Chestnuts are a unique, delicious nut that is popular during fall and winter. They are best known for roasting over a fire, but their use goes well beyond this. They can be added to salads, braised with meat, mixed into stuffing, made into a soup, and much more.
While they are already low in fat and high in fiber, they actually become even healthier when cooked. They contain gallic acid and ellagic acid, two important antioxidants that become even more concentrated after the chestnut is cooked.
Chestnuts are unique to most other nuts in that they are low in fat and high in vitamin C. The issue is that finding chestnuts for sale is difficult due to their short harvest season. If you want to buy fresh chestnuts online, it’s best to pay close attention to a company’s website throughout September so you don’t miss them going on sale.
And, while you’re at it, you can find other fresh foods to order online, including passion fruit, rhubarb, and even okra.
Where to Buy Fresh Chestnuts Online
- Nuts.com
- Chestnuts R Us
- Chestnut Growers Inc.
- Chestnut Charlie
- Harrison’s California Chestnuts
- Valley Chestnuts
- Correai Chesnut Farm
1. Nuts.com
Nuts.com has been around since 1929. It began as a small, personal store that the owner and founder would take to markets to sell nuts with friendly, personal service. Today, the online store strives to emulate the same feeling of community with personalized service on a much wider scale.
While they’re very serious about their roots in nuts, they offer a range of other products as well. Their selection includes dried fruits, seeds, coffee, tea, snacks, superfood powders, cooking and baking ingredients, and chocolates and other sweets. When it comes to nuts, they offer them plain, salted, roasted, and chocolate-covered.
Their chestnuts are sold by the pound and are 100 percent fresh, meaning they need to be refrigerated to survive, due to their high moisture content. The process is worth the effort, as properly stored chestnuts can stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Their products ship throughout Canada and the United States, though some places have restrictions on fresh chestnuts so it’s best to check your local laws before ordering.
2. Chestnuts R Us
Chestnuts R Us is located on Rockin M Farms which began in 1991. Once the first few chestnut trees were planted, the farm quickly grew to the 2,700 trees they have today. Though already large, they’re constantly working to expand to meet the increasing demand for their delicious fresh chestnuts, which do have a short harvest period.
They are dedicated to quality, inspecting their chestnuts at every step of the process including harvesting, washing, sorting, and bagging. If there’s a bad one in the bunch, it won’t sneak past them.
They are also dedicated to quality throughout the entire process. They don’t use pesticides when growing the chestnuts and the nuts are never fumigated. Their chestnuts are also naturally bug-free. They do ship throughout the United States, though they encourage customers to order early as they tend to sell out before Thanksgiving every year.
3. Chestnut Growers Inc
Chestnut Growers Inc has been producing and harvesting some of the best chestnuts in America since 2001. Located in Michigan, they grow their chestnuts naturally and produce some of the sweetest-tasting chestnuts around. Their chestnuts are so versatile, everyone from vegetarians and vegans to those with severe gluten intolerances or wheat allergies can enjoy them. The nuts have plenty of protein for those who don’t eat meat. They’re also naturally gluten-free and have the lowest fat content of any nut.
For those who don’t know how versatile chestnuts are, the Chestnut Growers Inc website has a library of chestnut recipes in all categories, including appetizers, soups, main dishes, sides, and desserts. For those that are new to chestnuts entirely, their website has an entire section with in-depth knowledge and information on handling, preparing, cooking, and storing the nuts.
They do ship internationally but don’t forget to check your local import laws and regulations before placing an order.
4. Chestnut Charlie
Chestnut Charlie began in 1995 when Charlie started planting some chestnut trees on a 20-acre field. He was always passionate about health and quality, so he followed organic practices from the start. He went through the process to become certified organic in 1998. The company remains dedicated to being organic, vowing to never use a single artificial substance or ingredient at any point in the process.
Today, they have about 1,500 trees, yet they still sell out of chestnuts fast every year. For those that do manage to get an order in, they’ve got plenty of helpful information on their website. This includes instructions for peeling and roasting, cooking instructions, and plenty of recipe ideas.
For those that are local, they offer pick-your-own services at the farm. If you can’t make it out, they offer shipping throughout the United States, except for California, Washington, and Oregon, which prohibit fresh chestnuts from crossing their border. If you’re in these areas, Chestnut Charlie provides a resource to find local farms where you can get them instead.
