From soup to, well, nuts, chestnuts reign supreme in the nut kingdom. Most nuts are high in fat and low in carbohydrates and best reserved for treats. However, chestnuts have less than two percent fat, are high in carbohydrates and have valuable proteins. Chestnuts, in essence, are a high starch product like a potato or rice crop that grows on a tree. Whether mechanically or manually harvested, chestnuts require immediate refrigeration to preserve quality.
Chestnut trees produce a marketable crop by the fourth or fifth leaf.
Mature trees can produce between 100 and 500 pounds of chestnuts per tree. Chestnuts can easily be cultivated as an organic crop. Our trees are a Colossal variety, which produce a large, sweet, easy to peel chestnut. These trees offer a tremendous opportunity as a long term, annual food production system that is relatively easy to maintain. Chestnuts are a diverse food source.