Our neighbours have (okay, had, until recently -- he's in the freezer now) a turkey named "Christmas Dinner." We were there when he was plucked and dressed but that's not what this post is about. Our Christmas Dinner was harvested on the ground beneath a tree.There's a property in town owned by some non-residents that has two grand black walnut trees and a chestnut tree on it. We don't know who the people are who own the place, so we wait until they've had every reasonable chance to show up and harvest their nuts. And then we move in before the squirrels get every last one and take a bag of our own home to roast, peel and put in the freezer for use in a Christmas loaf.
Chestnuts really are the most beautiful things. And they're easier to catch than a turkey.
I'd love to have your recipe for chestnut loaf. Sounds like something I'd like.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if my comment went through OK, so I'm trying again. Would LOVE to have your recipe for chestnut loaf - will you publish it or email it to me?
ReplyDeletenicolaknits AT gmail DOT com
Nicola, I don't have one, I'm afraid. I wing it every year. Totally guessing, putting in mushrooms or leaving them out depending on whether I have a picky eater, adding walnuts or not or bread crumbs or not, depending on what's handy. There's usually some broccoli and onion, and some chestnut and sage, that's about all I can say. Some years are better than others. A masterpiece it ain't.
ReplyDeleteLovely. I think that is wonderful. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteI was always under the impression that you couldn't eat this kind of chestnuts. The ones that are sold by vendors and stores are not the buckeyes that fall from trees. I just did some looking online too and everywhere I looked says that the horse chestnuts or buckeyes as you have pictured are NOT edible. I am surprised that your family didn't get ill from eating these.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, they're not horsechestnuts. I grew up with those -- next door to three huge such trees. These nuts are smaller and much more pointy than round. This tree is a sweet chestnut -- probably a Japanese, is my guess, since this area is full of gardens and plants brought to the area by Japanese internees in the 1940's.
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