest imported from Italy, Turkey, Korea, and China. That’s why they’re on par with other seasonal delights such as figs, persimmons, and raspberries when you see them at the farmers market. And given the woefully broken supply chain thanks to the pandemic, if you want chestnuts for your Thanksgiving stuffing this year, you better grab them when you see them.
Chestnuts are extremely versatile. My ancestors had the luxury of fattening up their cattle, hogs, and poultry with them, but today they can be used in a variety of ways. Thanks to their high carbohydrate content, chestnuts can be easily pureed into a paste. Flour can also be made from chestnuts. I’ve encountered chestnut soup, chestnut chips, and even chestnut hummus! Fair warning though, you’ll need to cook chestnuts before eating them due to the high content of tannic acid which can give you one helluva stomachache.
Another tiny issue with fresh local chestnuts are weevils, a small bug that infests most chestnuts. If you do not refrigerate your chestnuts chances are a small hole will appear in the nut and a small white larvae will emerge. They are not harmful to humans. To combat the weevils heat your chestnuts to 140 F degrees for 30 minutes prior to storing.
But wait, you don’t just pop them in the over or over the fire to roast or you’ll end up with exploded chestnut all over the place as the nut is encased in an airtight shell. {don’t ask me how I know} To prepare a chestnut, first score an X on the rounded side of the nut enough to penetrate the meat. Many folks emerged from the lockdowns with an InstaPot that makes the creamiest chestnuts. Add enough water to cover the scored chestnuts and bring up to pressure cooking for 8 minutes. If you’re like me and don’t want yet another kitchen gadget to clutter up the counter and cupboards, you can boil the chestnuts in water for 30 minutes. Strain from the water and peel them while they are still warm. Now they’re ready to roast or use in whatever recipe you choose.