Picking sweet chestnuts on a beautiful sunny autumn day. And then have fun crafting with the kids. But there is even more that can be done with chestnuts. We can also eat them well. Chestnuts are also easy to prepare in your own kitchen. But it has to be the right kind. Only the sweet chestnut, recognizable by the tip at the top and the spines on the shell, is edible. The beautiful round wild chestnuts are therefore not suitable for consumption!
Are home-picked chestnuts edible?
The sweet chestnut is well suited for consumption. It is even very healthy food. Sweet chestnuts are low in fat and high in carbohydrates. They have a sweet taste by themselves. Sweet chestnuts can be baked, boiled, roasted, mashed, or even made into soup. If you want to eat your own collected sweet chestnuts, there is an easy way to judge if they are still good. Place the chestnuts in a bowl of water. 
The chestnuts that float to the top are no longer suitable for consumption. These are already dried out or eroded by insects. The chestnuts that have sunk to the bottom of the container with water are edible.
Recipe for boiled sweet chestnuts
Boiled chestnuts are delicious as a side dish with the game, Brussels sprouts, or red cabbage. If there is anything left over, it is also delicious as a special snack with a glass of sweet white wine.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chestnuts
- Water
- Pinch of salt or stock
- Butter
Preparation
Wash the chestnuts carefully, cross them and place them in a warm oven for a few minutes. This will loosen the membranes and allow them to be peeled properly. Boil the chestnuts for about 1 hour in water with a pinch of salt or in stock. The chestnuts are done when they can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain the chestnuts. Melt the butter and pour it
over the chestnuts just before serving.
Chestnut puree recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg chestnuts
- Water
- Pinch of salt or stock
- Butter
Preparation
Prepare the chestnuts as described above. When the chestnuts are cooked, pass them through a sieve and then stir in the butter.
Recipe for apple chestnut muffins (12 pieces)
After a lovely walk in the woods, relax on the couch with these fresh apple-chestnut muffins!
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 120 ml milk
- 60ml oil
- 350gr sweet chestnuts (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 apple (in small pieces)
- 360 ml flour
- 120 ml sweetener
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 120 ml brown sugar
- 12 muffin tins
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Beat the egg and stir in the milk, oil, chestnuts (±250gr), and the apple pieces. Then whisk in the flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt to taste. Don’t knock too long! Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, making sure that the cups are no more than ¾ full. Mix the brown sugar with the rest of the sweet chestnuts. Then put a spoonful of this “topping” on each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool completely before eating them.
Reading Suggestions: Making soup in a slow cooker
Chestnut soup recipe (Cousin)
With the recipe below you have a nutritious meal soup for 6 people.
Ingredients
- 200 gr potatoes
- 100 gr carrots
- 100 g leeks
- 1 celery stalk
- 500 gr chestnuts
- 100 gr streaky smoked bacon
- 1 clove
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 g cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 6 slices of baguette
- Salty
- Pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Wash the different types of vegetables and cut them into cubes. Cross in the chestnuts. Heat them in the oven until the peels pop open. Then remove as much of the peels as possible. Bring 2½ liters of water to a boil. Then add the vegetables, chestnuts, bacon, cloves, and bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil again. 
Let the soup cook over low heat for about 1 hour. Remove the bacon (possibly to use for another dish). Puree the vegetables. Then mix the egg yolk and the cream into the pureed soup. Do not let the soup boil anymore. Put some butter in a pan and fry the baguette slices until golden. Divide the slices of bread among the plates and pour the soup over them.
