The Ultimate Guide to Chestnut Harvesting, Roasting, and Chestnut Flour

Here on Turtle Island, from the dawn of time until about a hundred years ago, Chestnuts were a staple food crop for all life, including human life. A nutritious and carbohydrate-rich nut, Chestnut trees produce a bumper crop of nuts every 1-3 years (mast years), are very easy to harvest, can be eaten fresh off the tree, and are easy to process into a wide range of versatile dishes. You can eat them fresh, roast or boil them, add them to soups or stews, dry them and grind them up to make flour which can be turned into bread, crepes, cookies, and more. In fact, as far as foods go, I would argue they are one of the very best for long-term sustainability, ecological support, and filling hungry bellies. As a perennial treecrop, Chestnuts can be a staple part of a regenerative and ecologically-focused food forest (for an example of them being used as part of a larger regenerative agriculture system, you can read Mark Sheppard’s Restoration Agriculture). They have such great promise for transitioning away from fossil-fuel-based agriculture and embracing regenerative approaches to life.

Dana O’Driscoll

The Ultimate Guide to Chestnut Harvesting, Roasting, and Chestnut Flour

Elderberry – November’s Herb of the Month

By Maryann Readal

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is an herb of many faces. In spring, its white, lacy blossoms brighten woodlands and hedgerows, attracting bees and butterflies with their sweet fragrance. By autumn, those delicate blooms transform into heavy clusters of deep purple berries — a feast for birds, wildlife, and humans alike. Every part of the elder — flowers, berries, leaves, and even wood — has long been treasured for food, craft, and healing.

A Storied Past

The story of elderberry stretches back to the Ice Age, between 12,000 and 9,000 BCE, when glaciers carried its seeds across North America, Europe, and Asia. By 2000 BCE, early peoples were already cultivating the plant for its medicinal and culinary gifts.

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Creating Your Wildcrafted Magical Apothecary

By Dana Driscoll

Throughout the year, including on warmer days in the deepest winter months, you will find me out on the land: scattering seeds; planting and harvesting; communing with the plants, trees, and mushrooms; and working nature magic. With baskets overflowing with abundant herbs, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms, I take only what I need, leaning into the abundant plants, and harvest with permission and gratitude. I leave offerings, scatter seeds, and weave magic and flute songs. I often have other people with me–friends, herbal apprentices, visitors, cats, geese. We honor the land while we harvest the plants that heal, soothe, and help us connect with the sacred.

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Setting Up and Using Your Home Herbal Apothecary

By Dana Driscoll

A growing number of people are taking an interest in herbal medicine. Why learn herbalism now? For many, it is a way to deeply learn and lean into the nature right outside their door. Further, learning how to identify, prepare, preserve, and use medicinal plants helps you take health into your own hands. A lot of people who live in the US (especially in rural areas) recognize that healthcare is more costly and more difficult to access: it is harder than ever to keep a family doctor or get specialist care, and it is so costly that a lot of people can’t afford visits, tests, or medicines.

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Are Pawpaws Neurotoxic?

First, I’d like to thank everyone who has registered for an upcoming ecology outing. The Old-Growth Forest Ecology Outings are nearly full, and fewer than half the spots remain for the Summer Forest Ecology Outings.

If you’d like to join us on August 30 or August 31 for an exciting day of ecology and geology, you can register here. These outings are great opportunities to explore beautiful ecosystems while learning tree identification, mushroom identification, forest history, geologic influences on plant communities, and much more.

I’d love to see you there!

And now on to the new video…

Are pawpaws neurotoxic?

It sounds like an absurd question to ask. After all, many people eat these wild fruits every year without experiencing any apparent negative effects.

But let’s consider the following pieces of information:

Studies have linked the consumption of fruits in the Annonaceae family to neurodegeneration in humans. Pawpaw, it turns out, is in the Annonaceae family.

A compound isolated from pawpaws is neurotoxic in laboratory studies.

And a case report from 2020 describes a man who developed a possible variant of a neurodegenerative disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy. The man was known to eat lots of pawpaws.

Of course, none of this information is conclusive, but it does make some people wonder. Are pawpaws neurotoxic? Should we avoid eating them? Or is this issue overhyped?

