Green Horizons

Vivid leaves, a chill in the air, football, and of course, roasted chestnuts – these are the elements that celebrate the best of fall in mid-Missouri, especially as the annual Missouri Chestnut Roast rapidly becomes a community favorite.

Nearly 3,000 people enjoyed samples of some of the best of Missouri’s agricultural bounty at the second annual Missouri Chestnut Roast on Oct. 16th -- from crisp local wines and sweet Missouri-grown pecans, to black walnut ice cream, homemade pepper jelly and of course, hot roasted chestnuts.

Held annually at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC), New Franklin, Mo. during the conclusion of National Chestnut Week, Oct. 10-16, the Roast is a key event designed to generate awareness for this unique tree nut. During the mid-1800s, the native American chestnut was one of the most important forest trees along the coast from Maine south to Georgia and from the Piedmont west to the Ohio valley. The nuts were a significant component of eastern rural economies, with truckloads of the glossy brown nuts sold for roasting on the streets of many cities. However, sometime during the late 1800s, a blight accidentally imported from Asia began to infect the trees and eliminated 99.9% of the American chestnut timber resource in the United States by 1950.

At the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, researchers are conducting one of the nation’s most significant programs for evaluating cultivars of the Chinese chestnut species, a smaller tree that can successfully produce large quantities of sweet-tasting chestnuts in Missouri and other regions of the Midwest. Nut tree researchers hope to establish the Chinese chestnut as a profitable agricultural opportunity for Missouri landowners and are conducting comprehensive market research studies in addition to cultivar research.

In addition to chestnuts, the annual event also raises awareness for black walnut and pecan, offering nutritional information, recipes and a variety of Missouri-made nut products to visitors. This year, complimenting the popular treat of free fresh roasted chestnut samples was hearty chestnut soup, made with chestnuts harvested from the research farm. Two Midwestern chestnut growers were kept busy during the entire festival selling the mild, sweet-tasting nuts to curious visitors.

Guided bus tours of key projects on the 660-acre HARC site, including experimental black walnut, Chinese chestnut and fruit tree orchards, offered an up-close view of agroforestry practices. New this year in the exhibit tent was a chestnut cooking demonstration with Craig Cyr, executive chef and owner of Cherry Street Bistro and Wine Cellar. Chef Cyr prepared a series of gourmet chestnut dishes while more than 200 guests looked-on, asking questions and sampling the dishes, many eating chestnuts for the first time.

“We’re excited about the consumer interest emerging for these nuts and for the production of value-added products, such as jellies and candies that contain the nuts,” said Julie Rhoads, event coordinator.

Another new addition this year were exhibits of River Hills and landscape art by local artists. New activities at the Children’s Tent included chestnut necklace-making and a chestnut toss game, popular alongside the interactive farm display and corn-grinding activities. Guided tours of the 1819 Thomas Hickman House, one of the oldest brick homes still standing in Missouri, were another highlight.

Rose-Marie Muzika, associate professor, University of Missouri, attended the Chestnut Roast with her daughters. “Children of all ages could choose from a range of educational and fun activities to occupy them,” she said. “But the best part of the event for all age groups was the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful October day and great Missouri-made agricultural products outside in the river hills.”

For more information about the annual Missouri Chestnut Roast visit www.centerforagroforestry.org. Next year’s Chestnut Roast is set for Saturday, Oct. 29th.

Charles NovoGradac, known as “Chestnut Charlie” from Lawrence, Kan., sells fresh chestnut products to visitors.

Gourmet chef Craig Cyr prepares chestnut dishes for a crowd of nearly 200 guests, who received samples of each dish.