THIS is the time of year when Australians can choose to roast their chestnuts over an open fire - as the autumn harvest hits high gear.
Between now and July fresh Aussie chestnuts will be on offer in select stores.
The cooked flesh offers a sweet, nutty flavour, is low in fat high in fibre and contains a fair share of folate and vitamin C - which is surprisingly unusual in nuts.
Stephen Foster, Tenterfield, has been growing European varieties of chestnut for the past 16 years and earns a modest income from 450 trees which produce four to five tonnes of nut each season.
Mr Foster manages his trees like any orchardist - fertilising with nitrogen and phosphorous and trace elements like boron.
He undertakes regular soil tests and leaf analysis.
But the one element he cannot control is water and this year, with very dry conditions in January and February, his crop is slightly down on previous years.
Despite that the nuts present with a lusty glow which is critical at market.
“The main thing these trees need is water,” he says.
“They can grow without it but the nuts don’t have the quality or size that the market demands.”
The sweet smell of a roasting chestnut is a marketer’s dream and Mr Foster and his wife Christine often take advantage of that odour to spruik their fresh harvest - every Friday night during winter at the open air Stanthorpe markets.
The Italian community on the Northern Tablelands appreciates the chestnut, which they call castagna, and which washes down well with a glass of new vintage red wine.
Asian are big fans of the nutritious nut as well and some prepare them by boiling, first drinking the nutty liquor as a health tonic.
Of course, Europeans love their chestnuts and what tourist to London has not seen a paper cone full of the roasted nuts being offered for sale.
“But here in Australia,” rues Mr Foster, “the chestnut is not so popular.”
To improve that situation industry association Chestnuts Australia publicises recipes that incorporate the healthy nut into a variety of savoury dishes - from soup to risotto.
In fact, thanks to its healthy footprint, the chestnut was the only ‘nut’ allowed in the original Pritikin diet.
“I’ve always had an interest in chestnuts,” Mr Foster explains.
“When we moved to Tenterfield from Brisbane we were looking for something like this to keep ourselves busy.
“But if you counted the hours I spent in the orchard compared to the money I earn you would not think it was very profitable,” he laughs.
And yet his orchard is a tranquil place and he enjoys spending time there. Varieties in the Fosters’ Tenterfield orchard include Red Spanish (which the Asian community loves), Di Coppi Marrone, Buffalo Queen and Purtons Pride.
The chestnut is not without its problems, and phytopthora has taken a toll on Mr Foster’s orchard, claiming a number of his trees.
“In dry years the disease seems to spread quickest,” he points out.
Nut rot is another issue and the chestnut industry has raised some money through a levy which is looking at way to manage the disease, employing the services of plant pathologist Dr Harvey Smith.
Harvest season is ‘full on’ with family members employed along with a couple of hired pickers to hand-gather the fallen nuts.
Sharp quills on the husk mean workers don Nitril-coated canvas gloves - which appear to be the only protection that works.
Nuts are stored immediately in a cool room as close to zero degrees as possible before sorting into seven different sizes and packing into 10 kilogram bags before being shipped to Sydney and Brisbane markets.
