Vol. 6, No. 4 Published by The Western Chestnut Growers Assn., Inc. Fall 2004

Postharvest handling and storage:The key to quality and customer satisfaction

The WesternThe WesternChestnutChestnut

Proper treatment of chestnuts during and immediatelyafter harvest can make all the difference between a

high-quality product customers will repeatedly ask for,and a product that won’t even be remembered next season.

Professor Adel A. Kader, department of pomology, Uni-versity of California-Davis, offers excellent informationfor postharvest handling of chestnuts. The following sug-gestions may help you maximize the quality and yield ofyour crop.

Harvesting chestnuts: Chestnuts should be pickedup daily during the harvest season to minimize fungalinfection and growth (if infection occurred while the nutsare still on the tree) and loss of quality due to excessivedrying and/or sunburn. Use of a tarp below the tree canreduce contamination of the nuts due to direct contactwith the soil. Alternatively, a mechanical shake-catchharvester can be used. Following harvest, the remainingburrs should be removed.

Optimum Temperature: -1 to 0º C (30 to 32º F);prompt cooling to 0º C (32º F) is strongly recommendedto stop decay development and preserve quality.

Optimum Relative Humidity:90 - 95%; packaging in microperforated plastic filmis highly recommended to minimize water loss fromfresh chestnuts.

(cont. page 3)

In this issue:

Chestnut Week Events 4Post-harvest Tips 5Using Second-Hand Chestnuts 7“Flour Power” 8WCGA and NNGA Meetings 10Chestnut Week Press Release 13Annual Meeting Minutes 14

Celebrate NationalChestnut Week!

Show the world you are proud to be a chestnutgrower by promoting National Chestnut Week,

Oct. 10-16th! Wear your National Chestnut Week t-shirt. Post a sign in your yard or orchard formotorists to see. Host an open house at yourorchard. And perhaps most importantly, promotechestnut awareness by sending your local media apress release about National Chestnut Week.

Included in this newsletter is a press release that isready to fax to your local newspaper, television andradio stations. A “ready for press” article is alsoavailable from WCGA president Harvey Correia.This may be just the unique story your local mediaoutlets are looking for, and an excellent opportunity

to draw attention to thechestnut industry! (see events pg. 4)

Carolyn and RayYoung show theirNational ChestnutWeek spirit at therecent WCGA annualmeeting, July 15-17,in Stockton, Calif.

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A Message from the President

WCGA PRESIDENT

HARVEY CORREIA

CORREIA CHESTNUT FARM

ISLETON, CALIF.

Greetings! It's with pride that I am serving as the asso-ciation's President. I hope you will email me at harvey@chestnuts.us with your thoughts about thingsyou'd like to see the WCGA doing. By now, many ofyou are well into chestnut harvest. For me here in Cen-tral California, chestnut harvest began in late August….afull two weeks earlier than in 2003. I've talked to sever-al growers and most are expecting a good crop. Initialindications show that crop prices are stable, and I wisheveryone a successful harvest.

If you have not already done so, please consider signingup for the WCGA's Growers' Directory service. A copyof this can be located at www.wcga.net/directory.htm.At the top of that web page is a link to a document toadd your orchard to the directory. In addition to a pressrelease included in this newsletter, we are having a sam-ple article prepared to make it easier for the media topublish an interesting article on chestnuts. This articlewill direct readers to the Growers' Directory.

At the Northern Nut Growers Annual Meeting this year,another grower initiated a gathering of various chestnutgrowers one evening to discuss marketing ideas. Thismeeting included WCGA members as well as othergrowers that are not WCGA members. Most peopleagreed that the name Western Chestnut Growers Associ-ation carries with it the impression that it representsonly growers in the western U.S., even though we havemembers located throughout the U.S. It was the opinionof the growers at this informal meeting that a group bythe name of “Chestnut Growers of America” wasdesired to promote chestnuts throughout the U.S.

The question now is if we should consider a namechange for the WCGA, or form a new entity for thispurpose. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter.I've already heard good reasons for each choice. We donot expect to take any action on this matter without aconsensus of the membership. Happy harvesting!

WESTERN CHESTNUT GROWERS ASSN., INC.BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Harvey Correia (916) 777-4152; email harvey@chestnuts.usVICE PRESIDENT Lee Williams (509) 765-3922; emaillfwms@qosi.netSECRETARY-TREASURER Ray Young (360) 887-3669;email ray@chestnutsonline.comDIRECTOR Chris Foster (503) 621-3564; emailfoster@europa.comDIRECTOR Ken Hunt (573) 884-7078; email KenLeeHunt@aol.comDIRECTOR Sandy Bole (503) 625-1248; email BenBole@aol.comDIRECTOR Lucienne Grunder (209) 848-4816; email owl-nuts@ix.netcom.com

Editor: Dr. Michael Gold(573) 884-1448email: goldm@missouri.edu

Newsletter Coordinator: Rachel McCoy(573) 882-9866email: mccoyr@missouri.edu

NOTICEThe Western Chestnut is published quarterly by the Western ChestnutGrowers Assn., Inc. at 203 ABNR, Columbia, Mo., 65211.Copyright 2004. Original articles may be reprinted with written permission ofthe author and this publication.

Single membership is $25 per year per person-- household membership is$35. Members receive The Western Chestnut quarterly. For foreign deliverycontact the Editor for pricing.Back issues may be obtained by members.Membership applications may be obtained from the Secretary-Treasurer.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to WCGA, c/o POBox 841, Ridgefield, WA 98642.

ADVERTISING RATES Full page, camera ready (w/1 photo) . $20.00Half page, camera ready (w/1 photo) ...15.00Quarter page .........................................10.00Business card (4 issues) .......................15.00One classified ad per member per year is free (max 6 lines, $2.50 ea add’l6 lines). Ad space may be reserved with full payment but must meetestablished deadlines. For more information and specifications, contactRachel McCoy at (573) 882-9866.

PUBLICATION DEADLINESFall issue deadline 9/10 mailed 10/1Winter issue deadline 12/10 mailed 1/1Spring issue deadline 3/10 mailed 4/1Summer issue deadline 6/10 mailed 7/1

The Western Chestnut newsletteris produced at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry

ph. (573) 884-2874email: umca@missouri.edu

www.centerforagroforestry.org

The Western Chestnut Growers Association cannot be heldresponsible for individual grower success using the chestnut production information presented from various authors. Information presented is accurate to the best of our knowledge;yet results will vary based on grower location, soil type, cultivar and management approach.

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Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA): An ini-tial exposure to 40-50% CO2 for 5-7 days at ) 0º (32º F)followed by storage in a controlled atmosphere (2-3%O2 plus 15-20% CO2) is very effective in preventingmold growth, sprouting and other quality deteriorationfactors. Exposure of fresh chestnuts to less than 1% O2

results in fermentative metabolism and off-flavor devel-opment. Under optimal temperature of -1 to 0º C (30 to32º F), relative humidty (90-95%), and a controlledatmosphere, fresh chestnuts can be stored for up to 4months.

