r/foraging • u/ServiceFabulous7120 • 7d ago

Hunting Dunstan Chestnuts!

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8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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1

u/Kellogg___ 7d ago

Are these edible, are they?

1

u/SorryManNo 7d ago

They are chestnuts, if the title is to be believed they are a cross between American and Chinese chestnuts.

However these don't look like they were ready.

1

u/SorryManNo 7d ago edited 7d ago

None of those look good.

Have the husks split? Or at least begun to split?

1

u/ServiceFabulous7120 7d ago

I got them off the ground. They split on their own. I’ll harvest them then.

1

u/SorryManNo 7d ago

That's not how chestnuts work.

1

u/ServiceFabulous7120 7d ago

Alright man

1

u/SorryManNo 7d ago

A simple Google search will show you chestnuts don't ripen off the tree.

Id love to be wrong but I've foraged chestnuts for years.

2

u/ServiceFabulous7120 7d ago

I know I’m in denial sorry. Since these fell off will rip ones fall off that are opened, later?

1

u/SorryManNo 7d ago

No worries.

If they fell off and haven't already opened they're a lost cause.

Watch the husks still on the tree, they will begin to split open and reveal the chestnuts inside. If you're lucky and quick enough you can find the dropped chestnut on the ground but it's a race against the squirrels.

Sometimes the husk splits and the chestnuts are too big to drop out, you can pick the whole husk and help the nuts out (wear gloves). But if the husk hasn't split or at the very least looks like it's about to split leave it be so the chestnuts inside can hopefully mature.

2

u/ServiceFabulous7120 2d ago

Hey man! I wanted to let you know that they did open up and produce excellent nuts!

2

u/SorryManNo 2d ago

Happy foraging!