Content
- Picking chestnuts yourself - tips and tricks
- Can I collect chestnuts everywhere?
- How do I recognize chestnuts?
- When do I harvest chestnuts?
- What do I do with the collected chestnuts?
- The essentials in brief:
- Tips
Sweet chestnuts are only available a few weeks a year
Picking chestnuts yourself - tips and tricks
Sweet chestnuts or chestnuts are not only delicious in the run up to Christmas. However, only a few people have a corresponding tree in their garden. Mostly, however, it is allowed to harvest so-called "abandoned trees" for their own needs.
Can I collect chestnuts everywhere?
Before harvesting fruits from foreign trees, you should make sure that they are really "abandoned" trees, otherwise you commit a robbery. In the north of Germany you will hardly find anything, because sweet chestnuts prefer a location in the mild climate of a winegrowing region. Therefore, you will find most chestnuts in the Palatinate or on the Mosel, Saar and Nahe.
How do I recognize chestnuts?
In contrast to the sweet chestnut or sweet chestnut, the horse chestnut bears inedible fruit, which can cause stomach pain. That's why you should be careful when collecting. The distinction between these trees, however, is not too difficult and possible both on the leaves and by the fruits themselves.
The typical, one-hand similar form of horse chestnut leaves is probably already known to most children. In contrast, the sweet chestnut carries single narrow leaves with a jagged edge. The fruit capsules of both plants are prickly. While the shell of the horse chestnut has only a few short spines, the capsule of the chestnut has numerous thin and longer spines.
The fruits themselves are quite different. On the one hand, the shell of the horse chestnut contains only one fruit at most, while the sweet chestnut contains up to three fruits at the same time. On the other hand, the shape of the chestnut is to be considered. Horse chestnuts are quite uniformly shaped, round or oval. Chestnuts, however, are clearly flattened and tapered. At the top they are slightly hairy.
When do I harvest chestnuts?
From about the end of September you can harvest sweet chestnuts, usually only for a few weeks. Some varieties have a different or longer harvest time. The harvest itself is not particularly difficult, because the ripe chestnuts fall from the tree and only need to be picked up. But they did not want to wait too long, otherwise the squirrels will take your harvest away.
What do I do with the collected chestnuts?
Since sweet chestnuts are not durable for too long, you should use the fruits quickly. A delicious snack is roasted chestnuts, which you can easily prepare in the oven. From baked or cooked sweet chestnuts you can also create delicious desserts or cook tasty soups. If the harvest is very plentiful, just freeze the extra sweet chestnuts.
The essentials in brief:
Tips
Collect the chestnuts regularly, their shelf life is limited and the competition from wild animals is great.