Here we are: it is the end of October AND locally grown Sweet, Edible Chestnuts have arrived !!!
We are buying them from Northwest Chestnuts, located in Olympia and you can find them in our vegetable cooler!!!
The three amazing people behind this company are dedicated to supplying customers with local, delicious Chestnuts and are making sure we all know how to prepare them. We don’t have to have an open fire to roast them on, even though that is an option for all outdoorsy people… we can bake them in our oven or boil them until the interior is soft and smells heavenly.
Do you remember the summer we had….(oh, sweet memories…)? Marina, who is the Founder and CEO of the company, explained to us that the dry weather this summer left a lot of Chestnuts un- or under-developed and their harvest is limited this year.
Harvesting time this year is now until the end of October, while other years the harvest can start earlier. Sweet, edible Chestnuts are VERY different from Horse Chestnuts. They belong to two different plant families all together and we better partake of the Horse Chestnuts only medicinally and feed them to the pigs or deer and elk – at least that is what we did where I grew up.
Now, how should you prepare them? I am sure you have your own recipe that has been passed down your ancestral lines. And if you’re new to Edible Chestnuts and/or want to try a different way to prepare them, you can find a video made by Antoinette from Northwest Chestnuts where she guides you on how to roast them. Roasting the Chestnuts enhances their flavor. Watching her video is fun and highly informative. And if you want to boil them you can find those instructions next to the Chestnuts in the Vegetable cooler. Either way you may want to check out their website: NorthwestChestnuts.com
Here is a favorite recipe of mine, it is easy to prepare.
Chestnut puree
You will need boiled or roasted and peeled Chestnuts – roasting and boiling will take between 25-35 minutes. Also to consider are the 10 minute cooling time (chestnuts wrapped in a towel) and then peeling them.
Ingredients
1 pound Roasted or Boiled AND peeled Chestnuts
1 3/4 cups warm Milk (any kind)
4 TBSP unsalted, melted Butter (other fat source works)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I use Celtic Sea Salt and Black Pepper)
Take the peeled Chestnuts and add them to a food processor with all the milk and butter and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Enjoy!!
It’s the Season!!
Be well !!!
Ute Jarllik
