Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

Kia Ora
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and that there are some features you can't use or read.

We are an active community of worldwide senior members participating in chat, politics, travel, health, blogging, graphics, computer issues & help, book club, literature & poetry, finance discussions, recipe exchange and much more. Also, as a member you will be able to access member only sections, many features, send personal messages, make new friends, etc.

Registration is simple, fast and completely free. Why not register today and become a part of the group. Registration button at the very top left of the page.

Thank you for stopping by.

Join our community!

In case of difficulty, email worldwideseniors.org@gmail.com.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Chestnuts
Topic Started: Sep 30 2014, 02:54 PM (182 Views)
campy
Member Avatar
Handyman Extraordinaire
It's that time of year.

I enjoy one feed. They are expensive this year. The ones I got were from the U.S.

I will have to rate them against the ones from Italy.

There must be a secret to peeling or selecting them.

Some peel without the inner skin and some don't. These were roasted in the oven
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
angora
Member Avatar
WWS Book Club Coordinator
I think I remember vendors selling roasted chestnuts on the street corners in Toronto when I was young. Does anyone else remember this?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darcie
Member Avatar
Skeptic
I have never had the opportunity to taste roasted chestnuts and have always wanted to do so. Never saw where I could buy some.

In Montreal there is a huge chestnut tree in our back neighbour's yard and I always wondered how to prepare them. I know the squirrels sure liked them as the cleaned out the yard every year.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
FuzzyO
Member Avatar

Those are not the chestnuts you want to eat Darcie, those are horse chestnuts. You should see them in the grocery stores. Easiest way is to score a cross into the skin and roast them in the oven as Campy has suggested. If you have a fireplace you can do them there.
Angora I have had chestnuts from a street vendor but I don't remember if it was in England or in Canada.
You can buy chestnut puree in tins, but don't buy the sweetened kind, it's way too sweet.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darcie
Member Avatar
Skeptic
FuzzyO
Oct 1 2014, 02:03 AM
Those are not the chestnuts you want to eat Darcie, those are horse chestnuts. You should see them in the grocery stores. Easiest way is to score a cross into the skin and roast them in the oven as Campy has suggested. If you have a fireplace you can do them there.
Angora I have had chestnuts from a street vendor but I don't remember if it was in England or in Canada.
You can buy chestnut puree in tins, but don't buy the sweetened kind, it's way too sweet.
Glad I never tried them - I didn't know there was more than one kind. I have to go out today and will look for some and get information on the net to roast them. Another first time thing, I am trying to have these "first times" at my age it matters little if it doesn't work.

I have a friend who remarried at 80, asked him why for the 5th time. He said if it doesn't work out he is too old to care and anyhow he might be developing a loss of memory and it won't matter.

Must be old myself as somehow it seems to make sense :wineglasssmile.gif:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
Darcie
Oct 1 2014, 01:52 AM
I have never had the opportunity to taste roasted chestnuts and have always wanted to do so. Never saw where I could buy some.

In Montreal there is a huge chestnut tree in our back neighbour's yard and I always wondered how to prepare them. I know the squirrels sure liked them as the cleaned out the yard every year.
The tree in Montreal was likely a 'horse' chestnut! I think that our sweet chestnuts became extinct (http://www.grandriver.ca/index/document.cfm?Sec=48&Sub1=2) due to an infection of some sort!

Sweet chestnuts are usually available in the chain grocery stores!

I used to buy them all the time and roast them in the oven!
Edited by wildie, Oct 1 2014, 03:24 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darcie
Member Avatar
Skeptic
I am buying some tomorrow.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
campy
Member Avatar
Handyman Extraordinaire
Darcie
Oct 1 2014, 02:17 AM
FuzzyO
Oct 1 2014, 02:03 AM
Those are not the chestnuts you want to eat Darcie, those are horse chestnuts. You should see them in the grocery stores. Easiest way is to score a cross into the skin and roast them in the oven as Campy has suggested. If you have a fireplace you can do them there.
Angora I have had chestnuts from a street vendor but I don't remember if it was in England or in Canada.
You can buy chestnut puree in tins, but don't buy the sweetened kind, it's way too sweet.
Glad I never tried them - I didn't know there was more than one kind. I have to go out today and will look for some and get information on the net to roast them. Another first time thing, I am trying to have these "first times" at my age it matters little if it doesn't work.

I have a friend who remarried at 80, asked him why for the 5th time. He said if it doesn't work out he is too old to care and anyhow he might be developing a loss of memory and it won't matter.

Must be old myself as somehow it seems to make sense :wineglasssmile.gif:
If there is an Italian deli nearby they always bring them in.

I got mine at Metro.

The Italian ones are the nicest taste. I understand you can use them for turkey dressing. I never tried that.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Kahu
Member Avatar

We have chestnuts here too, but they're probably horse chestnuts because they're not eaten. My DW and I had some from a street vendor in Rome when we were there ... they did make a tasty snack at the time, but not overly memorable. As kids we used to bore a hole through the chestnut and thread a string through it and then have battles aiming at your opponent's chestnut, or fingers holding it!

Come to think on it a bit ... I think Campy's got something when he says they'd be good in a stuffing!
Edited by Kahu, Oct 2 2014, 03:12 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
FuzzyO
Member Avatar

Kahu
Oct 2 2014, 03:11 PM
As kids we used to bore a hole through the chestnut and thread a string through it and then have battles aiming at your opponent's chestnut, or fingers holding it!

We call those conkers Kahu.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
wildie
Member Avatar
Veteran Member
If you want to roast your own chestnuts, here's a link to the procedure! http://www.pickyourownchristmastree.org/chestnuts_roasted.php
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
campy
Member Avatar
Handyman Extraordinaire
The real trick is to peel them so that the inner skin comes off. Or there is a way to pick them so you know which ones will do that.

Roasting them is the easy part. Peeling them while they are still hot is the hard part.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
FuzzyO
Member Avatar

Make your cuts a bit longer, they should peel easily then.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Trotsky
Member Avatar
Big City Boy
wildie
Oct 1 2014, 03:17 PM
Darcie
Oct 1 2014, 01:52 AM
I have never had the opportunity to taste roasted chestnuts and have always wanted to do so. Never saw where I could buy some.

In Montreal there is a huge chestnut tree in our back neighbour's yard and I always wondered how to prepare them. I know the squirrels sure liked them as the cleaned out the yard every year.
The tree in Montreal was likely a 'horse' chestnut! I think that our sweet chestnuts became extinct (http://www.grandriver.ca/index/document.cfm?Sec=48&Sub1=2) due to an infection of some sort!

I have tasted freshly roasted chestnuts from a vendor only once and I liked them...but in the last decade I have not seen them even once.

The city I grew up in (Eastern Pennsylvania) had thousands of horse chestnut trees lining the streets. That bug started slaughtering the trees in the late '50's and by the mid '60's they were all gone, every last one.

The city trees were inedible "horse chestnuts" but every kid made chestnut necklaces and chestnut pipes (don't ask what for) in the fall. The plants had very large pretty pyramidal blooms a foot high.

I read that chestnut wood for furniture has become virtually extinct except for repurposed old lumber.

(Some dimwit imported the parasite on saplings from Japan a century ago...never any shortage of these dimwits.)
Edited by Trotsky, Oct 2 2014, 11:55 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Darcie
Member Avatar
Skeptic
I had some last night for the first time. They are 'OK' I would eat them again but it is not something I would go out of my way for. The roaster took a big knife and cut the shell off.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Our favorite Recipes · Next Topic »
Add Reply