Galloway Farm

There’s something extra fun when you can eat things that you grow. We have two chestnut trees on the farm. But until this fall, we’ve never tried them out. Here’s what we learned that you’ll need to know if you plan to harvest some chestnuts to eat:

First, be careful. Chestnuts grow inside of a porcupine looking husk that is very sharp. These sharp pieces will go right through a flip flop and straight into your foot if you step on one.

Next thing to know is that ripening chestnuts will be on the ground (brown); not still green on the tree. Once they fall, the husk will split open and give you a chestnut.

The nut itself is inside the soft brown shell you pick up off the ground. Your kids will want to bite the shell open, but I advise against it. Use a tool to pull the soft shell and inside you will find a yellow chestnut!

Chestnuts can be eaten raw and have a unique sweet taste. We’ve eaten many this way. Or you may want to “roast them over an open” fire for a roasted taste. Just don’t get them too hot or they’ll pop like a firecracker…which is also fun sometimes. Either way, enjoying chestnuts is easy and fun.