5. Harrison’s California Chestnuts
Harrison’s California Chestnuts is a family-owned and operated business in California. They strive to produce the sweetest, most beautiful chestnuts every year. They sell three varieties of chestnut – colossal, silver leaf, and Nevada. These are all harvested at the same time each year and are all known for their large size, sweet flavor, and easy peeling.
They harvest throughout September and October, always working hard to get the best possible yield and the highest-quality chestnuts. They harvest the nuts and burrs every day, effectively reducing the amount of time they spend on the ground and limiting their exposure to the elements. This is especially important in California as the hot sun can cause the chestnuts to dry out if they’re left in it too long.
Currently, they only ship their chestnuts within the United States. The shipping rate is based on weight and can be calculated with a simple chart on their website.
6. Valley Chestnuts
Valley Chestnuts is a family-owned and operated business, currently run and worked on by three different generations, all of which live at the large farm in Iowa. While the area is known for soybeans, they’ve found a way to make chestnuts thrive. They are a fairly new company, planting their first 500 trees in 2017. Today, they’re already up to about 3,200.
They’ve installed a state of the art processing line that allows them to clean, inspect, and package their chestnuts as efficiently as possible. This means they can preserve quality while getting them into your hands while they’re still as their freshest.
Their chestnuts come in four sizes, from small to extra large. Even with their thousands of trees, they sell out pretty fast every year. They do have an email list you can join to be notified as soon as the next crop is on sale.
7. Correai Chestnut Farm
Correia Chestnut Farm is a third-generation farm located in Sacramento. It’s currently owned by a couple with a passion for agriculture and a son who is growing to love the industry as well. They began as a pear farm but switched to chestnuts in 1998 as the pear pests became a bigger problem and they didn’t want to start using pesticides to keep them at bay.
Chestnuts have much fewer natural pests and are therefore a much easier thing to grow organically in the area.
They began with colossal chestnuts as these are known for producing a solid yield of large chestnuts. However, they were introduced to some new European varieties in 2001 which they enjoyed very much. Today, they also offer a limited selection of Italian marroni chestnuts which have proven popular among their customers.
They are currently only shipping within the United States.
Things to Consider When Buying Fresh Chestnuts Online
Finding chestnuts for sale is harder than you might think, especially if you want something specific or from a specific place. When you can buy fresh chestnuts online, though, they are good for so many things. Before you start looking, consider the following things:
The Size
Chestnuts come in many varieties and sizes, but not every farm or store sells everything. Colossal chestnuts are perhaps the most common, but different kinds offer different flavors. While popular, colossal chestnuts tend to be larger, so a farm that focuses on these might not have any smaller ones available.
Extremely Limited Availability
Chestnuts are usually harvested throughout September and October, and that’s it. Once that crop has sold out, there’s no more until next year. Most online retailers in the United States will sell out before the end of November.
It’s important to keep this in mind if you plan to order. If you want to make sure you don’t miss it, consider joining a few email lists to be notified as soon as they go on sale from a particular company.
Storage
Chestnuts can stay fresh for up to two weeks if they are kept in very cold temperatures with high humidity. If you plan to order lots of them and store them for a little while, make sure you can accommodate these particular needs before you order too many.
If you can’t, perhaps it’s better to order a small amount that just covers what you need.
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Can your 2021 chestnuts be purchased on line?
Can I order 1 kg raw chestnuts and posted to Australia in t8me for Christmas? That is if there is any stock of course
Dear Sir or Madam,
The first picture on this website are of horse chestnuts or “conkers” which are inedible and possibly poisonous. You should not be encouraging people to think that they can eat them.
You need to change it!
How can you tell?
Correct, the first picture has Horse Chestnut, No pointy head and the green spikes on the outer shell are much thicker.
Smooth all over it’s alled a buckeye because that’s what they look like, sweet chestnuts look like tulip bulbs with cactus spines at the tip. The outer shell of a sweet chestnut looks like fur (but feels like a cactus), the horse chestnut shell has a few widely spaced soft spikes, the difference is like comparing a broom to a rake.
Looking for Italian or Turkish raw Chestnuts for planting and it is almost impossible to get them in Canada. Does anyone know where I can find them? Thanks