Physiological Disorders: Sprouting results from expo-sure to high temperature and humidity and can beavoided by using optimal storage conditions.

Pathological Disorders: Several fungi (includingAlternaria spp, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea,Fusarium spp, Penicillium spp, and Phomopsiscastanea) can infect chestnuts and result in significantpostharvest losses in quality and marketability. Disease control strategies include the following recommendations:

1. Use of effective preharvest integrated pest man-agement program to control incidence and severityof insect infestations and fungal infections. ThisIPM program should include strict orchard sanita-tion which can also help in terms of food safety byminimizing microbial contamination.

2. Minimizing the time during which the chestnutsare on the orchard floor and avoiding their directcontact with the soil to reduce fungal infection andgrowth as well as possible contamination withhuman pathogens.

3. Washing the nuts with chlorinated, or otherwisedisinfected, water followed by a hot water dip: 50°C (122° F) for 30 minutes or 55° C (131° F) for15 minutes or 60° C (140° F) for 5 minutes. Fol-lowing the heat treatment, the nuts should becooled to 0° C (32° F) using forced-air cooling,which will also remove any surface moisture fromthe nuts.

4. An alternative to heat treatment is exposure ofthe nuts to air enriched with 40-50% CO2 for 5-7days at 0° C (32° F) since CO2 is a fungistatic gas.This treatment can be followed by A) cold storageeither in air (for up to 3 months) or B) CA (2-3%O2 + 15-20% CO2) for up to 4 months at –1 to 0° C(30 to32° F) and 90-95% relative humidity.

Proper handling and storage(cont. from page 1)

Chestnut Quality Indices:

- Size: larger nuts are preferred by customers for freshconsumption

- Shell color uniformity: tan to light-brown or dark-brown, depending on the cultivar

- Gloss: bright and shiny

- Plump and fresh kernels: optimum eating quality at 25-30% moisture after roasting

- Freedom from defects: bruising, cracking, sprouting and decay

- Ease of pellicle removal (peelability) from the kernel

- Sweetness as a taste factor: chestnuts contain 40 to 50% carbohydrates (mostly starch) which is converted to sugars when the chestnuts are kept at 20-25° C (68-77° F) for 3-4 days just before sale to consumers.

Reprinted from University of California, Davis, PostharvestTechnology Research and Information Center, “Produce Facts:Chestnuts: Recommendations for Retaining Postharvest Quali-ty,” July 2003, by Adel A. Kader.

This fact sheet available online at:http://rics.ucdavis.edu/postharvest2/Produce/ProduceFacts/Fruit/chestnuts.pdf

Help customers find you! Sign in tothe Members’

Directory at www.wcga.net!

Chestnut survey coming soon! The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA)is working to increase consumer demand for chest-nuts and open chestnut markets. A research surveymay arrive in your mailbox soon. Please help buildthe chestnut industry by returning the completed

survey to UMCA. Together we can make a difference!

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National Chestnut Week Events

Sunday, Oct. 10: Open House at Allen Creek Farm,Ridgefield, Wash., Noon to 5 p.m.

WCGA members Carolyn and Ray Young kickoffNational Chestnut Week with a public open house, fea-turing educational presentations about how chestnutsare grown and processed for the table; demonstrationsof a sweeper and harvester; demonstrations of theirstone mill grinding nuts into flour; samples of hot roast-ed chestnuts and chestnut bisque; free recipes; aEuropean-style garden maze; and plenty of freshchestnuts, dried chestnuts, chestnut flour and productsfor sale.

For more information, visit www.chestnutsonline.com

Saturday, Oct. 16: Chestnut Festival, Cadillac, Mich.

Celebrate the chestnut heritage with chestnut roastings,chestnut seedling distribution and a variety of harvestactivities. Specialty chestnut foods and crafts, livemusic, cooking demonstrations, cultivar displays andchildren’s activities are also featured. The festival takesplace at Cadillac City Park and Rotary Pavilion.

For more information, call toll free at (800) 225-2537 orvisit www.cadillacmichigan.com

Saturday, Oct. 16: University of Missouri Center forAgroforestry 2nd Annual Missouri Chestnut Roast,Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center,

New Franklin, Mo., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Missouri Chestnut Roastshowcases the bounty of Mis-souri’s agricultural products,including chestnuts, chestnutseedlings, pecans, walnuts,meats, jellies, wines andcheeses for sale. Guidedtours of the diverse 660-acreagroforestry research farmwill also be featured. (And ofcourse, plenty of free roasted

chestnuts, fresh from the research farm orchards, alongwith nutrition information about nuts!)

For more information, visitwww.centerforagroforestry.org and select UpcomingEvents.

WCGA president to speakon coastal radio show

Members on the east and west coasts may soonhear the familiar voice of Harvey Correia,

WCGA president and grower from Isleton, Calif., overtheir radio waves.

In an effort to promote National Chestnut Week, Oct.10-16th, Harvey arranged an on-air interview with thepopular “Produce Pair,” a Weekly Radio Show hostedby radio personality Dan Avakian and Bay Area colum-nist Mark Ferro. The Saturday radio show talks to con-sumers about the enjoyment of fresh fruit and vegeta-bles and airs on 16 stations in the Pacific Northwestand the East Coast through Universal Talk Network. Inaddition to radio coverage, Harvey spoke with ProducePair member Dan Akavian for an October “GettingFresh with Dan the Produce Man” article in the BayArea publication the Alameda Magazine.

“It’s critical to get the word out about chestnuts,” Har-vey said. “Study after study has shown that the typicalperson in the U.S. knows very little about chestnuts andhas never tried them. If we can get them interestedenough to try chestnuts, we can get them to be repeatcustomers and encourage others to try chestnuts. Thisisn't huge coverage, but it's certainly a step in the rightdirection toward building consumer interest anddemand for chestnuts.”

The chestnut segment airs with the Produce Pair onSaturday, Oct. 9th, with broadcasts at 9 a.m. Pacificor 12 noon Eastern time. If Universal Talk Networkstations are not available in your area, current and pastProduce Pair broadcasts can be accessed online atwww.producepair.com.

