Arlene Wright-Correll

You Better Know Your Chestnuts



Posted: Tuesday, November 04, 2008

by
http://www.learn-america.com

When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn , N.Y. my parents looked forward to the late fall and early winter when the hot Chestnut peddler came around with his two wheeled push cart that had some way to keep the chestnuts hot. I think it was a charcoal brazier, but whatever he used also created steam so we could hear his whistle as he came through the neighborhood.

Once I had someone ask me whether or not Horse Chestnuts were edible and the answer is no! Neither are the Ohio Buckeye nuts which are often mixed up with Horse Chestnuts and are sometimes referred to as "conkers". I suggested she use them to make jewelry.

In Switzerland and France they use these nuts for whitening silk, hemp, flax and wool. Those who have been to beer gardens in Bavaria will usually see this type of tree in the outside beer garden for shade.

The kind my parents ate are called Sweet Chestnuts and are not be confused with either of the above mentioned nuts or even the Asian Water Chestnuts which are not grown on a tree, but are the root of a water plant.

One can tell the difference between the "conkers" and the sweet edible chestnuts is that the "conkers" has no points on their flattened smooth tops and are much smaller in size than sweet chestnuts which do have points on their smooth tops.

The ripe edible chestnuts are picked in the fall and the best and easiest way to prepare them is to roast the ripe nuts in embers. If you are lost in the woods this knowledge may well serve as survival food, providing you happen upon a sweet chestnut tree and have some matches to start a fire. Apparently one can eat a large quantity of them.

One can also boil the nuts after removing the outer shell and once they are fairly soft one can mash them like potatoes.

In our house at Thanksgiving and Christmas we always had Chestnut stuffing and it was quite good.

Today, edible chestnuts mostly come from Italy or other parts of Europe and one can usually find them in specialty markets or directly from importers on the internet.

Yet you can grow sweet chestnut trees which grow from 50 to 100 feet tall. At one time these trees dominated the forests of North America until they were hit by blight. However there are new species now such as the Chinese and American chestnut crosses (Nevada and Colossal) and this has renewed the interests of many organic gardeners who want to put something special in their tree landscaping plans that also will produce a harvest.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with Peace, Light and Love,



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About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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