buying chestnuts


Buying and Storage of Chestnuts


In Australia chestnuts were once only available from gourmet food stores, but are now becoming available in many fruit shops and supermarkets.

Chestnuts behave more like a fruit than a nut, as unlike most nuts they have a very high water content.  Therefore like fruit, chestnuts will deteriorate quickly if not stored properly.

There are a few basic things you can do to ensure that you buy the freshest nuts, and are able to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

displayDisplaying nuts lookWhat to look for  feelHow the nuts feel storageStorage

Buying chestnuts and what to look for

Perhaps the first thing you should look at when buying chestnuts is not the nuts themselves but where and how they are displayed for sale.  Chestnuts should be kept as cool as possible, so for long term storage they should be kept in a cool room as close to zero degrees as possible.  They contain high levels of moisture and are highly susceptible to dehydration, resulting in the flesh of the nut drying and shrinking relatively quickly at normal room temperatures.  This means that ideally they should be displayed in the refrigerated section of the fruit & vegetable display.  Experience has shown however, that very often chestnuts are placed alongside other fruit in the ordinary display racks at the fruit shop or supermarket.

Displaying chestnuts for sale in non-refrigerated sections of the shop is adequate for very short-term purposes only, and they should be returned to the coolroom overnight.  In this situation it means that you, the consumer, must be more aware of what to look for in a chestnut.

Look at the nut

some of the fresh chestnuts grown at Chestnut Brook

Look at the general appearance of the chestnut.

The nuts should have shiny shells and look glossy and plump.
There should be no splits in the shells.
The nuts should be all of a similar size.
There should be no mould anywhere on the nuts.

Feel the nut

Chestnuts will not bruise or come to any harm if you handle them so make sure you touch them.

When you pick up the nuts they should feel heavy for their size and the shells should feel smooth.
If you squeeze the nut between your thumb and fingers they should feel firm and you should not be able to push a dent into the outer shell.  The firmer the chestnut, the fresher it is.

Storage of chestnuts at home

As chestnuts do dry out at room temperature, they should be placed in the crisper compartment of your refrigerator in plastic bags with the top folded over, or in an air tight container.

If stored properly, chestnuts should keep for approximately 3 weeks in your refrigerator (providing they are fresh when purchased).

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