Edible Starchy Nut Tree - Update

Here’s an update to my earlier post, see link below, about a neighbors chestnut 🌰 tree -

Edible Starchy Nut Tree 

Here it is the end of September and the chestnuts 🌰 have started to turn, ripen, open and fall to the ground allowing me to make a definitive identification on the exact type of tree this is!

Survey says…a Chinese chestnut 🌰 tree

Otherwise known as a sweet chestnut 🌰 tree, which produce delicious, sweet, edible nuts - 

But beware, they’re protected by intensely sharp, needle-like prickles!

I’m not sure if the owners of this tree collect the nuts 🌰 or not. They’ve just started to turn and fall, so we’ll see.

I can’t say that I’ve ever roasted or even tasted a chestnut 🌰 but we’re coming into “chestnuts roasting by an open fire 🔥” season…

Edible Starchy Nut Tree

I haven’t seen one of these trees in a VERY long time!

Do you know what type of tree this is, HMMM?!

This brings me back to my childhood home, and back to Burgess Avenue, and stirs up some wonderful memories.

A neighbor, and close friend to the family, had one of these trees in their front yard and I was always intrigued by it. The nuts would litter the lawn and street when they began falling. I don’t recall if the homeowners ever collected these and ate them or not.

The spiny burrs on the outer husks of these nuts 🌰 are vicious, so care and gloves should be used when handling, for the weeny people anyway -

This is a chestnut 🌰 tree and it’s in the neighbors yard here in Limestone, directly across from the mailbox.

I’m not sure if this is a horse chestnut or a sweet chestnut tree. This will need some further investigation. I’ll need to grab and open one of these nuts to be able to be certain. Determining which type of chestnut is vitally important because horse chestnut are toxic to eat!