Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

[fabindia]

Having had open fires all our married life, we are no strangers to chestnut roasting and the accompanying dangers of them exploding. I was interested, therefore, when I stumbled across this article on BBC this morning.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3mBZYRd2GpGfrxJ5fwbqtfj/nine-bite-size-facts-about-chestnuts



The article says 80% of chestnuts now come from China. We can get them in the shops here in Thailand, presumably because we are relatively close to China Maybe we should get some and roast on a BBQ - no need for fires here even though technically it is winter.

[Gwenoakes]

That sounds like a good idea, Michael.

[lancashire lass]

interesting facts about chestnuts. Who would have known that the Romans had planted sweet chestnuts everywhere in Europe. There's some established trees in my local park and their spiky outer casing would litter the footpath when they were ready - the nuts themselves could vary in size but most are usually quite small and hardly worth the effort (if I recall, each "fruit" contains multiple chestnuts and there's usually one big one and lots of small ones) You have to get there early every day while they fall off the tree as it is a popular local forage food so the best ones go first!

[Mo]

There is an avenue of them along a path in Delamere forest (a local Forestry Commision plantation - that was once part of the royal hunting forest of Mara and Mondrum)
I think they vary, good years and bad, like beech mast.
I remember taking the children and collecting them, then using in chicken stew.

[HedgeHugger]

When we were kids we would go dog walking with the parents and pick up chestnuts.
Not having an open fire at home ours were grilled. Or Boiled for cooked dinners/xmas dinner.
Open fire at my Uncles and grandparents though.

We picked some locally a few years ago, but someone came along and moaned that we were picking them up from their land! pfff! country lane, off the floor!!

My brother picked up a decent bagful and gave me a load a few years ago. I par boiled and froze them. They lasted me until the last ones were eaten at last years xmas dinner.

This year I have some ready prepared ones bought.

I cannot imagine a christmas dinner that doesn't include chestnuts.

[Mo]

We all had to go to grandma's every Christmas. Big family, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins etc. It seemed to be Grandad's job to roast the chestnuts in the ashes under the grate. He was so busy shelling them for other people that he seldom got one for himself.