It's Chestnut season!

Well, I was walking through a park today, looking for Maitake mushrooms (of which I found several pounds!), and I remembered a spot where a friend and I found a bunch of chestnuts last year.  I moseyed on over to that hillside, and what perfect timing!  The ground was littered with these golden brown bundles of flavor!  I was literally dodging the falling nuts (a little painful) and burrs (extremely painful) as I was collecting their fallen brethren.
The tricky thing about chestnuts is that you need to get to them before the squirrels do.  You have a very small window to do this, so when it's about mid-September, it's time to start checking your secret chestnut spots!  It seemed that there were quite a few still clinging to the trees, so I might check back again tomorrow.
My favorite way to enjoy chestnuts is fresh, right out of the shell.  They have a slightly sweet, mild, nutty flavor and are very crisp.  I remember as a kid, I would gather a pocketful of nuts while waiting for the bus, and snack on them on the way to and from school.  I usually bite the nut in half (the shell is more leathery than hard), peel and eat.  The only downside with fresh nuts is that the inner skin, or pellicle, is almost impossible to remove from the nut.  It has a slightly fuzzy texture, which might turn some people off.  To ensure that the skin is removable, the nuts will have to be cooked.
Now, I've seen lots of recipes for cooked chestnuts, from boiling to roasting to broiling to grilling, and even dry cooking in a saucepan on the stove.  These all produce slightly different results, so you might need to experiment to find your favorite technique.  I prefer a combination of a quick simmer, followed by roasting in the oven.
Regardless of the cooking method, it is imperative that the shells be cut to ensure that the nut doesn't explode while cooking.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to cut through the shell with a serrated knife (smooth-edged knives might tend to slip off the smooth shell, which can be quite dangerous). Try not to cut into the nut itself if possible.
Next, I simmer the nuts in salted water for a few minutes.  This not only produces a slightly more tender result, but the extra moisture works itself under the inner skin, making it much easier to remove.
I then drain the nuts and transfer them to a baking dish or pan, arranged in a single layer.  They will roast in a 425 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, depending on their size.  At this point, they will begin to burst slightly out of their shell.  I try to rotate or stir them halfway through, if I can remember.
At this point, they are transferred to a bowl and covered with a towel so they can steam as they cool down.  About ten to fifteen minutes later, they are cooled enough and are ready to be peeled.  If you want the inner skins to slide off without trouble, you'll want to peel them as soon as they have cooled enough to safely handle!
So, if you happen upon a chestnut tree, or can find them in your local market, give them a try...you'll be glad you did!

Launching TheMushroomHunter.com!!!

Well, I finally launched my mushroom website!  Check out http://www.themushroomhunter.com when you have a chance!

We are finally seeing some of the great Fall mushrooms here in Northeast Ohio!  I have found over 20 pounds of Maitake in the last two weeks or so, and have been enjoying them nearly every night.  Last night, I made a wonderful risotto with chopped Maitake, and the broth that I used was made from Turkey Tails, False Turkey Tails and Shiitake stems.  I topped it with a little chopped tomato and sweet basil chiffonade, plucked from my garden!

Chanterelle season is coming to an end, but I'm still finding a few here and there.  They are barely peeking out from underneath the newly fallen leaves.  Puffballs are abound, and I've been collecting lots of pear-shaped, purple-spored, gem-studded and even a few giants!

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best thing about Fall mushroom hunting...fewer biting insects!  There are still a few pesky mosquitoes and biting flies around, but their numbers will dwindle in the coming weeks...

As always, good luck and happy hunting!