Visitors to the Chestnut Festival in Cadillac, Mich.,shop for chestnut seedlings packaged in mugs.

photo: Jim Curley

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Postharvest tips: preventing“wormy” chestnuts

by Greg Miller, Empire Chesnut CompanyCarrollton, Ohio

"My chestnuts are wormy!" is a common com-plaint from producers and consumers. The

"worm" causing the problem is the larva of either thesmall chestnut weevil (Curculio sayi Gyllenhal) or thelarge chestnut weevil (Curculio caryatrypes Boheman).Both species are native to North America where theycommonly infested American chestnuts before thechestnut blight epidemic. When the blight wiped outthe American chestnut trees it also wiped out the chest-nut weevils - almost. Now that chestnuts, mostly Chi-nese, have been widely planted the chestnut weevilshave made a comeback. Many chestnut plantings ineastern North America are now plagued with thesepests. The good news is that acceptable control is pos-sible. The bad news is that without control, they canrender the entire crop unmarketable.

Weevil grubs emerge from chestnuts shortly after har-vest, but the problem begins before the chestnuts ripen.Adult weevils lay tiny eggs inside the shell, while thenuts are still on the tree. After hatching, the grubs eattunnels through the nut kernel. Sometime after nutdrop, they eat their way out through the shell, leavingpencil lead-sized exit holes in the shell. The squirming,cream-colored grubs, about 7-14 mm (1/4- to 1/2 in)long, are repulsive but harmless.

Adult chestnut weevils are hard-shelled beetles whichvary in color from mottled light tan to dark brown,almost black. A prominent snout (proboscis) is as longas or longer than the body. The small chestnut weevilfemale is 5-11 mm (1/6 to 1/3 in) long; the large chest-nut weevil female is 7-14 mm (1/4- to 1/2 in) long.Females have a much longer snout than males. Otherthan the difference in size, both the large and smallweevils look similar.

The small chestnut weevil is more common than thelarge, but both species are reportedly distributed wher-ever chestnuts occur. When both species are foundtogether, the large chestnut weevil seems to predomi-nate. But new weevil infestations are almost always thesmall species. Apparently, small chestnut weevils canfly several miles or more to find previously uninfested

trees. In our orchards, thus far, we have found only thesmall chestnut weevil.

Life Cycles of the Insects: Small Chestnut WeevilsSmall chestnut weevils (C. sayi) emerge from theground as adults during May and June. After emer-gence they remain on the ground for several days beforeflying. They can be found in chestnut trees duringflowering, apparently feeding on catkins. After flower-ing they disappear and it is not known where they har-bor for the two to three months between their emer-gence and their appearance in the trees at egg-layingtime. Mating and then egg laying begin about threeweeks before nut ripening, i.e., from mid-August to thebeginning of September. Egg laying occurs throughoutthe nut ripening period. Adult females deposit eggs intothe nut, usually on the round side through tiny holesthat look like pin-pricks.

Three to five pear-shaped eggs are laid in each nut.Each adult female lays up to 50 eggs. Eggs hatch inabout 8 days and the larvae tunnel through the kernel.Larval development is usually complete in two to three

weeks, but devel-opment time isvery temperaturedependent. Warmtemperatures pro-mote fast develop-ment while coldtemperatures maydelay emergencefor two months ormore. Larvaegenerally exit afterthe nut has fallento the ground.

Full-grown larvae enter the soil, burrowing 5-20 cm (2to 8 in) below the surface to hibernate inside earthencells that they construct. They pass the first winter aslarvae and most pupate and become adults by the nextautumn. Then they pass the second winter as adults inthe soil, and emerge the following May or June. Somelarvae pupate the second autumn and pass the third win-ter as adults. In summary, small chestnut weevils usual-ly have a two-year life cycle, but a few individualsdelay to a three-year life cycle. This tactic ensures sur-vival, and complicates control. (cont. next page)

Chestnut weevils.emerge fromshells soon after harvest, eatingtunnels through the nut kernel.

Weevil exit hole

Preventing weevils (cont. from page 5)

The extent of crop damage dependson weevil population and crop size.Weevil infestation can range from 0to 100% of the crop. While themain damage is caused by feedinglarvae, the adults also feed on nuts,and this provides a point of entryfor fungus and yeast organisms.This damage is often not noticeableuntil after storage.

Large Chestnut Weevils:Large chestnut weevils (C. carya-trypes) have a life cycle and habitssimilar to the small species exceptfor the following differences.Adults emerge from the soil in lateJuly to early September, just beforeegg-laying. Mating and egg layingbegin when the kernel begins toform, from mid to late August,which is a week or two before thesmall chestnut weevil. Femalesusually lay no more than three eggsper kernel. Because of their earlieregg laying, a few larvae completedevelopment and exit the shellsbefore the chestnuts fall off the tree.Large chestnut weevils usually havea one-year life cycle, with a fewindividuals delaying until two years.

ControlThree control methods can reduceweevil infestation: sanitation, hotwater treatment, and insecticideapplications. Sanitation and hotwater treatment target larvae, insec-ticide application targets adults.

Sanitation: Sanitation involvescollecting fallen nuts before thegrubs emerge. If the fallen chest -nuts have exit holes, the grubs havealready emerged and it's too late forsanitation to work well.

Collected nuts should be stored incontainers from which emerginglarvae cannot reach the soil, e.g.,

plastic buckets. Be careful; weevilscan chew through plastic or paperbags.

Make sure the weevils are destroyed- don't throw them outside! If sani-tation is practiced consistently, itwill prevent weevil populationsfrom increasing. It is most effectivewhen weevil populations are rela-tively low, (less than 5% infesta-tion), and the orchard is isolatedfrom other chestnut trees. For sani-tation to work, the chestnuts shouldbe picked up within three days afterthey drop. Sanitation won't work ifa significant part of the crop istaken by chipmunks, squirrels, orother varmints that cache their food,since the cached chestnuts willallow weevil larvae to escape to theground. After weevils haveemerged, leaving obvious exitholes, the infested nuts can bedestroyed. (Don't just throw themoutside, some grubs may have notyet emerged!) Uninfested nuts can

be eaten.

Hot water: Rather than waiting forthem to emerge, larvae or eggs canbe killed inside the kernels by soak-ing the chestnuts in water at exactly49° C (120° F) for about 20 min-utes. The temperature is critical,the time of soaking less so. Aftersoaking, the chestnuts should beallowed to cool and surface-drybefore storage. This treatment killsthe larvae but does not damage thekernel. If the chestnuts are prompt-ly harvested and hot-water treated,many of the infested chestnuts willcontain only unhatched eggs or verysmall larvae. These small infesta-tions are not noticeable and can beeaten. On the other hand, if exitholes are present in the chestnutshells at treatment time, the weevilshave already emerged. All chest-nuts which have any chance ofbeing infested should be hot watertreated before being sold. (cont.)

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Buyers have zero tolerance for liv-ing grubs crawling out of the chest-nuts they bought, but seem to toler-ate dead grubs in a few nuts. If onechestnut in a thousand is infested,this means that every 25 lb lot ofchestnuts probably harbors severalgrubs; this is unacceptable. Butmost people don't mind discardingone in a thousand bad nuts.

