FRESH & IN SEASON

Our Favorite Chestnut Grower

Harvey Correia farms a holiday classic in sunny California

Chestnuts

How to Roast Chestnuts | Recipes | More Holiday Articles

A third-generation farmer in the Sacramento area, Harvey Correia comes by farming naturally. But he took a long detour through a career as an auditor for a farm credit cooperative before feeling the call of the land—or more specifically, a 47-acre plot in the Sacramento Valley with pear trees aplenty. “I wanted to see the fruits of my labor,” he says of his transition from desk to field. But after tending those pear trees for three years, the sheer amount of pesticides needed to produce a viable crop worried him; he grew even more concerned when his son was born in 1998.

These concerns caused him to eschew almonds, peaches and the usual foods abundantly grown in California, as all seemed to be rich with pests. Then he recalled that, as a loan auditor, he had met one Italian family planting a few acres of chestnuts in the area. “At first,” he says, “I’d thought the loan officer was crazy” for writing the loan on an obscure, mostly European crop. (Even today, more than 90 percent of the chestnuts consumed in North America come from Europe.) “But I was intrigued,” says Correia. And after encountering others who’d planted chestnuts in California, he decided to check into the possibility for himself.

Chestnut trees are native to southern Europe, and parts of North America’s East Coast and Midwest. In California, the main deterrent is the soil; it’s less acidic than they prefer. But the pH is easily corrected and the trees, far removed from their native habitats, are essentially pest-free, certainly a boon to better farming practices. And without natural pests, the European trees Correia has planted in the Sacramento Valley are offering good yields, to boot.

The chestnuts he harvests are plump, tender and quite moist. Naturally low in fat, chestnuts are, in fact, almost 50 percent water—and highly perishable. They must be refrigerated or they mold quickly. The trees flower from mid-May to early June, then the chestnuts ripen until a long three weeks in early September to mid-October when they must be picked in stages, the bad ones discarded, the remaining fruit washed and then immediately put into 30°F cold storage to prevent rot. When asked why chestnuts remain unrefrigerated at the supermarket, the soft-spoken Correia replies, “Plain ignorance.” (Fresh chestnuts can be stored in the refrigerator for a few months.)

He ships straight from the farm, filling standing orders from people who remember the good, old-fashioned taste of these treats, roasted before a holiday meal. He’s even got extra for the rest of us—but not for long. He sells out quickly. Get a box, pack it away in the refrigerator, and you’ll have an old-fashioned treat for the holidays ahead. Correia Chestnut Farm: www.chestnuts.us; 866-492-4769.

—Mark Scarbrough & Bruce Weinstein

How to Roast Chestnuts

An open fire is a romantic idea, but it’s easier to use your oven. Here’s a how-to from grower Harvey Correia :Score an “X” on the flat surface of each chestnut; bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, then wrap in a damp warm towel. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the towel to loosen shells. Peel. Enjoy!