To learn about the restoration of this lost resource for wildlife, humankind, and the natural beauties of America, visit the web site of the American Chestnut Foundation and learn how efforts at the restoration of the American Chestnut to its old status have been proceeding - and how you also can help. Chestnuts to the taste, as eaten. A seed with a hard shell and containing a fleshy seed-embryo. Unless refrigerated, they spoil quickly, even in dry storage. In old-fashioned holiday gatherings, each person placed a chestnut on the hearth, then waited for whose nut would be first to explode.
Overdone chestnuts are dry, hard to chew, and lose their aroma.
Don't do too many at a time. Once roasted, the shells are friable and easily cracked without aid. As with the potato, but to an even greater extent, unpierced chestnuts tend to explode. If they're too dry, try dipping in butter or margarine before eating.