Insecticides: When 10% or moreof the crop becomes infested, insec-ticide sprays are necessary to pro-duce marketable chestnuts. Insecti-cides have proven effective onlywhen applied to adults during themating and early egg-laying period.For small chestnut weevils this ismid-August to early September.Presently, the only insecticidelabeled for chestnut weevil controlis carbaryl (Sevin). Follow labelinstructions for application rates.Spraying should begin when adultweevils begin arriving in the treecrowns. Weevils tend to seek outearly-ripening trees first. So, it isbest to look for weevils on earlytrees, and spray whenever they arepresent. Spreading a large sheet onthe ground and shaking branches isa good way to monitor weevil pres-ence. (Weevils have a habit ofdropping to the ground wheneverthey are disturbed.) Sprayingshould be done when the weevilsare active, i.e., on warm, calm days.The interval between spray applica-tions should range from three toseven days depending on weatherand the presence of weevils. Two tofour spray applications per seasonshould be sufficient to provide ade-quate control.

Weevil Control (cont. from page 6)

Second-hand chestnuts honor Italian holiday tradition

Lucienne Grunder of Owl CreekRanch, Waterford, Calif., is

used to finding creative solutions tochallenges on her 85-acre chestnutorchard, possibly the largest in theUnited States.

So it's no surprise that even moldedchestnuts, a casualty of a refrigera-tion problem, went to good use --feeding suckling pigs, a traditionLucienne experienced first-hand inItaly.

In preparation forlast year's harvestseason, Lucienneordered a three-phase walk-in freezer. The com-mercial machinewas pre-owned, butshowed greatpromise to storethousands ofpounds of chestnutsat the right temperature to preventmolding and sprouting (32° F) .

However, the electric companycompleted the installation behindschedule for storing the first portionof the chestnut harvest. Onceinstalled, Lucienne discovered thecooler was not reliable in maintain-ing the consistent temperatureneeded for proper chestnut storage.She also found the doors had beenleft open.

Consequently, Owl CreekRanch found itself with 5,000pounds of molded chestnuts to dis-pose of. That's when Lucienne

remembered the taste of roastedpork from chestnut-fed sucklingpigs, a treat enjoyed in small townsin Italy between chestnut harvestand the holidays.

“It was a feast in the streets, really,”Lucienne said. “It was wonderfulmeat, spiced with onions and rose-mary and sweetened by the chest-nuts. You could smell the aromafrom a few blocks away.”

Soon Owl Creek Ranchbecame home to four sucklingpigs, only six weeks old, andLucienne began boiling andmashing the molded chestnuts.“The pigs loved it," she said.“Every day we nearly filled aten-gallon container full of thecooked chestnuts, and soonthey ate them ‘au naturale,’raw and uncrushed.”

Aside from serving the roast-ed pork at farm gatherings, includ-ing the July WCGA annual meet-ing, a Chinese deli owner hasbegun ordering the chestnut-fedpigs for roasting and selling duringthe holiday season. The pork isoffered as a substitute for tradition-al roasted turkey.

Owl Creek Ranch is raising eightchestnut-fed pigs this year. “Chest-nut-fed pork has a unique, sweetand juicy flavor that celebrates anItalian tradition,” said Lucienne. Don’t miss it! Owl Creek Ranch will

be featured in a Farm Bureau Network television documentary in lateNovember or early December. Story to

come in January issue.Visit www.centerforagroforestry.orgfor a chestnut nutrition guide!

Serving roasted chestnut-fedpork at Owl Creek Ranchduring the WCGA meeting.

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Ray and Carolyn Young of AllenCreek Farm, Ridgefield, Wash.,

are truly enjoying the "daily grind."

The Youngs, WCGA members sinceestablishing their 10-acre chestnutorchard in 1999, recently purchasedan authentic stone mill for produc-ing chestnut flour -- a fine-textured,versatile and nutritious flour used inEuropean countries for centuries.The value-added product is "sellingwell for a new product," accordingto Carolyn, and is the newest addi-tion to the Youngs line of retailitems made with chestnuts, includ-ing packaged dried chestnuts, chest-nut cornbread mixes, chestnutbisque mix and holiday gift collec-tions.

"We knew from the start of ourchestnut operation that we wanted topursue value-added chestnut prod-ucts, with a focus on retail sales,"Carolyn said. "We didn't see pack-aged chestnut products anywhere inthe industry and felt we could applyour computer science degreestoward marketing chestnut productsonline.

"Adding value to agricultural prod-ucts is so important because themore products you have to offercustomers, the more credible youbecome," she added.

Carolyn's allergies also played a rolein the Young's' pursuit of chestnutflour. Placed on a restricted diet thatdidn't permit wheat or corn prod-ucts, Carolyn began reading aboutthe gluten-free properties of chest-nut flour, but found that stone-milled flour was not commerciallyavailable in the United States from aU.S. orchard. The Youngs saw a

potential new marketfor chestnut flour."Chestnut flour is agourmet treat forgluten-intolerant peo-ple," said Carolyn."We were recentlyrequested to sendflour samples to aconference hosted bya Delaware Celiacsupport group forgluten intolerance,and have receivedseveral orders fromattendees since.

"I remember thinking, 'this is abrand new food to the Americans,'even though people in Europe havebeen eating it, and sometimes sur-viving on it, for centuries," said Carolyn.

Like many food products, the firsttrial at producing chestnut flourrevealed some unique challengesabout milling the nuts. Having readabout value-added products in the“Capital Press,” a western farmpaper, the Youngs began testingchestnut flour in an electric-poweredhome flour mill. The mill offeredhigher speed and more heat than atraditional stone ground mill, butalso required the cumbersomeprocess of chopping peeled chest-nuts into small pieces prior to load-ing into the machine.

After reading that slow milling flourin a traditional mill actually retainsmore healthy nutrients than flourground in a knife (conventional)mill, the Youngs moved ahead witha search for a stone mill last winter.Ray and Carolyn found some homemills in the U.S. that would accept

small grains, but not whole chest-nuts, and expanded their searchoverseas. Carolyn learned from acompany in France that one baker inAmerica had actually purchased astone mill, and soon the Youngstraveled to southern Oregon to seethe machine first-hand.

"He was a fanatic about using stonemills for optimum quality flour, andwe learned a great deal about theprocess from him," said Carolyn.

Though it produced excellent quali-ty flour, the mill was only equippedfor smaller nuts and grains -- mean-ing the Youngs would have to con-tinue breaking up the nuts prior toloading, a time-consuming extrastep.

As they were examining the grinder,Ray and Carolyn noticed a labelstating that the grinder was actuallymade in Austria, not France, andwould cost less than the Frenchmodel. With language help from aGerman exchange student theYoungs hosted years ago, they

“Flour Power:” Members explore value-added baking market with chestnut flour

(cont. next page)

Ray and CarolynYoung are successfully selling freshlymilled chestnutflour and investigating markets for people with allergies to gluten.Chestnut flour iswell-tolerated bythis group of consumers.

