Chestnuts are one of our favorite permaculture plants and for very good reason. They are among the heartiest and long lived of all nut crops. Tolerant of extreme cold and heat, they bloom late in April or May, missing the frost and Spring rains and ensuring a large crop every year. Once established, they are extremely drought tolerant. The nuts are used for many purposes including roasted, steamed, puréed, liquor, pastries, pasta and delectable sweet treats, candied infused with rum or other liquors, covered with chocolate… We had amazing chestnut ice cream in France. Our favorite was Rum with Marron Glacé, which are candied chestnuts. Chestnuts are highly prized in Europe and Asia! Although the Asian chestnut blight wiped out the Native American chestnuts on the eastern seaboard in the early 1900s, that pathogen needs both heat and humidity to survive. The arid climate of the Western states inhibits the growth of this devastating disease. As a result chestnuts, which have been imported from around the world, thrive in the West. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University traveled to Nevada County in the early 1960s, discovering “the world’s greatest diversity of chestnut DNA is in Nevada County”, due to the diligent importations of Felix Gillet. Felix brought chestnuts from France, Italy, Spain, China, Korea and elsewhere, and they became established in our area in the late 1800s.
For maximum success, plant on well drained soil with full sun exposure, protect from deer, rabbits and gophers when young and deeply irrigate until well established in 3-5 years minimum. In the West chestnuts have no insect or disease pests and are only bothered by deer and rabbits until the nuts start to fall, and then you have to watch out for the squirrels and the deer, who love to eat the nuts. Unlike other nuts, chestnuts are perishable and must be refrigerated or processed after harvest. Once established, chestnuts require no pruning.
The Following are a couple of the Historic Varieties that we have re-discovered throughout the Gold Country Region. We have found lots more and will be adding other discoveries to this list.
American Chestnut
We have discovered only 8 of the true American chestnut (Castenea dentata) still growing in our region, introduced to California by Gillet beginning in 1882. This is the chestnut once famous as the predominant hardwood of the Eastern US, but wiped out by chestnut blight introduced from Asia in the early 1900s. Chestnut blight is not known to effect chestnuts in California due to the lack of summer humidity necessary for blight to grow. Our mother trees have never been damaged by blight. The American chestnut is a small nut of the sweetest flavor. When dried many people describe the flavor as maple syrup like. They are easy to peel. Commonly roasted, we prefer them for making porridge and drying for grinding into wonderful chestnut flour. Plant a bit of American history! These trees are grafted using the scion from the mother tree, grafted on chestnut seedlings.
Note: Chestnut trees are rarely self-fertile, although we have found that some fruit surprisingly well despite being isolated. To insure regular production, plant at least two chestnuts at your site to encourage cross pollination and higher productivity.
Our mother trees are growing in an early 20th century mixed chestnut species, dry farmed, 2 acre orchard, growing near Brownsville, Yuba County at 2300′. Once a thriving logging town, Brownsville was settled in 1862 and named for sawmill owner I.E. Brown.
Colossal Chestnut Seedling
These trees are Beefy SEEDLINGS of the Famous Colossal Chestnut. Seedlings are genetically different than the mother tree. Since it is a baby of the colossal you are likely to get nuts similar to it but slightly different and cannot be guaranteed. It is a beautiful large ornamental chestnut tree which most likely deliver you delicious nuts. By planting seedlings you are contributing to the biodiversity of the chestnut.
The Colossal Chestnut seedling are from a mother tree, grown out by Felix Gillet which still stands in
Nevada City! Felix planted many seedling and sold many generations of seedling which contributed to the high diversity of chestnut trees scattered throughout Nevada county. Felix is considered to be the Father of the Chestnut Industry in USA since he was the original importer and breeder of Chestnuts from around the world but mainly from his native country France, who had already developed and established a large Chestnut Industry in a Mediterranean Climate just like California.
Donna De Lyon
This European chestnut (Castenea sativa) is the best of more than 80 chestnut trees we have discovered and evaluated over the last 40 years. It is truly superior, producing very large nuts that are extremely sweet, and easy to peel. This chestnut tastes great and sweet even when eaten raw. It also keeps, under refrigeration, for much longer than other chestnut varieties and species. The carbohydrates mature into sugars that, under the right conditions, have developed a tropical flavor by springtime. It is superior to the widely planted Colossal, a Gillet introduction that was misnamed by the man who rediscovered it in the 1970s. We have chosen to propagate this variety because of it’s superior quality. The Colossal, actually the Marron de Quercy, is located on a homestead in Nevada City and is a good nut, but we prefer the Marron de Lyon, or Donna de Lyon as we have renamed her in honor of Donna, the beloved grandmother who lived on the homestead where the mother tree is located. Our variety was sold by Gillet beginning in the mid 1880s as Marron de Lyon. Our trees are grafted, using the scion from the mother tree, onto seedling chestnut rootstock. This variety was chosen by the Slow Food Ark of Taste to be honored and saved for posterity.
The grandmother tree is a very healthy 110+ year young specimen growing at 2800’ in a mixed Gillet homestead orchard in Camptonville, Yuba County, a vibrant mining town of the mid 1800s, and still populated with many of Gillet’s trees. Camptonville was also the home of Lester Pelton, who in 1870 invented the Pelton wheel. Lester changed the course of human evolution by inventing the device for making hydroelectric power. Remember the tune “Camptown ladies sing this song, doo dah, doo dah…”? That’s Camptonville. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees. We will be introducing more from this area in coming years.
Donna de Lyon Chestnut Seedling
This is a seedling of our favorite chestnut tree, the Donna de Lyon. Seedlings of chestnuts may not be “true to seed”, which means it is genetically different and may not produce nuts exactly like it’s parent. Over a hundred years it will likely become a large beautiful tree, possibly spanning 35′ across and 40′ high. The chestnut will most likely be of great quality, but results are unpredictable. This tree will be productive, and could be grafted at any time to another variety, including it’s parent. This is for those folks wanting more diversity and beauty!
Note: this tree cannot be shipped. For pick-up only. It will be about 1′ high in a one gallon pot with soil.
The mother tree is a vigorous, healthy, 100+ year old, chestnut growing in Camptonville, CA. Felix Gillet is credited with importing the large hardy chestnut varieties that soon dominated the Northern California landscape. The mother Colossal chestnut, also brought to California by Gillet under a different name: Marron de Quercy, still grows in Nevada City on private property. Although, the Colossal is the most popular variety grown today, it is clearly not up to the size, sweetness or ease of preparation of the Donna De Lyon.