Thursday 11 October 2018

That time of year.



Chestnut season is in full swing. The sound of motorised gathering machines can be heard all around.

Whilst shopping this morning I noticed they were on sale for €5.90 a kilo. Who on earth would buy them at that price, I cannot imagine; they are everywhere. You simply fill your pockets.

We have already eaten our yearly quota of about a dozen each, boiled then roasted; first with a Pork joint, and yesterday with a roast Chicken.

I have also bought a jar of dry, ready peeled, conserved Chestnuts for Christmas. If you intend buying some for yourself, don't buy them in water, or vacuum packed into blocks, the dry loose bottled one's are by far the best.


The first of the Walnuts are also dropping. They need to be dried in the sun before being put away for winter. Looks like a small crop this year; above were just the first few from one of our trees.

I should add that this year's Chestnut and Walnut crops are both a bit of a disaster. The long hot dry summer has wreaked havoc.


31 comments:

  1. They both look very good. Neither seem to grow well here. They do better further south.

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    1. It's a very defined area here. A few miles to the south, and there are no trees at all. The area stretches to about 100 miles north.

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  2. We get ours in the New Forest, and like you, boil and roast. We still have some in the freezer from two years ago, but always enjoy the process of gathering more. They are just too nice to ignore.

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    1. We love them, but eat very few. I must gather a few today.

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    2. They are good as part of a nut roast, or in stuffing.

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  3. I meant to grab a bagful before we left but there just wasn't enough room!

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    1. They don't last long, I always try to eat them on the same day that I gather them. They soon go black inside.

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  4. We always have a few to roast on our stove? They must come from northern Greece. Probably about the same price here.
    We do get given walnuts. Must get cracking some

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    1. Up to about three weeks ago, our Walnuts were looking good. Then suddenly they started turning black through lack of water (I imagine). We now have very few falling as they should; just piles of shriveled black husks.

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  5. Last year's chestnuts were good quality and plentiful on the city's hot chestnut stands. My Egyptian seller even threw in one or two extra for good measure. Looks like thus year it won't be so jolly. Thanks for the chestnut news! Hot off the press!

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    1. They are much smaller this year (at least ours are), and far less plentiful. Be grateful for whatever your Egyptian has to offer.

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  6. The inspiration of Balogaland is so strong that even I start thinking about Christmas even though I have no reason.(I think i shall back one of the Christmas cakes.).

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  7. At first glance I thought they were conkers.

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    1. At our first house here we had a huge Horse Chestnut tree in the courtyard. You don't see them too often.

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  8. Horse chestnuts are the only kind I know. We had a huge tree on our yard as a kid and I would collect bags full of them. I don't think you can eat them, though. -Jenn

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    1. Did you play 'Conkers'? As children that was our favourite game.

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    2. No, I just collected them, but my father would sometimes take a small drill and drill holes through them so my sister and I could string them into clunky looking necklaces.

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  9. Only a dozen each per year? How restrained! And how joyous that the walnuts are on their way! Meanwhile, on the dark-side-of-the-moon, we've just been given the last of the walnuts from my brother-in-law's tree. A sad day here when the last of this year's crop will be eaten. I shall be eking them out.

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    1. We always look forward to them so much, then only eat a few when they arrive. Mind you; a few go a long way!

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  10. I always look for horse chestnut as a good luck charm for the year. I have this year's.

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    1. I try to catch a falling autumn leaf, which I put in my pocket until it crumbles. It's worked so far.

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  11. Lovely ... so Autumnal. I love cobb nuts .... do you have them in France ? XXXX

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    1. We have two nearby wild Hazelnut trees that produce beautiful plump nuts. Of course, everyone else knows about them too.

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  12. Roasted chestnuts always remind me of New York when I was a girl. There were so many vendors on corners selling them and I can still remember their aroma. My mother loved them and when shopping in the fall, we always went home with a bagful.

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    1. Those street corner roasted Chestnuts are delicious. It's the smokey slightly burnt flavour that goes so well.

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    2. They roast them in Japan also. At the Japanese markets we use to go to in California, daughter and I would always buy a bag each. So wonderful.
      We called them Amaguri but I think the correct name is Kuri ?
      I miss buying them, we would eat them at the movies instead of popcorn.

      cheers, parsnip and badger

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  13. Must keep an eye out for chestnuts..we have a visit to south Wales coming up, and the huge chestnut trees in Pontypool Park usually turn up trumps with a good crop

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  14. I have never really found a satisfactory way of dealing with chestnuts = they are rarely, if ever, on sale here.

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    1. I boil them in slightly salted water for about 15 mins (you have to cut a cross into the pointed end, a bit like sprouts), then you can peel them easily. Afterwards you can do with them as you wish.

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