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Flour Power (cont. from page 8)

ordered a mill made to their ownspecifications, designed to processone whole chestnut at a time in awell-controlled flow.

In January 2004, the Youngs trav-eled to Austria to bring the millhome and then spent the next sixweeks setting up the machine andlearning to use it. Unfortunately, thecompany had placed the wrongmotor in the grinder, and the Youngswaited an additional six weeks forthe right motor to arrive. Afterinstalling the motor, they learnedsome of the pulleys and belts weremade to accommodate Europeanmeasurements and didn't correspondto the new motor. The last step ofthe process was to purchase andinstall the appropriate parts into themachine.

The Youngs soon learned that pro-cessing chestnuts too quickly pro-duced a gum-like film in themachine, which had to be cleanedperiodically. With the right millingpace now achieved the machinerarely needs cleaning. Carolyn andRay can mill 25 pounds of chestnutflour per hour, with one pound ofdried chestnuts yielding a little lessthan one pound of chestnut flour.

Well-dried nuts are a key compo-nent to the milling process. Afterthey took delivery of the mill inAustria, the Youngs went to Tus-cany where they visited an ancientvillage's chestnut flour mill andobserved that Italian folks in thechestnut industry dry the nuts up to40 days by arranging the chestnutson slats with small fires underneath.The smoke gives the flour a distinctflavor, but the Youngs prefer to sendtheir chestnuts to a local walnutprocessor, where they are laid outand dried from heat generated under

the floor. Currently, the dryingphase lasts two weeks, but Carolynsaid it may be increased to a longertime period as there seems to be astrong connection between driernuts and increases chestnut flourshelf life. Italian-processed flourmay retain its quality for up to ayear without becoming rancid. The Youngs recommend storingtheir chestnut flour in a refrigeratoror freezer for longest life.

"You just can't get the nuts too dryfor milling into flour," Carolyn said."It's a much longer drying processthan walnuts."

In April, chestnut flour emerged onthe Young's web site and is sellingwell at the retail level. Carolyn andRay are considering selling the flourwholesale, but find the prices do notfully justify the process, which canbe quite fulfilling but not exactlyquick and convenient. After harvest -

ing, hulling, drying, and peeling thechestnuts, Ray and Carolyn careful-ly sort the nuts by hand at least fourtimes before milling to ensure allparts of the pellicle are removed.

"No one could have more care andconcern for the quality of the prod-uct than the growers themselves,"Carolyn said. "Quality of product isabsolutely essential, as is providingquality service to the customer."

The Youngs may expandfrom packaged chestnutflour to mixes featuring theproduct, including pancakeand muffin mixes.

"We see value-added chest-nut products as a goodsource of profit potential --and a good use of the nutsthat are too small for cus-tomers and might otherwisebecome a treat for ourneighbors’ pigs."

For more information about theYoungs' chestnut flour, visitwww.chestnutsonline.com

Note: “Flour Power: The Complete Guide to 3-MinuteHome Flour Milling,” a book byMarleeta F. Basey, assisted the

Youngs in learning about the flourmilling process.

Carolyn Young carefully places peeled, driedchestnuts into her old-fashioned stonegrinder.

For added nutrition and texture,the Youngs suggest substituting

one third of the flour in bakingrecipes for chestnut flour. Chestnutflour is also excellent for puree andcrepes.

10

Annual meetings offers ideas, information sharing: Members attend WCGA and NNGA/NAFEX meetings

Marketing chestnuts, propagation and grafting tech-niques, harvesting challenges and cultivar selec-

tion were some of the key topics of discussion at therecent WCGA annual meeting, held July 16-17 in Stock-ton, Calif. A day of educational presentations was fol-lowed by a day of hands-on orchard tours, generatinginteresting discussion and sharing of ideas.

Friday's science and marketing-based presentationsoffered attendees new industry strategies. Dr. TerryPrichard, USDA extension at the University of Califor-nia-Davis, spoke on theirrigation of chestnutsbased on knowledge ofirrigating walnuts. Dr.Tom Yamashita, SunburstPlant Disease Clinic, pre-sented on soil and plantnutrition and micro-biology.

Past WCGA presidentChris Foster and Dr.Michael Gold, associatedirector, University ofMissouri Center forAgroforestry(UMCA), led a groupdiscussion on mem-bership feed back andthe organization'snewsletter.

Ken Hunt, UMCApost-doctoral fellow;Dr. Michele War-mund, professor, University of MissouriDepartment of Horticulture and UMCA research collaborator; and Dr.Michael Gold presented information on the university'sresearch toward establishing the chestnut industry inMissouri. Hunt's presentation featured a discussion ofthe 50 cultivars the Center is experimenting with at theresearch farm's cultivar repository, established in 1996.

Warmund explained the tree improvement goals herresearch is geared toward: using a rootstock or interstempiece as a method for dwarfing the chestnut tree for more efficient production and harvest; evaluating meth-ods of nitrogen application; and the benefits of thinningsecondary burrs of Chinese chestnut varieties forincreased nut size and yield the year after treatment.The Center is currently evaluating Little Giant or Cropper as rootstocks for chestnut trees with Eaton andQing as scion cultivars.

The market pull strategy --generating consumer interestand demand to pull more pro-ducers into production -- wasexplained by Gold as one wayUMCA is working to developthe chestnut industry in theMidwest. The results of lastyear's visitor survey regardingawareness and knowledge ofchestnuts, conducted at theCenter's first annual ChestnutRoast, indicate nearly 75 per-cent of Missouri residents

have very little or noexperience withchestnuts. Efforts atthe University ofMissouri aredesigned to changethe way people thinkabout chestnutsthrough educationalcampaigns, in-storepromotions and theannual MissouriChestnut Roast. "We want to movechestnuts from a holi-day food to an every-

day food," said Gold. "We found price had little influ-ence on purchasing decisions for these shoppers, butquality and ease of preparation were very important."

(cont. page 11)

Top, from left:Lucienne Grunder (far left)talks withMichele War-mund, CarolynYoung and Eliza-beth Shepherd atOwl CreekRanch. Left:Membersobserve Harvey Correia’s (mid-dle) grafting andfertilization techniques.

11

Items for discussion at the annualmeetings session included increas-ing the numbers of WCGA member-ship, increasing participation in thewebsite growers' directory andnewsletter advertising opportunities,and generating ideas for better serv-ing the membership. The day con-cluded with a tour of LucienneGrunder's Owl Creek Ranch and areception and dinner overlookingthe orchards as the sun set on thestunning California landscape.

