SA D D LEBAG f e at u r e
AMERICAN CHESTNUT (CASTENEA DENTATA) An American Phoenix Rising from the Ashes Dr. Michael Lee
A
TRAGEDY OF BIBLICAL proportions occurred silently in the American heartland after the importation of Chinese Chestnut trees, which were brought in for an exposition in New York in 1904. American Chestnut trees were the apex trees in our forests at the time. One in every four trees were Chestnuts. It was said that a squirrel could travel from Maine to Georgia without ever touching the ground. During a full bloom in the summer, the forests were wreathed in snowy, white pollen, becoming white, undulating ocean waves from Canada to the southern Alleghany mountains. This wonderous specimen of hardwood tree hosted and sustained thousands of creatures from nematodes, to forest creatures, to man with its nourishing nut and strong, smooth-grained, long-lasting, chestnut-brown wood, for tens of thousands of years. These were the monarchs of the eastern forests, often rising over 100 feet high, boasting a girth of over 22 feet and a bole of over six feet.
Native American tribes used the wood for bows, for building shelters, rib wood for canoes, smoking pipes and firewood. The nut was unusual for a tree nut. It had little oil, but was rich in vitamin C, selenium, protein, carbohydrates and fiber. It was used similarly to grain or beans. After gathering, the nuts were left in a cool dry place for several days, allowing the carbohydrates to turn to sugars. The shell was sliced open to allow for steam to escape while roasting over open fires or over coals or they would explode like mini hand grenades. They could also be boiled. These methods allowed for easier peeling of the shell and the bitter dark brown membrane encasing the meat of the nut. What you had left was a large creamy white solid, sweet nut meat useful for eating out of hand, adding to stews, baked with other meats or vegetables in the fire pits, or making a sweet nut cooked in maple syrup or honey. Chestnuts could be dried and ground into flour, then used in porridges, soups and a kind of gluten-free bread or cake, similar to a bean cake or simply stored
