Chestnuts

In the nineteenth century in the eastern part of the United States, the chestnut was everyone’s free food. Chestnuts fell in profusion from the branches of 4 billion trees and were there on the forest floor for the taking. Farmers allowed their pigs to roam free to fatten on the mast of the forest, the edible nuts and fruits that fall from the trees and bushes. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was also an important source of quality lumber for construction and furniture making. In Europe and Asia cousins of the American chestnut played a similar role in the lives of the people.