How to pick and roast your own chestnuts in NSW this autumn

From creamy soups and pork stuffing to decadent cakes, few foods can traverse a menu like the humble chestnut.

"They're wonderfully adaptable and delicious," says Blue Mountains chestnut farmer Beverley Carruthers. "My favourite way to serve them is in a nice big dish, inviting people to peel their own and top with a little knob of butter. Add a glass of red wine and you have a great combination."

Australian chestnuts are here for a good time, not a long time, with the season starting this week and running until the end of April. Carruthers' 50-acre Nutwood Farm in Bilpin is open every weekend for pick-your-own chestnuts and walnuts during the period, and the farmer says her trees are looking particularly healthy for 2021, partly thanks to COVID-19.

"We had a fabulous crop last year and opened for the first two weekends of the season, but had to close due to coronavirus restrictions. It was heartbreaking. However, the chestnuts we left on the ground broke down and became terrific fertiliser, so we have another spectacular crop this year."

In spite of an exotic plant disease destroying more than 5000 Victorian chestnut trees in 2010, farmer and nut processor Jane Casey says the quality of Australian chestnuts has never been better.

"Australian chestnuts in the 1960s mostly came from seedling trees planted by migrants during the gold rush," says Casey, who has orchards in north-eastern Victoria, where 75 per cent of Australia's 1500-tonne annual haul of chestnuts are grown.

"Whether those chestnuts peeled well and tasted good was a bit hit and miss. However, since the 1980s, and especially now, the industry has matured to grow selected varieties for top eating and peeling quality."

Standout varieties include De Coppi Marone with a sweet, rich flavour and excellent roasting potential, and the all-purpose, easy-peeling Purton's Pride. At Brittle Jacks Chestnut Farm in Mullion Creek, near Orange, semi-retired farmer David Ogilvy is now harvesting French cultivar Bouche de Betizac, which is popular for its large size.

"We used to supply Sydney wholesalers and Harris Farm stores, but now I mainly sell to local traders and anyone who wants to pick their own," Ogilvy says. "Picking can be tough going, though; there's a lot of bending over. And you need to wear enclosed shoes – definitely no thongs!"

Chestnuts naturally fall to the ground, contained in a spiky "burr" casing that needs to be removed; hence the need for sensible footwear and often gloves and tongs.

"We were supplying tongs and old gardening gloves for pickers, but this season we're asking people to bring their own because of COVID," says Carruthers, who also encourages people to bring food and a blanket for picnicking at Nutwood Farm.

Carruthers says about 500 people will visit Nutwood each weekend of March and April to pick their own chestnuts for $10 a kilogram.

"More people are beginning to realise when chestnut season begins," she says. "In the old days, we would just sit around waiting for pickers to show up for the first couple of weekends. Now our visitor car park is pretty much full as soon as we open."

Where to pick your own in NSW

Kookootonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm 247 Mount Irvine Road, Mount Irvine

Open 9am-4pm daily until late April, no booking required.

Nutwood Farm 22 Danes Way, Mount Irvine

Open 9am-5pm on weekends until late April, no booking required.

Brittle Jacks Chestnut Farm 645 Lookout Road, Mullion Creek

By appointment only. Call 0427 658 353 to arrange a picking time.

Sassafras Nuts 4281 Braidwood Road, Sassafras

Open daily from March 28 to May 2. Booking required for large groups, picnickers and weekday visits. Call 02 4423 2248.

Cooking and eating chestnuts at home

A very small amount may be exported, but the vast majority of Australian chestnuts are eaten in Australia. "That's because chestnuts are very much associated with cool weather and chestnut-loving countries such as France and China aren't too keen to eat them in their warmer months," says Casey, who expects the nuts to retail for $8 to $10 a kilogram at Sydney grocers this season.

Chestnuts are 50 per cent water, so giving each one a nick to pierce the shell and inner skin is vital before cooking, otherwise the sweet treats will explode and make a great mess of the kitchen.

"Don't slice the nut straight through, just a small cut to release steam during cooking," Casey says. "Then put the nuts under an oven grill on full whack, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

"Turn the chestnuts over and grill for another 10 minutes before transferring to a large tea towel-lined bowl to let them rest for at least five minutes. Give them a squeeze and the chestnuts should basically pop out for you to saute in a little butter or olive oil with salt and chilli."

Carruthers suggests first-time chestnut cooks try boiling for 20 minutes instead of roasting or grilling. "If you're not too experienced with chestnuts, it's easy to dry them out in the oven, whereas cooking them in water means they'll stay moist," she says. "We also have a big old wok at the farm that sits over a little fire so we can roast a few kilos at a time when people visit."

Chestnuts' earthy qualities mean they're a great match for other autumnal foods and flavours such as apple, mushroom, game meat, Brussels sprouts, pear and rosemary. They can be blitzed into a bacon-enhanced soup, added to stir-fries, or pureed for the creamy Mont Blanc French dessert.

"It's frustrating that Australian chestnuts are such a fantastic product but so underutilised," Casey says. "To make things easier for people, we also sell them peeled through our online business Cheznuts. It's very nice to open a packet of peeled chestnuts and bung them into whatever you like."