What's the deal with chestnuts?

(Above: a picture of freshly roasted chestnuts.)

You may have heard some buzz around chestnuts in residential areas. Or you may not. If you haven't, or if you have, and you're wondering what it's all about, this is for you:

Like many of the things I've been writing about, this could get long, but it won't because frankly I don't have the time. So disclaimer that there's a lot more to be said about a lot of strands of this, but basically:

There's a lot to be said for shifting our dietary staples back to perennials (like tree crops), rather than annuals (like grain). Less carbon-releasing and ecosystem-disrupting tillage, a "natural" system of vertical farming that allows multiple crops or planting schemes simultaneously, and less inputs in the form of pesticides or herbicides. Also, given the spatial requirements, less transit and associated fossil fuels.

So why is there so much buzz around chestnuts, specifically? A lot of this comes from the work of the organization BuildSoil, with a wiki here and a Twitter account here. Basically, chestnuts have a nutrient profile that's more similar to grains than other nuts, and can be made into flour. They also crop every year. They also have a long history as a staple food across the temperate Northern hemisphere; if you don't know the story of the American chestnut, I recommend reading up on it.

What will making this shift require? Planting chestnuts, yes, but also more local harvesting and milling infrastructure. New ways of cooking. So lots. But there's definitely a strong argument to be made that it's worth it.

Should you cut all your trees down and plant chestnuts? Absolutely not. Diversity will continue to be key. Of species, age, genus, size etc etc. But should you consider planting some chestnuts? Yes, of course, why not? I'm happy to help if you're interested.

(As always, I'm located in and speaking from the context of being a settler in the Northeastern United States, which is the occupied & typically unceded territory of numerous Native American Nations. It will not be applicable to all regions and is subject to correction by the original inhabitants of this land.)