Saturday's events included a tour ofRobert Giannecchini's six-acrechestnut and walnut orchard with adiscussion on the harvesting meth-ods of using a mechanical sweeperand picking up nuts by hand. Gian-necchini also discussed plans tophase out his chestnut orchard as anew walnut planting moves into productivity.

At Correia Chestnut Farm in Isleton,members discussed various pollina-tors, grafting techniques, foliarsprays and fertilization programs.Harvey Correia, WCGA president,discussed his irrigation managementin light of the high water table in aportion of his orchard. Harvey alsodiscussed his light crop last year andideas on improving pollination,including grafting pollinators ontotrees located in the upwind portionof the orchard.

The afternoon featured a visit to theUniversity of California at Davis,where Mike Cunningham discusseda chestnut cultivar import projectand propagation methods.

The final tour stop at George andSuzette Canfield's Chestnut LeafOrchard in Winters spurred a discus-sion of quality across the industryand marketing and packaging strate-

gies. Bridget Canfield said the keyto their success is moving the cropquickly. "We don't seek small sales,but larger wholesale business inorder to keep the crop fresh and attop-quality," she said.

The Canfields have developed auser-friendly web site designed toeducate buyers about the preparationand storage of chestnuts and make ita priority to spend time with retailgrocers explaining how to presentthe nuts in the store. Rustic, embroi-dered bags are used for packagingthe chestnuts to create an overallexperience that "romances" theproduct, said Bridget.

The recent joint meeting of theNorthern Nut Growers Association,Inc. (NNGA) and the North Ameri-can Fruit Explorers (NAFEX), heldAug. 15-18 in Columbia, Mo.,included three chestnut presenta-tions in addition to informationabout pecans, black walnuts andother nut tree crops.

Sandra Anagnostakis,Connecticut AgriculturalExperiment Station, pre-sented a talk on nut graft-ing techniques for chest-nuts.* Dr. Michele War-mund, professor, Universi-ty of Missouri Departmentof Horticulture andUMCA research collabo-rator and Dr. Gold pre-sented information on theuniversity's researchtoward establishing thechestnut industry inMissouri.

Bill Reid, Kansas State University,presented a talk on Black walnutcultivar evaluation. Mark Cogge-shall, UMCA research specialist,spoke on the benefits and challengesof growing black walnuts on a trellissystem.

The annual NNGA banquet featuredthe crowning of the "King Nut," rec-ognized each year for contributionsto the organization. A group tour ofForrest Keeling Nursery, Elsberry,Mo., and Stark Bro's Nurseries andOrchards Co. in Louisiana, Mo. con-cluded the meeting on Aug. 18th.

Charles NovoGradac and DebbieMilks, owners of Chestnut Charlie'sOrganic Produce, Lawrence, Kan.,were among a small group ofWCGA members attending themeeting. "We appreciated talking'nuts' with other growers," saidCharles. "We value the face-to-faceexchanges with other growers -- andas we have always observed, NNGAmembers are never competitiveamongst themselves. We all freelyand graciously share our experi-ences and our lessons."

* Information from grafting presentationavailable in January issue.

Members attend annual meetings (cont from page 10)

Ken Hunt, UMCA post-doctoral fellow and nut tree improve-ment specialist, (second from left) explains the character-isitics of cultivars at the Horticulture and AgroforestryResearch Farm tour during theNNGA/NAFEX meeting inMissouri, Aug. 15-18, 2004.

NNGA/NAFEX meetingincludes chestnuts astopic

12

Chestnuts in the PressCHESTNUT & HAZELNUT CAKE

1/2 cup mild olive oil1 cup chestnut flour plus additional fordusting3/4 cup hazelnuts (3 1/2 oz)1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt3 large eggs, separated1/2 cup mild honey1/4 cup sugar Special equipment: a 9- to 9 1/2-inch(24-cm) springform pan

Put oven rack in middle position andpreheat oven to 350°F. Oil pan and dustwith chestnut flour, knocking outexcess. Toast hazelnuts in a shallowbaking pan until fragrant and interior ofnuts are pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes.Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to removeany loose skins (some skins may notcome off). Cool nuts to room tempera-ture and chop medium-fine.

Sift together chestnut flour, bakingpowder, and salt in bowl, then stir innuts. Beat together egg yolks, oil,honey, and 2 tablespoons sugar with anelectric mixer at high speed until thickand pale, about 5 minutes in a standmixer or 8 minutes with a handheld.Add flour mixture and mix at low speedjust until flour is moistened.

Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt inanother medium bowl with cleanedbeaters at medium-high speed until theyform soft peaks. Add remaining 2 table-spoons sugar a little at a time, beating,and beat until whites just hold stiffpeaks. Fold one third of whites into bat-ter to lighten it, then fold in remainingwhites gently but thoroughly. Spreadbatter in pan and rap pan on work sur-face once to release any large air bub-bles. Bake 30 minutes, then looselycover with foil and bake until a woodenpick or skewer inserted in center ofcake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutesmore. (Cake is naturally dark.) Cool completely. Makes 8 servings.

Gourmet magazine,August 2004

Mike Cunningham, far right, discusses a chestnut cultivar importproject and propagation methods in the green house at the Univer-sity of California-Davis, one of the tour stops at the recent WCGAmeeting.

Below is a listing of articles featuring chestnuts published in newspapersand magazines. A portfolio of these articles can be a useful tool to show-case the appeal of chestnuts to potential customers or at any display, grocer or farmers' market. Please keep us informed of additional articlesabout chestnuts from your area. Martha Stuart Living magazine, November 2001: "Chestnuts, From Stuffingto Strudel" by Ray Isle

The Oregonian , Nov. 27, 2001: "Cracking the Case of the MysteriousChestnut" by Amy Martinez Starke

Kansas City Star, Dec. 25, 2002: "Chestnuts Draw New Interest inRegion," by Bill Graham.

Cadillac News , Oct. 16, 2003: "A Historical Perspective on the Chestnut inCadillac" and "Chestnuts 101: Recipes for Cooking with Chestnuts"

Cadillac News , Nov. 3, 2003: "Cadillac is one of many cities to promotechestnuts;"

The Chamomile Times and Herbal News, Dec. 19, 2003: "Chestnuts: AnAmerican Classic Returns" by Leslie Coons; available at www.chamomile-times.com, Issue #20.

The Los Angeles Times, Dec. 25, 2003 (Front page!): "They're All Aglowfor Chestnuts" by Stephanie Simon

Kansas City Star, Dec. 26, 2003: "Roasted Chestnuts Offer the Scent ofthe Season," by Lauren Chapin.

Modesto Bee, Aug. 14, 2004: “More to Chestnuts than Roasting,” by TimMoran.

The NewsJournal, Delaware, Sept. 23, 2004: “Hybrid Chestnuts Restore aClassic to Local Landscape,” by Kent Steinriede.

