Foraging for Sweet Chestnuts
Now is the time to be collecting your sweet chestnuts.As the October winds get going, there will plenty more of them to collect from under the trees. Don’t confuse them with horse chestnuts (conkers), which are inedible. You can see pictures of the sweet chestnut tree in the Woodlands.co.uk Tree Identification Guide.The hedgehog-like cases are covered in long, pliable, green spikes. Split open, they contain 2-3 shiny, roughly triangular nuts with a distinctive tuft on the end.
Although the European sweet chestnut originated in Greece, and is therefore not strictly speaking native to this country, references to the nuts as a foodstuff are found from ancient times.The Romans planted trees across the empire, explaining why “castan” (the Latin word) appears in various versions throughout Europe, for instance “castanwydden” in Welsh, “kistin” in Breton, “châtaigne” in French and “chestnut” in English.
Chestnuts are not like other nuts. They have a mealy, floury texture and are mostly carbohydrate, unlike most nuts, which are protein-rich. Where land was not suitable for cultivating grain crops because it was mountainous and/or forested, the nuts were a valuable food source and were ground into flour. Chestnut flour is still used in rural French and Italian cooking to this day. It is also worth noting that chestnut flour has no gluten and is therefore suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Assuming you’re too hungry to go to the trouble of milling your nuts into flour, what do you do with them? The sweet chestnut tree is very high in tannins and some people say the nuts are too bitter to eat raw. I’ve nibbled on a few straight from the shell and haven’t found this so, although perhaps a bit indigestible if you ate more than a couple in one go I think. Cooked, they taste slightly nutty and fairly bland, but they work well as bulk and go with lots of other flavours. Preparing chestnuts is not difficult, but a bit laborious, so get comfortable and enlist some help and company. Put the nuts in a big bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave them for a couple of minutes to let the skins soften. Then scoop some out into a second bowl of cold water to cool them enough for you to be able to handle them. Peel these, and carry on in this manner until you’ve worked your way through the bowlful. Once peeled they can be made into warming soup, cooked with sprouts and bacon, added to stews or stuffings, or soaked in syrup for traditional marrons glacés.
Alternatively, and best of all, you could slit the skins with a knife (they explode otherwise) and roast them. A good reason to get the barbie out for a last airing.
Chestnut Soup
- a couple of handfuls of peeled chestnuts
- 2 pints of chicken or ham stock
- butter or oil
- 1 chopped onion
- some grilled bacon, crumbled
- chopped parsley or chives
- salt and pepper
Soften the chopped onion in a knob of butter or a tablespoon of oil. Add the chestnuts and stock and bring up to the boil. Simmer until the chestnuts have collapsed. Season to taste, and add some crumbled bacon and chopped herbs.
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Discussion
Hi I’m looking for any space in Bristol – free chestnuts?
Hello, I have just collected some from Firestone Hill near Belper.
I would like to plant some. I know that they have to be kept cold for a while, but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks – in advance.
Where can we find chestnut close to Durham?
Does anyone know where to pick chestnuts near Waterlooville, Hants?
In Derby, I’ve been told Locco Park is good.
I remember picking from Allestree Park in the distant past.
Been out today and got a load, plenty have just fallen and are full of big ripe chestnuts. This was near Worksop notts.
Is there anybody know where is a good spot to pick chestnut in Rother (East Sussex)?
@Helen. Thank you so much for your message. I went chippersfield woods today and collected quite a lot fresh chestnut. There are plenty there on the ground just under the tree and I saw a few people were there collecting too. These chestnuts were falling from the tree while we were collecting. Therefore they are awesomely fresh as many were just came off from the tree.
There are so many in Farningham Woods Kent although our labrador ate as many as he could and may have a tummy ache later…..
Do anyone know any places in Milton Keynes to pick chessnuts
does anyone know of anywhere in lincolnshire (grimsby area, skegness area) to go to collect chestnuts
Hi, does anyone know of any places to pick chestnuts in east anglia/Cambridgeshire? Thank you.
Where in KENT are good places to collect chestnuts please.
^^meant derby, sorry! Autocorrect troubles. Xx Xx Xx
Can anyone tell me where there are chestnuts in derbyshire? Am aware of belper and ambergate but was thinking more derbyshire area? Xx Xx Xx
Chipperfield Woods in Herts are FULL of nice big ones right now, in abundance! We tried Ashridge too but could only find small, shrivelled ones!
Storing chestnuts
Fresh chestnuts keep for a week at room temperature and will sweeten up if left in a single layer where the air can get at them. They’re at their sweetest after about three days at room temperature, but after this the nuts begin to go mealy and the skins get hard.
To keep chestnuts for two or three weeks, leave them in their shells and store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator. To keep them for even longer, freeze them in their shells. The texture deteriorates, but they taste just fine. Alternatively you can candy them, puree them or store them in syrup, but drying chestnuts at home is difficult as they need a continuous flow of cool air.
Hi does anybody know of any good areas for chestnut picking in the Manchester area?
thanks,
Liana
I picked some like that today bill
they have the chestnut colour shell but they are still white on the edge
I don’t know a lot about them but I’m thinking there just not ready yet
another week hopefully I have put them on the window sill – see what happens.
I have 3 large Sweet Chestnut Trees. However most of the nuts that are falling are unripe can you tell me what might be the cause. These trees are 60-80 feet tall, they look very healthy.
Regards
Bill
If you forage for chestnuts now will they keep for xmas
Hi Paul, do you know any good spots for chestnut collection within easy reach of West London?
Regards
Paul
Hi Roger,
It’s a little early to be harvesting chestnuts yet. Give them a couple more weeks. They tend to reach a decent size by mid to late October. Best pickings are had after a breezy night so that the big ones fall off.
Have fun!
Paul
the trees are not large but can anyone tell me why these nuts are very small when opened ??
Hi there
Does anyone know a good place around the Flintshire area to gather some chestnuts?
Diane smith
22 October, 2017