Notes from Camp #3

We found chestnuts! Lots of chestnuts at our campsite. Their soft shells and gorgeous color enthralled me. Soon Clare and I gathered oodles of the nuts to admire and bring home to friends.

And then.

I got the idea to roast them. Thank goodness for Google. How did people camp before Google? I figured out how to roast corn on the fire and after a few minutes I was an expert in chestnut roasting. Who knew? My only previous experience with chestnuts came from a trip to NYC and the song.

Okay. To roast them over a fire you cut an X on the flat side of the shells. If you don't do this they explode and it took almost all of the restraint and composure I had ALL weekend not to throw a handful in the fire to just see what would happen. I still want to do it. Kind of like Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and the tube of toothpaste.Then you wrap them in foil 2X, poke some holes in the bottom, and put them over an even heat for 15=20 minutes. Open the foil up and Viola! Roasted chestnuts. So easy. So fun.

Unless...you happen not to know the difference between edible and poisonous chestnuts like a certain person writing this blog post. Yes. After tasting bitter chestnuts, letting my child eat one, and feeling an odd burning sensation in my throat, I turned back to Google. The Clemson Extension set me straight and I learned all about chestnuts and horse chestnuts. Turns out that we gathered oodles and oodles of poisonous to humans chestnuts. Bummer.

So much for cute little souvenir bags for our friends with instructions on how to roast the nuts. Instead we sent them to Clare's school for use on the nature table. They are still pretty and I have a few jars filled with them as fall decorations, but definitely not the same as those NYC chestnuts.

Feeding child poisonous chestnuts should secure my nomination for that coveted Mother of the Year Award for 2010.