13

National Chestnut Week is October 10-16 This Year: Buy Early, Buy Fresh!FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Harvey Correia, WCGA President, (916)777-4152Date: 9/22/04

ISLETON, CA. It's never too earlyto think about Chestnuts. With theholidays coming, and NationalChestnut week just around the cor-ner, now is the time for people tobuy chestnuts when they are freshand flavorful-flavors that can beretained with simple storage prac-tices, according to Harvey Correia,President of the Western ChestnutGrowers Association (WCGA).

National Chestnut week is October10-16, and with the large harvestcoming in this year, it's the best timeto buy. The Western Chestnut Grow-ers Association will honor NationalChestnut Week with a variety ofpromotions and events. Growers areout gathering the nuts, and alreadyare reporting brisk sales as chestnutconnoisseurs from around the coun-try hurry to get the best whilethey're still available.

Many Americans don't realize thatthe chestnuts purchased in moststores are imported, and that the nutis grown and available fresh in theUS. "US-grown nuts are the besttasting because they spend minimaltime in transit," Correia explains.Want to know where to buy freshlyharvested chestnuts? The WCGA'swebsite features a Grower's Directory where you can locate agrower nearest you: www.wcga.net/directory.htm. The growers alsomaintain libraries of fax-readyrecipes for using fresh and driedchestnuts.

Chestnuts are an unusual nut.Remarkably nutritious, they arereceiving recognition as a healthfood according to several universi-ties, including the UC Davis College

of Agriculture & Environmental Sci-ences. Sweet in taste, they are tradi-tionally used in the US for eatingroasted or boiled. Not only are theyused in stuffing, they're a popularingredient in sweet breads, cakes,soups, stir fry, cereals and icecream. Europeans prize them as acandied nut, served crushed over icecreams and other deserts.

Like all nuts, chestnuts taste bestwhen freshly harvested. But unlikeother nuts, they require proper coolstorage to ensure maintaining thatfresh taste. "We try to educate bothretailers and buyers," Correia says."Because of their high moisture con-tent, when chestnuts are left sittingin a store bin, they can dry up oreven mold. Like fruit, they should tobe stored in plastic bags in a refrig-erated area, such as the vegetablecrisper. This keeps them moist,fresh, and protects them fromabsorbing the flavors of otherfoods."

When choosing chestnuts, let yourfingers do the testing. Chestnutsshould be firm, and not have amusty smell to them. Those thatare soft when squeezed have beenallowed to dry out, will be less fla-vorful, and it may make them dif-ficult to peel. Good chestnuts shouldbe attractive and free of any physi -cal damage. Chestnuts range from$3-$7 per pound, depending on thesize, variety, and region of the coun-try.

First cultivated around 6,000 yearsago by the Chinese, the ancientGreeks are believed to have beenthe first in Europe to grow them.They were an essential part of life,serving as a year 'round food sourcein an agriculturally-based world.There are four species of chestnuts:European, Chinese, Japanese andAmerican. American chestnuts

cloaked much of the US in pre-European times, and continued tothrive as in important tree and foodto Americans until Chestnut blightdevastated the trees in the early1900s. By the 1950s they had virtu-ally been wiped out. Today, mostchestnuts grown in the US comefrom trees that are European, Asian,or hybrids of these.

Today, chestnuts are a growing seg-ment of agriculture. Worldwide pro-duction is around 500,000 tons,according to UC Davis. The US pro-duces less than one percent, or lessthan 500 tons, says Correia. Grow-ers can be found nationwide. Har-vest usually runs from September toNovember, depending on the culti-var and region. A mature tree canproduce up to 100 pounds of nuts.Some growers hand harvest, otheruse mechanical harvesting tech-niques. Chestnut farms range fromjust a few acres to 85 acres in size.

About theWesternChestnutGrowersAssociation:The WCGAwas incorpo-rated in 1996

to promote and educate consumersand retailers about chestnuts, dis-seminate information to growers andsupport research in the chestnutindustry. The Association has over80 members nation-wide, many ofwhose orchards are just beginning toproduce on a large scale. TheWCGA is growing and welcomesnew members from any region inthe U.S. For more information, visitwww.wcga.net.

If you would like to receive a "Ready forPress" article for your usage and conve-nience, please contact Harvey Correia atHarvey@chestnuts.us or visithttp://www.wcga.net/.

14

Western Chestnut Growers' Assn., Inc.Minutes of the General Meeting July 16, 2004

Call to order: The meeting was called to order by PresidentChris Foster at 1:05 p.m. at the AgCredit Building, Stockton,CA.

Secretary's Report: The Secretary indicated that the min-utes from the last general meeting had been published in thenewsletter and received no comments.

Treasurer's Report: Ray presented a financial report for2003 calendar year and for the first six months of 2004 (notincluding income or expenses related to the annual meeting).The balance as of June 30, 2004 was $6832.76. Chrisannounced that he, Ben Bole and Mike Reid had conductedan audit of the 2003 income and expenses for the organiza-tion and found there to be no inconsistencies.

Unfinished Business: There was no unfinished business.

New Business:Clothing: Harvey said he felt everyone should purchase aWCGA shirt to help publicize the chestnut industry. Donation: Carolyn presented a check to the organization for$85.00, representing the profit from the sale of NationalChestnut Week sweatshirts and T-shirts, and suggested thatWCGA take on the project as a good money-maker. MikeGold suggested that TACF be contacted regarding such salesand felt they would be potential buyers.

Bylaws: Ray made a motion to amend the bylaws as pro-posed in the July 1 newsletter. The amendment (in italics)proposed is for Article VIII, Section 1 as follows: "A Nominating Committee of three (3) members, no more

than one (1) of which may be a member of the board shall beappointed at least 90 days prior to the annual meeting eachyear to prepare a slate of officers with one candidate for eachoffice. Nominees for officers/directors will be limited tothose members in good standing who have been members asof July 1 of the year prior to their election. The NominatingCommittee's report and the proposed slate of officers will bemade available to the newsletter Editor in time for regularpublication prior to the election. Ballots, if required, will bemailed ten (10) days prior to the annual meeting along withthe newsletter or mailed separately by the Secretary." Motion seconded by Harvey. Chris asked for discussion.There was a question about why the amendment was neces-sary. Ray explained that the Nominating Committee ques-tioned whether it was appropriate to nominate someone whowas not a member but who might make a good member ofthe board. Paul Vossen asked if we would be shutting out aqualified person whose primary position ruled out member-ship in WCGA, such as a state or federal employee. Chrissaid he supported the change in language and called for thequestion. Motion passed.

