Christmas without Chestnuts

08/12/2025 24 min
Christmas without Chestnuts

Listen "Christmas without Chestnuts"

Episode Synopsis

Welcome back to Walkin' on the Wild Side.  Happy Holidays from Gabrielle and I, and we are in the Holiday spirit!  This episode, we talk about one of the most recognizable songs and nut (actually more like a fruit), the chestnut.  Chestnuts and Christmas just seem to go together, but sadly, because of a blight, the once dominant and massive tree that produced delicious nuts for wildlife, people, and generations of  Christmas around the world was eliminated from the forests of eastern US in the blink of an eye (40 years).  We'll talk about how chestnuts went from a holiday staple to just a verse in a song.  What happened and can you still get chestnuts?  Join us as we sit around the fire pit on the back porch and reminisce about what used to be and the possibility that one day, the chestnut will once again, return to it's former glory.You can learn more about chestnuts from these websites:Chestnut blight:  https://tacf.org/history-american-chestnut/Chestnut research:  https://www.esf.edu/chestnut/index.phphttps://www.finedininglovers.com/explore/articles/chestnuts-z-26-things-about-chestnutsHow chestnuts are used in Italian cooking:  https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/how-to-cook/roasting-chestnuts-a-guide-to-the-cherished-italian-holiday-traditionThe Italian Chestnut Growers Consortium:  https://www.consorziocastanicoltori.it/ (in italian, so please get google to translate)Interested in having Marvin and Gabrielle speak at your event?  Email us below for more information!Email us at [email protected] us on our two webpages to see photos and blogs about our podcasts and nature in general.  We will be posting our Yellowstone pics here:Nature Nook PhotographyWalkin' on the Wild SideYou can listen directly from our website at: https://walkinonthewildside.buzzsprout.com, or from any of the major podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, Stitcher, and more!Subscribe to our podcasts on any of these platforms and leave us a review!We hope you enjoy listening to our podcast and welcome your emails, comments, and feedback.  Hopefully, we will inspire you to get out there and start "Walkin' on the Wild Side"!We'd love to hear from you with your questions and comments!