Gembrook Harvest

Peter, Barb, Davo and Anna travelled the 90 km to Gembrook for Harvest Day. The number of people that came was impressive. Steve and Jane were kept busy as hosts most of the day.

On one of the tables in the sun we found a leaflet about chestnuts and what to do with them. The brochures were supplied by the Bean Team:

The following was the general "guff" on their brochure:

Chestnuts are cholesterol free, low in sodium and a great source of dietary fibre. These nuts also contain vitamin C, thiamine, and riboflavin. Five kernels of chestnuts counts as one serving. Without being told why, we read that a single serving of chestnuts should not be consumed more than 4 to 5 times a week. Is that a joke or a warning? Any way, we think they are nice.

Roasting the Chestnut:

First, using the tip of a sharp paring knife, score an X on the flat side of the chestnut. place scored chestnuts on a baking tray and roast in a 220 degree C oven for 15 minutes. This will cause the X to open up. While the chestnuts are still hot, peal the shell, then remove the papery skin. Once they cool, the shells are difficult to remove, so keep the batch warm while you work. Pete found that making a token removal of the papery skin was good enough when it was not coming off easily.

Out of the four recipes in the brochure we offer one that seems easy to make.

Cream of Chestnut Soup (with our alterations):

3 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1 stick of celery
1 medium carrot
1 onion
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 bay leaf (to be removed later)
6 cups veggie stock
350g chestnuts roasted and peeled
1/4 cup silken tofu blended
1/4 tsp pepper
Sea salt to taste

Method. Cut the onion, celery, and carrot into very small pieces. Melt the butter or coconut oil in a saucepan. Add the celery, onion, and carrot. Saute these vegetable pieces for about 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts, veggie broth, parsley, ground cloves, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes covered. Puree the soup with a blender or a bar mix. Stir in the tofu. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take out the bay leaf. Serve and garnish with parsley and a swirl of cream.

There seemed to be about twenty or more chestnut trees all producing a crop, so there was an "ocean" of chestnuts any direction we looked on the orchard ground. Our instructions were simple. Just the large ones. Ignore the small ones. Most of us who came spent a long session in the orchard. We were still finding good ones even as our bags were straining at the seams. We were still finding good ones as we struggled to leave the orchard with such a load. There could conceivably be a large truck load in there if it was ever measured.

The temperature was about 25 degrees C so the day was just perfect for the harvest. People brought lots of food to share. There were three different soups on the stove. Cars were parked everywhere including on the road outside the property. There were some outside camp fires and a fire in the house fireplace as well. The wood stove was also flashed up. We met old friends and made new ones. What a day.