It's been probably 50 years or longer since I have a chinquapin. We had one in the woods not far from the house when I was a kid. I loved those things back then. I can't even remember what they taste like. I just remember they were good. I'm 54 and I remember them.
Ive seen estimates of 1200 chestnuts or chinquipins coming off of young allegheny chinquipins, extrapolate that to a mature american chestnut, giving 3x the amount of nuts per bur, im really not qualified to guess but suffice it say many thousands of nuts per tree. Then imagine having 4 billion trees. Even if only half produced that is literally trillions of nuts to go around. When you think about it its a mriacle wildlife even survived the extinction of the american chestnut.
I was thinking about it, I bet the meat tasted different back then too. Deer these days rely heavy on acorns full of tannins that Chestnuts do not possess. Venison probably had a sweeter taste to the early Americans. We planted 5 trees today so maybe before I die I can have enough dropping to see if I’m right
@@Ryan-fosho it absolutely would have. Pigs fed on chestnuts were worth more money, and the pigs I’d imagine aside from chestnuts didn’t eat a tannin rich diet and it still tasted better. So minus a good portion of the tannins and add the taste it would take on from chestnuts I bet it tasted almost like a different animal.
I've seen ranges that say the Ozark chinquipins went up to MA but most range maps don't put them that far north, most maps have then listed as staying in the central areas of the Appalachian range. The american chestnut went as far north as ME. Although looking at castanea as a whole, and the fact that their close relative the chestnut went farther north I'd hazard a guess that they could tolerate living as far north as Maine as well.
Amazing podcast!
Thank you! AJ is the man
Guys, thanks so much for shedding more light on our native trees and prairies in the Ozarks. Without the habitat, we lose the wildlife.
Of course!
After reading "The Overstory" by Richard Powers, I got to thinking about the chestnut and the chinquapin. Super happy to see this discussion!
Our producer is currently reading that book! He loved the first story about the chestnut so much.
Great episode fellas! Makes me wanna go up there to forage and try them myself!
Thanks man, this episode got us excited too. We gotta get on out there!
It's been probably 50 years or longer since I have a chinquapin. We had one in the woods not far from the house when I was a kid. I loved those things back then. I can't even remember what they taste like. I just remember they were good. I'm 54 and I remember them.
Ive seen estimates of 1200 chestnuts or chinquipins coming off of young allegheny chinquipins, extrapolate that to a mature american chestnut, giving 3x the amount of nuts per bur, im really not qualified to guess but suffice it say many thousands of nuts per tree. Then imagine having 4 billion trees. Even if only half produced that is literally trillions of nuts to go around. When you think about it its a mriacle wildlife even survived the extinction of the american chestnut.
I was thinking about it, I bet the meat tasted different back then too. Deer these days rely heavy on acorns full of tannins that Chestnuts do not possess. Venison probably had a sweeter taste to the early Americans. We planted 5 trees today so maybe before I die I can have enough dropping to see if I’m right
@@Ryan-fosho it absolutely would have. Pigs fed on chestnuts were worth more money, and the pigs I’d imagine aside from chestnuts didn’t eat a tannin rich diet and it still tasted better. So minus a good portion of the tannins and add the taste it would take on from chestnuts I bet it tasted almost like a different animal.
how far north do they go?
I've seen ranges that say the Ozark chinquipins went up to MA but most range maps don't put them that far north, most maps have then listed as staying in the central areas of the Appalachian range. The american chestnut went as far north as ME. Although looking at castanea as a whole, and the fact that their close relative the chestnut went farther north I'd hazard a guess that they could tolerate living as far north as Maine as well.
If anyone has a ozark chinquapin please reply id really like to buy seeds or saplings 🙏🏼
No need! You can join ozarkchinquapinmembership.org and they will send you blight resistant seeds each year for as long as you’re a member.