Consider the chestnut. I’ve been considering chestnuts a lot lately, maybe even obsessively.
Because I live in Alabama, a mostly chestnut-free-state, I had to order chestnuts online in order to consider them up close. Turns out, you can get them from many sources on the net, but I chose Allen Creek Farm. Their chesnuts are gorgeous: large, shiny, and practically shouting, they’re so fresh.
The company’s website explains that the chestnut trees on Allen Creek Farm are pesticide-free. I had to order from them, in spite of the issue of the minimum order.
Four-pounds — there are now four-pounds-worth of chestnuts in my refrigerator. I also have a jar of chestnut honey, a package of chestnut flour, this book about the tragic history of the American chestnut tree, oh, and,
A Chestnut Knife
Hmmm… Did I mention that I have no idea how to prepare chestnuts? That I’ve eaten chestnuts exactly once? That I discovered only recently that the word “chestnut” contains a “t?”
What was I thinking?
Someone has a lot of chestnuts to eat.
Love your chestnut stories… as I just became a chestnut lover last year when I bought my first container from Trader Joe’s (they were in season, imported from Italy.) Well, you don’t find a lot of stuff from Italy nowadays, so it was like a fancy item~ ^^ First batch came out great, and the second container was really hard to remove these brown skin… I’m cooking my third batch bought from a Asian market last weekend, so I’m trying to research the tips for removing the brown skin, just in case I ran into the same issue…
Nice writing and great story!
Thanks so much for your nice comment. I still struggle with the clinging brown skin problem. It makes eating chestnuts a bit of a drag. Still, they’re wonderful! I just returned from Istanbul, and there are street vendors selling roasted chestnuts practically everywhere. I may always associate the smell of roasting chestnuts with Istanbul. Thanks again!!