I took a break from painting today to gather chestnuts in the forest with Yolka. Although I am familiar with the chestnuts roasting on an open fire song, the only time I can remember eating them is at open air markets in Europe. I definitely had no idea where they came from. If you ever go chestnut gathering, wear sturdy gloves. I felt very inefficient using the stick searching method she tried to instruct me in and used my hands instead. The chestnut pods(?) look sort of like spiky sea urchins, and are not friendly to bare hands.
About chestnuts: their consumption dates back to prehistoric times, they don't produce fruit until they're about 40 years old, the American chestnut crop (it used to be the dominant tree in the Appalachian forests)was devastated by a fungus imported in 1904, and the nuts can be mashed and used as a starch substitute in bread and cakes.
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