Big River Chestnuts is a magical place. When photographer Paul Franz and I visited the orchard on River Road in Sunderland last week, Jono Neiger and his dog Cricket strolled with us through the property.
We surveyed the shady nut and berry trees — even a few persimmons — planted in pleasing rows. Paul threw a stick for Cricket, who promptly retrieved it again and again. As we reached the edge of the farm we gazed at the water of the Connecticut River, which glistened in the afternoon sun.
Neiger acquired the property in 2018, he told us. In its previous incarnation, it had been an organic vegetable farm. He explained that he had intended to plant something lighter on the land, a perennial crop that would thrive and endure.
This plan fit in with his background as an ecologist and land planner. When he’s not planting and tending trees on one of his three properties, Neiger works at the Regenerative Design Group in Greenfield. There, he specializes in farm planning, soil health, water management, and habitat development.
When the land in Sunderland became available, he was anxious to plant his own legacy farm. The chestnut trees he planted early on took several years to produce nuts, but they began to do so in the third year and are now very fruitful.
The graceful trees will continue to grow for at least a couple of decades and should live for hundreds of years. The nuts fall from the trees in small groups inside spikey husks; Neiger wore gloves to protect his hands as he gathered nuts to show us what they looked at.
Using his specialized knowledge, Neiger has planted other trees in between his rows of chestnuts to vary both his output and his soil. He calls these “alley crops.” Eventually, the chestnuts may expand into their neighbors’ space, but for now they co-habit peacefully.
Neiger planned to have livestock wander underneath the trees. At first he used chickens to enrich the soil with their droppings … and nibble on bugs that might bother the trees.
Now, he borrows sheep from a neighbor. These ruminant beasts can “mow” the grass between the trees and, like the chickens, fertilize the farm.
He added minerals and microorganisms to improve the soil. The trees like well-drained soil with low pH.
I asked what types of chestnuts Neiger had planted. He explained that the main species on his farm was a Chinese hybrid that had been bred for storage, size, and flavor … and above all for blight resistance.
As readers may know, the American chestnut tree fed and provided wood for Indigenous people and Europeans on this continent for hundreds of years. It pretty much died off in the 20th century, however, because of a blight.
Neiger told me that unless Americans have traveled and eaten in other countries, most of us have not eaten a lot of chestnuts in our lives.
The exception to this has been the roving chestnut carts in big Eastern cities like New York City; the autumnal aroma of roasted chestnuts was long one of the signature smells of the Big Apple. Unfortunately, those carts and the vendors that tended them have almost disappeared along with the American chestnut tree.
Big River Chestnuts will revive that aroma and its accompanying flavor on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning this Saturday, Oct. 4, and continuing into November while supplies last.
On those roasting days, visitors may purchase chestnuts either fresh or roasted. They may also buy seedlings. Neiger showed us small chestnut, hazelnut, and elderberry plants he had on hand.
People are also welcome to walk through the farm and watch volunteers harvest the nuts. (Neiger is looking for more volunteers!)
Also available for sale will be chestnut flour. Jono Neiger’s wife Kemper Carlsen used the flour to make the recipe below. Castagnaccio is a traditional savory Tuscan cake. Neiger and Carlsen like to pair it with roasted vegetables.
Carlsen provided the recipe in grams since it is European. (She also provided the photograph of the finished product.) I have done my best to convert it to American measurements
Castagnaccio
Ingredients:
extra-virgin olive oil as needed
1/3 cup (50 grams) raisins, loosely packed
1 tablespoon Vin Santo (Italian “holy wine”) or brandy
2 cups (250 grams) finely ground chestnut flour
1 1/2 cups (400 milliliters) water
a pinch of file sea salt
1/2 cup pine nuts
just under 1/ 2 cup (50 grams) walnuts
a sprig of fresh rosemary
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch-round baking dish (a cheesecake or springform pan works well) with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil.
Soak the raisins in warm water along with the tablespoon of Vin Santo or brandy.
Put the chestnut flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the water a little at a time, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Be sure to check the batter frequently, and add more flour or water to achieve thin, crêpe-batter consistency.
Drain the raisins. Add them to the bowl, along with half the pine nuts and half the walnuts. Stir again. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle the remaining pine nuts and walnuts on top; then add the rosemary needles.
Drizzle the top with more extra-virgin olive oil and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the chestnut cake is dry on the top and covered with fine lines. You may eat the cake warm or cold. Serves up to 12.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.