Sweet chestnuts: how to recognize them and collect them properly

You will get the most beautiful specimens if you collect chestnuts yourself. But not every chestnut that you find in the forest is also a sweet chestnut. Because in addition to the edible fruit, there is also the horse chestnut. This is not edible.

How to recognize the chestnut tree when collecting

Sweet chestnuts don't grow everywhere. They are most frequently found in the western Black Forest, the Palatinate, in the Odenwald, on the Saar, Mosel and the Nahe as well as on the Taunus and the Main. When collecting, you should therefore always pay attention to the appearance of the fruit, so as not to confuse it with the horse chestnut. Because there are clear differences.

• The shell of the sweet chestnut is densely strewn with thin spines. In autumn, the spines are usually already light brown in color. There may be several fruits in the bowl. These have a flattened side and taper to a point.
• Horse chestnuts, however, still have a green skin in autumn. In contrast to the sweet chestnut, there are only a few spines on the shell. The fruits themselves are oval or round. There is almost never more fruit in the bowl.
• Also take a closer look at the tree itself. While the leaves of the chestnut tree have individual elliptical leaves, the leaves of the horse chestnut tree are finger-shaped.
• Horse chestnuts are toxic to the human body. This may result in upset stomach and nausea. Therefore, you should always make sure that you collect the chestnuts together with the shell.

Ripe sweet chestnuts are evenly brown

When you collect chestnuts, they should always be evenly brown. White-spotted chestnuts are still immature. However, these can still ripen at home.

• If you collect unripe chestnuts, you can let them ripen. To do this, put the fruits in paper, for example in newspaper, and let them ripen in a warm dark place for a while.
• It is best to remove the bowl when you collect it. In order not to injure yourself, you can either wear thick gloves and open the shell with a knife, or you can gently crush the shell with your shoe.
• Ripe chestnuts can also be kept wrapped in paper for a few weeks.
• The fruits can be easily prepared at home in the oven. For this you should only be peeled properly.