Friday, September 12, 2008

Exploding Chestnuts and Other Adventures

It's fall around here, and we have discovered chestnuts. They come in pods similar to pecans, but instead of being smooth, they are prickly - spikes everywhere.

I think it was R who first discovered them, but then A & E noticed a huge pile of them on the way to school. Remembering that they're edible, I agreed we could collect them and try to cook them. (I figured if pecans were good, chestnuts should be too. Not.)

Thanks to Google, I found instructions for cooking (cut a cross in the top, and put them in a hot oven for 30 - 40 minutes). But I must have missed something along the way...

After about 25 minutes, we heard a loud noise from the kitchen. Went in, and heard another, definitely in the oven. Took them out of the oven, shook the pan a little, and one popped like popcorn up to the ceiling! Scared the hell out of me. (Kids thought it was hilarious though).

Apparently, that's NOT the way to cook them.

But, what the heck, they were cooked, and open... so we tried them.

YUCK! Incredibly bitter. A says "maybe we collect them, but don't eat them." Wise kid.

In other news, E is keeping us captive in the house via potty-training (or NOT), and A is alternately upset about having to carry a backpack, then devastated he no longer has one to carry. (Oh, the tantrums!)

Here, I'll show you.

1 comment:

  1. Not all chestnuts are bitter. I remember something about horse chestnuts from my childhood in Brooklyn.

    Anyway they can be sweet and delicious and cook easily in the microwave. If you want to try more just ask.

    Love, Mom

    ReplyDelete