It is almost time for roasting chestnuts!

One of may favorite things to do in the fall and winter is roasting and eating chestnuts. Like millions of people, I have eaten hot freshly roasted chestnuts from street vendors in New York City and while traveling in Europe, but I especially enjoy roasting them on my porch. I buy chestnuts fresh in the shell online from farms in Virginia, Washington state, or California in early September. I store them in their shells in my fridge drawer and they surprisingly stay almost fresh for 3-4 months. Whenever I am ready to roast I take a handful or more, and make small cuts in the shells to allow the hot air that builds under the shells to escape (otherwise the chestnuts will explode). I roast them over hot Olivette Organic Charcoal which burns cleanly without smoke (at least I can’t see it) in a portable fire pit. I just ordered my chestnut supply for this season, and can’t wait for the first cold days of the season to arrive!

Chestnut tree

Roasting chestnuts on my porch