Chestnuts are typically harvested mid-September through November, and are one of the easiest nut varieties to prepare for storage. Pull on a pair of work gloves, and give it a try.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Depends on the size of the harvest
Here's How:
- Wait for the chestnuts to fall to the ground.
- Then, gather up all of the nuts with open burrs. (You'll definitely want gloves for this job.)
- Remove the nuts from the burrs, and discard any with worm holes or other signs of damage.
- Then, promptly store the chestnuts in air-tight containers, and refrigerate or freeze.
Tips:
- Try to gather the chestnuts as soon as they fall to the ground. This will preserve the quality of the nuts, and minimize loss to squirrels.
- In-shell chestnuts will keep in the refrigerator for a month or in the freezer for a year.
What You Need:
- Work gloves
- Buckets
