Nuts!

[N1ST]

I picked a bucket of what I thought were chestnuts today. Came home, cooked a few in the microwave for a minute, poped it in my mouth and YUCK!

Description: There are 1 or 2 nuts in each pod. The pod is dark brown with small prickers about 1/8" and not too dense. The inner shell is beautiful brown, lighter in color then typical chestnuts. Some swirlling patterns on the shell. Some are as large as a golf ball. Inner meat is about the same color as a chestnut but very bitter.

So what are these beautiful nuts?

 

[Chuck52]

Buckeyes. I've always heard they were poisonous, but perhaps they are just really high in tannins, like most acorns.

Chuck

 

[Bird]

My first thought was acorns, but that doesn't really sound right, either. I guess you don't have any pictures to show us?

 

[czechsonofagun]

Could it be Horse Chestnut? They are not edible, at least not by people, unlike roasting chestnuts.

Unless you are from Ohio, than you would call horse chestnuts buckeyes

 

[Bird]

I guess everyone know the old Christmas song about "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" (I think that's the right line) but I wouldn't know a chestnut if I saw one. Do they grow in the south? And are they a popular food nut?

 

[GBeck]

but I wouldn't know a chestnut if I saw one

how many do you want?...I can mail them
the wife every year tries to dry a bunch out and fills a glass jar every year for decoration....

 

[Bird]

how many do you want?...I can mail them
the wife every year tries to dry a bunch out and fills a glass jar every year for decoration....

Do you eat them?

 

[N1ST]

Buckeyes. I've always heard they were poisonous, but perhaps they are just really high in tannins, like most acorns.

Chuck

Yup, According to Wiki, I think you guys that said Buckeyes/Horse Chestnuts are right. See the picture above. The only difference between the pic and what I picked, is that my prickely pods are dark brown. Anybody need a 5 gal bucket of them? Actually they won't go to waste, I'll give them to the deer this winter.

 

[MossRoad]

Buckeyes are reported to be poisonous to humans, so don't eat any more of them. Indians powdered the nuts and spread the powder on bodies of water to stun the fish, similar to soap plant.

Aesculus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[MossRoad]

I guess everyone know the old Christmas song about "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" (I think that's the right line) but I wouldn't know a chestnut if I saw one. Do they grow in the south? And are they a popular food nut?

Bird,
True American Chestnuts are no longer available. All of the chestnut trees died from disease many, many years ago. There are a few survivors and people are working on cross breeding them with foreign chestnuts. All of the chestnuts that you can buy today are from non-native chestnut trees or imported from other countries.