Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Chestnuts

I've got a secret source of chestnuts! Oh, they delight me. I gather the shiny, brown treats as I compete with the squirrels, busy with their fall foraging.

To prepare, I use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the leathery shell, then roast in my toaster oven for about 15 minutes. Peel and enjoy. It's almost like eating a cookie, they are so sweet. They also freeze well for later roasting. They're the only nut that contains vitamin C.


Do you have a secret stash of wild nuts or fruit? Please tell us about it (but not where, of course!).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

My husband is also a big fan of chestnuts. He talks a bit about them in this post on black walnuts:

http://amateurcocktailguy.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/black-walnuts/

Teafan said...

Oh, that's just so cool!

Greenmare said...

regular chestnuts?? like the bazillions that fall from my chestnut tree??? I thought the kind that you roast and eat were something more exotic!

Marilyn Miller said...

During blackberry season we have an alley behind our house where they grow wild. I put some in a pie this summer. There are also a couple plum trees that I pass on my walk that I can pick. I love finding free food.

marlena said...

Greenmare - they are only edible if it is an American or Chinese chestnut. If it is a horse chestnut, don't eat them!
Steph, I am soooo envious. Something you might want to try is making a chestnut creme and rolling it up in crepes, topped with a little whipped cream and shaved choolate. Gilded lilly, but oooh la definately la

parTea lady said...

I'd like to try them that way. I have seen recipes for Christmas desserts, etc. using chestnut paste.

Seeing them in your post makes me think of a game played with chestnuts when I was little. I vaguely remember that we strung chesnuts on strong twine and then competed to see who had the strongest chestnut. Does anyone remember something like this?