Chestnut

:This article is about the chestnut plant in the genus Castanea. The name horse-chestnut is commonly applied to several species in the unrelated genus Aesculus (family Sapindaceae). Also unrelated is the Chestnut oak (Quercus montana). Chestnut is also used as an adjective to describe a certain colour of coat in horses that resembles the colour of the chestnut nut.

Uses

The nuts are most commonly eaten roasted or candied; the latter are often sold under the French name marrons glacés. To preserve chestnuts to eat through the winter, they must be made perfectly dry after they come out of their green husk; then put into a box or a barrel mixed with, and covered over by, fine and dry sand, three parts of sand to one part of chestnuts. Any maggots in any of the chestnuts will emerge and work up through the sand to get to the air without damaging other chestnuts. Chestnuts to be grown in the spring need to be kept in moist sand and chilled over the winter.

Related Topics:
French - Maggot

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The wood is similar to oak wood in being decorative and very durable. Due to illness the wood of the American chestnut has almost disappeared from the market. It is difficult to obtain large size timber from the Sweet chestnut also, due to the high degree of splitting and warping when it dries. The wood of the Sweet chestnut is most used in small items where durability is important, such as fencing and wooden outdoor cladding ('shingles') for buildings. In Italy, it is also used to make barrels used for aging balsamic vinegar.

Related Topics:
Wood - Oak - Balsamic vinegar

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The bark was also a useful source of natural tannins, used for tanning leather before the introduction of synthetic tannins.

Related Topics:
Tannin - Leather

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Image:Chestnut.jpg|Ripe Sweet Chestnuts

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Image:Chestnuts.jpg|Chestnuts inside their spiky capsule

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Image:Chestnut03.jpg|Chestnuts can be found on the ground around trees

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Image:Chestnut tree.jpg|A Sweet Chestnut tree

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Image:Chestnut tree02.jpg|A Sweet Chestnut tree

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