Marketing: Paul Vossen indicated some organizations cometo a point that they step up to a new level of activity - maybebecoming a marketing organization. Chris gave a short his-

tory of WCGA's thinking about marketing activities. Car-olyn provided a clear definition of marketing as promotion,not selling, which is what WCGA can do within its bylaws.Paul agreed that is exactly what he meant. Chris said weshould be pursuing grant monies. Paul suggested a commit-tee to examine what it is WCGA wants to do or not do interms of promotion or marketing. Maybe this committeecould develop a plan for promotion to present to the mem -bership next year. Mike Gold and Lucienne Grunder volun-teered to be on such a committee but neither was interestedin chairing the committee. No chair was appointed at thistime. Paul said grants can be very productive in promotionalactivities short term. Long term this association needs tofind funding - perhaps a fee based on sales.

Pricing:The question was asked about how growers set theirprices. Lucienne wants prices published, perhaps every twoweeks, for growers. Harvey did not see publishing pricesthat could conceivably range from $1.50/lb to $7.00/lb asmeaningful. Some members were concerned that everyone'spricing would become public, allowing buyers/sellers to usethat information in an unfair way. Lucienne agreed to be thecollector of pricing from members if that would work. Mikesaid he'd help on this. Ray suggested we put prices on theForum and limit access to WCGA members. Paul suggestedthat WCGA come up with recommended pricing, i.e. whole-sale, retail, bulk sales, etc. Chris suggested that maybe pric-ing is proprietary information. Paul asked how a seller deter-mines price. He said maybe we need to establish a baseprice as commodity markets do.

Promotion: Chris said we need a new approach to the pressrelease idea. He said he felt we have several thousands ofdollars to spend on such an effort. Greg Dabel suggested a1/8 page ad in Sunset magazine, indicating that his 2-line adwas very profitable. Carolyn said her 2-line ad in that publi-cation got exactly 1 order, and felt it was useless. Fred Huntsuggested ad space in the California Heartland magazine.Another suggestion was to find media produce people - foodwriters, etc. - to get them to discuss chestnuts as a product tobuy. Greg suggested that we may need a name change tobetter present our image as more than a 3-western-state orga-nization. Several people said Western means western worldor western hemisphere.

Election: The slate of officers for 2004/2005 was presented:President, Harvey Correia; Vice President, Lee Williams;Secretary-Treasurer, Ray Young; Directors, Chris Foster, KenHunt, Sandy Bole, Lucienne Grunder. Mike Reid to acceptthe slate of officers as presented. Seconded by Joe Machado.Motion passed.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m.Respectfully submitted,Ray Young, Secretary-Treasurer

15

by Tim MoranBee Staff Writer

WATERFORD -- Yes, chestnuts can beroasted on an open fire. But they are alot more than a Christmas carol image,according to Lucienne Grunder.

They can be used to make soup,spreads, salad toppings, dressing,deserts, bread and main dishes likechestnut-pumpkin curry and lamb andchestnut stew, Grunder said. You can fatten up suckling pigs onchestnuts and make furniture from itswood.

Grunder is out to sell the Americanpublic on the benefits of chestnuts. Shehas a vested interest in the crusade: herOwl Creek Ranch near Waterford maybe the largest chestnut farm in the Unit-ed States.

The ranch on Claribel Road includes 85acres of chestnut trees, along with 400acres of walnuts. The orchards, irrigat-ed with microsprinklers and from wells,look like an oasis in the middle of thearid range land of eastern StanislausCounty.

The idea to plant chestnuts came toGrunder when contemplating what todo with the hilly, gravelly land near herwalnut orchards at Owl Creek Ranch.

She remembered that the chestnut treesin her native Switzerland grew in theworst terrain, and decided to give thema try.

A potential market for domestic chest-nuts seemed to be there: The UnitedStates imports $30 million to $40 mil-lion worth of European chestnuts annu-ally, according to a recent article byMalinda Miller of Ag MarketingResource Center at Iowa State Univer-sity.

U.S. chestnut production is less than 1percent of the total world production,according to Miller.

The California climate is ideal for

chestnut trees, Grunder said, becausethey thrive in hot, dry weather. Euro-pean growers battle mold and diseasesthat come with rain, she said.

Grunder is a director of the WesternChestnut Growers Association, whichhas about 60 members, mostly in Wash-ington and Oregon.

Rancher getting the word out Joe Avila of Modesto is one of them.Avila has six acres of chestnut trees onhis Albers Road ranch, which he callsThe Chestnut Farm.

A native of the Azores, Avila remem-bers picking up chestnuts on his grand-mother's property as a boy. On holi-days, the family would have boiledchestnuts as a special treat, he said. That memory prompted him to plant 30trees about 20 years ago, and he hasbeen adding to the orchard ever since. Like Grunder, Avila says marketingchestnuts is a matter of educating thepublic about them.

"It's kind of a novelty thing. I do a lotof farmers markets," he said.

The nuts are harvested in Septemberand October, but the public thinks ofthem as a Christmas treat, he noted."They are familiar with the song, butthey have not seen them," he said.

Immigrants from Europe and Asia arefamiliar with them, Avila said, andknow how to fix them in differentways. His regular clients include Ital-ian, Korean and Portuguese immi-grants, he said.

Grunder and Avila offer recipes to thepublic to build interest in chestnuts.

Growing chestnuts commercially islabor intensive, Avila said. The chest-nuts grow in a spiky hull, a bit smallerthan a tennis ball, which must beremoved. Then a thin hard shell mustbe peeled off. Chestnuts require coldstorage and are susceptible to mildew ifthey get damp, Avila said.

"It's a lot of fun, but a lot of work," hesaid.

Grunder hopes to build up a big enoughlocal chestnut industry to form a coop-erative that could purchase a machineto peel chestnuts, similar to areaalmond hullers.

Her Owl Creek Ranch operation was atan awkward stage last year, too large tosell entirely through farmers marketsand not big enough to ship to the EastCoast, Grunder said.

The nursery she set up to get her treesstarted turned out to be the most prof-itable part of the chestnut operation, shesaid, selling trees to other growers.

But the key to growing the industry isconvincing farmers and consumers ofthe benefits of chestnuts, Grunder said. Those benefits go beyond the nutsthemselves. Chestnut wood makesbeautiful furniture and constructionbeams, and it is insect resistant, Grun-der said.

She is contemplating planting a groveof chestnut trees very close together,for wood. But it takes about 60 yearsfor the trees to be large enough to har-vest for wood.

Her grandchildren would be the benefi-ciaries of that project, Grunder said.

In the meantime, the chestnut harvest isabout a month away, with the holidaysto follow. If the regional air qualityboard cooperates, valley residents couldeven roast them on an open fire thisChristmas.

Bee staff writer Tim Moran can bereached at 578-2349 or tmoran@modbee.com.

More to chestnuts than roasting(Article reprint from The Modesto Bee, Aug. 14, 2004)

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