Welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side. Happy Holidays from Gabrielle and I, and we are in the Holiday spirit! This episode, we talk about one of the most recognizable songs and nut (actually more like a fruit), the chestnut. Chestnuts and Christmas just seem to go together, but sadly, because of a blight, the once dominant and massive tree that produced delicious nuts for wildlife, people, and generations of Christmas around the world was eliminated from the forests of eastern US in the blink of an eye (40 years). We'll talk about how chestnuts went from a holiday staple to just a verse in a song. What happened and can you still get chestnuts? Join us as we sit around the fire pit on the back porch and reminisce about what used to be and the possibility that one day, the chestnut will once again, return to it's former glory.

You can learn more about chestnuts from these websites:

Chestnut blight: https://tacf.org/history-american-chestnut/

Chestnut research: https://www.esf.edu/chestnut/index.php

https://www.finedininglovers.com/explore/articles/chestnuts-z-26-things-about-chestnuts

How chestnuts are used in Italian cooking: https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/how-to-cook/roasting-chestnuts-a-guide-to-the-cherished-italian-holiday-tradition

The Italian Chestnut Growers Consortium: https://www.consorziocastanicoltori.it/ (in italian, so please get google to translate)

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