Contents

1.1 Description of the Plant

Castanea mollissima—marketed in Canada as **“Soft Chestnut”** for its thin, easy-to-peel shells and tender kernels—is a medium-sized deciduous tree (12–18 m) with a broad crown. …

1.2 Historical and Cultural Context

Cultivated in China for over two millennia, the species spread along Silk Road trade routes and ultimately reached North America in the early 1900 s. Crucially, Chinese chestnut carries **strong genetic resistance to chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica)**, the fungal disease that devastated North America’s native American chestnut. Because of this resistance, Chinese/Soft chestnuts are presently the only reliable edible chestnut that can be grown at scale in Canada. They anchor modern blight-resistant breeding programs and serve as hardy, productive orchard trees for cold climates.

1.3 Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Properties

Edible: Nuts are  50 % carbohydrate, 5 % protein, and low fat (%). High in vitamin C and manganese, they have a mildly sweet, chestnut-honey flavour.

• Roast whole at 200 �C for 20 min after scoring shells.
• Grind dried kernels into gluten-free flour for cakes, cr�pes, or thickening stews.
• Simmer peeled nuts in plant milk, pur�e, and sweeten with maple syrup for chestnut cream.

Medicinal/Utility: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, inner bark teas were used to soothe coughs. Leaves contain tannins suitable for natural dye baths (soft yellow-brown). Timber is rot-resistant, medium-density, and excellent for outdoor carpentry, fencing, and furniture.

Ecology: The tree supports pollinators with pollen-rich catkins and offers habitat and mast for wildlife such as wild turkeys, squirrels, and deer.

2 Planting Outdoors

1. Site Selection — Full sun; well-drained loam or sandy-loam, pH 5.5–6.5. Avoid heavy clay or waterlogged ground.
2. Spacing — 8 m between trees (≈150 m per mature crown) for orchard layouts.
3. Soil Preparation — Rip or loosen top 40 cm; incorporate 5 cm compost and 1 kg rock phosphate per planting hole to support root and burr formation.
4. Pollination — Chinese chestnut is self-incompatible; plant at least two unrelated cultivars or seedlings within 25 m for reliable nut set.
5. Companion Planting — Works well with nitrogen-fixers (goumi, siberian pea-shrub) at drip-line; understory of shade-tolerant herbs or berry shrubs.

3 Ongoing Plant Care

1. Watering — 20 L weekly during first two summers; mature trees tolerate brief droughts but crop best with  25 mm rain equivalent per week in midsummer.
2. Mulching — 8 cm wood-chip ring (keep 10 cm clear of trunk) to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
3. Fertilisation — Each spring broadcast 150 g balanced organic fertiliser per trunk-diameter cm; excess nitrogen reduces flavour.
4. Pruning — Train central leader for first 4 years; thereafter thin crowded interior branches in winter to boost light and airflow.
5. Pest/Disease — Monitor for chestnut weevil; collect and heat-treat dropped nuts at 49 �C for 30 min, or encourage poultry to glean fallen burs.

4 Harvesting and Storage

• Harvest Time — Nuts drop free of burs Sept–Oct; rake daily to deter rodents.
• Processing — Remove burs with leather gloves; cure nuts 7 days at 15–18 �C, 60 % RH to sweeten starches.
• Storage — Refrigerate in breathable bags 0–2 �C, 85 % RH up to 3 months; or freeze peeled kernels for year-round use.

5 Propagation

• Seed — Sow fresh stratified nuts 5 cm deep in seedbeds protected from rodents; 50–70 % germination.
• Grafting — Whip-and-tongue scion grafts onto 1-year seedlings in late spring for named cultivars.

6 Recipes and Uses

Classic Roasted Chestnuts:

Score shells, soak 10 min, roast at 200 �C for 20 min, peel while warm.

Pressure-Cooked Chestnuts:

Score shells, place on a trivet with 2.5 cm water, cook at high pressure 10 min, allow natural release 10 min. Peel—the skins slip off easily while hot.

Chestnut–Pumpkin Soup:

Simmer 250 g peeled chestnuts with 500 g pumpkin, 1 L vegetable stock, sage, and salt; blend until velvety.

Chestnut Flour Pancakes:

Mix 150 mL chestnut flour, 150 mL light spelt flour, 5 mL baking powder, 1 egg, 250 mL oat milk; griddle until golden.

7 Summary

Blight-resistant **Soft Chestnuts** thrive where American chestnut cannot, making them **the premier edible chestnut for Canadian orchards and food forests**. Plant a pair for dependable autumn harvests, wildlife support, and rot-resistant timber that will serve generations.