The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-25
cHrNorAprHa on nAhE
A Rare Nut from the south Seen Occasion
ally in This Market.

oh, look, Maria, chinquapinsl I've never
seen any In New York before. Doesn't that
make you think OF the Black Mingo place and
old times?" and the fashionably attired matron
who had stopped her companion at the fruit
shop window on Broadway eyed the little bas-
ket OF shiny, pointed nuts with interest.
"Chinau0pinsl Why. it's like meeting an old
friend. Let's order some sent homo for the
children" said the older woman. and the two
passed into the shop.
DO ohinuuapins sell readily In New York p
repeated the nut dealer. We'll. they do and
they don't. or rather they're merely an expert
ment. I got hold OF this consignment by
chance. sent unsolicited by a friend who had
come across the chinquapin In some OF his ex-
plorations and had a small lot gathered this
year for market. People buy them more on
account OF association than anything else.
They are more delicate than the chestnut and
OF rare flavor, but too small for the candy and
cake maker, to bother with or to be used for
times. I Ike them, although / didn't know
what they were at first until l read tho letter
that came along a day or two, after the nuts.
people put them outside, in the DISPLAY OF
other nuts, I've had experience before Of how
they Have been used to at home. Any number
OF strange West India and Bermuda fruite have
caught on here, In that way. Novelties and slow
WIZ - W '. bSbNhLi wv
a season or two, like the alligator pear. for in
stance. or the liche nut.
ton those little chinquapins have attracted.
Lots OF people stop TO look at them who don't
come in to buy, and then again some OF my best
paying, customers order them Just as those
ladies did Just now, Invariably the buyers are
people who have lived at some time down
South and have seen the chinqpapin growing
husband OF one OF those ladies' bought Q big
lived i've p On L for a o While iGe an SaT { belie S9s re- su nGss y
rate. she has Southern relatives and is fond Of
her the. c%hinquapins at this time OF year and
she took an interest In them. both the nuts and
Two or three days ago an old gentleman
came In looking pleased to ask whore got the
precious. He said the sight OF them took him
back forty years; He was born and brouEhtu ~ on
wild in the woods. and he used to gather them
every fall; They grow profusely on quite a large
bush. and the outer cone is as big as a walnut
them all the hardert to get at, The bush Is very
handsome, but grows usually in the most mac
think they would repay cultivation. for the
best OF them are exceptionally sweet tender
.'Chinquapins have caught on in Phlladel-
ters down by the Washington Market. but
vious notice, and no one Of the dealers In this
neighborhood knew what they were. All
agreed that they were good. One day a darky
from New Jersey happenedin. He takes a cart
round the country peddling nuts and veReta-
bles and is n good. square fellow to deal with;
he asked G%fnsdGS ON frst sight Te' 6f tho The S open Rf baG ane and d
he, bounced on them Just as a man greets an
old. familiar friend. i can sell every chinqua-
pin Of the lot to the colored people in Jersey
City, he told me. and backed his wagon up
and bundled In the whole batch"
The chinuuapin doesn't need cooking like
the chestnut to reduce it to toothsomeness. It
is at its best when allowed to ripen thoroughly
on the tree. or II picked too soon land only ex-
perience can determine the proper stage OF
maturity from the appearance of the outer
cone) It will mellow II laid away in a dark, dry
place where insects won't breed. Nobody has
ever tried to cultivate it; but Just as it il the
nut is prized by both whites and blacks in the
region where il grows.