In a brand-new video, I share my thoughts.

Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

— Adam Haritan

Can You Help Me Find Old-Growth?

Greetings,

I’d like to share one update and ask you a question.

Update:

For the past 7 months, I’ve been busy creating a brand-new online course on old-growth forest ecology. During this time, I’ve been visiting different old-growth forests and documenting their trees, ecological indicators, geological influences, relationships, and stories.

It’s coming together nicely, but I’d like to ask you for your help.

Question:

If you’re familiar with old-growth forests in western North America, can you offer any recommendations on places to visit?

Up until this point, I’ve been documenting eastern North American old-growth forests. In September of this year, I’ll be spending a few weeks in northern California and Oregon. I may also consider visiting the state of Washington.

If you’ve visited any old-growth forests in western North America, I’d appreciate your recommendations! Do you have any favorites? Are there any “must-see” forests? Can you point me in the direction of notable trees? Is there any other advice you can share? I’ve done quite a bit of research on my own, but I would still love to hear your thoughts.

You can simply reply to this email to reach me.

Thank you for your help! I really appreciate it.

—Adam Haritan

American Chestnut: Just How Massive Was It?

Every now and then, I’ll come across a decent-sized American chestnut and wonder: “Just how big did these trees get?”

I’ve always read that American chestnut was a dominant tree throughout eastern North American forests. I’ve heard people describe American chestnut as a tree that towered above all others. I’ve even seen references to American chestnut as “the redwood of the east.”

But how much of this is true? Was American chestnut an exceptionally massive tree?

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for us to know for sure. A fungal disease known as chestnut blight killed nearly every large American chestnut throughout the first half of the 1900s. Today, American chestnut still exists on the landscape, but almost always as a smaller tree.

Ecologists in recent years have been wondering about the size of American chestnut in pre-blight forests. I’ve been wondering about it too, which is why I decided to film a video on the topic. It turns out that we may have some answers after all.

Has the size of American chestnut been exaggerated in recent decades? What do sources from the 1800s tell us?

You can watch the brand-new video here.

Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

— Adam Haritan

I Don’t Think This Poet Is Wrong

“Our relation to the natural world takes place in a place.”

The American poet Gary Snyder wrote those words. I don’t think he’s wrong.

Every time we harvest a wild mushroom, we do so in a place. Every time we add a new bird to our life list, we do so in a place. Every time we gather spring water and admire a wooded valley, we do so in a place.

Alvars, bogs, fens, forests, marshes, prairies, savannas, and swamps are all places where life abounds. When we refer to these places specifically as “ecosystems,” a few interesting things happen: We see important connections, we see intricate relationships, and we see where humans fit into the story.

If you want to strengthen your connection to nature by learning these fascinating ecosystems, consider enrolling in Exploring Wild Ecosystems. This is my newest online course designed to improve your ecological literacy.

Today is the last day of the sale.

You can learn more and register here.

Thanks for your continued support!
—Adam Haritan

Old-Growth Forest Ecology Outing — New Event Scheduled!

I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be leading an Old-Growth Forest Ecology Outing in a few weeks, and I’d love for you to join me.

This outing offers a unique in-person opportunity to learn the rich ecology and distinctive features of older forests.

We’ll begin the day by walking through a mature upland hardwood forest and discussing forest ecology. In the afternoon, we will explore a magnificent old-growth conifer forest and discuss old-growth forest dynamics.

In addition to learning key characteristics of mature and old-growth forests, participants will learn tree identification techniques; mushroom ecology and identification; the influence of geology on forest development; ways to interpret forest history; the role of fire as an ecological agent; old-growth forest misconceptions; and much more.

This event will take place in Cook Forest State Park. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, Cook Forest is home to one of the last remaining old-growth forests in the entire region, currently hosting 11 old-growth areas totaling over 2,300 acres. One of the areas within the park, the Forest Cathedral, contains arguably the finest concentration of old-growth trees in the northeastern United States. This remarkable area is home to dozens of old-growth eastern white pine and hemlock trees, many over 300 years old and towering above 140 feet in height.

This outing is the perfect opportunity to learn, explore, and connect with nature in a truly spectacular setting.

Interested? Here are the details:

When: Saturday May 31, 2025 or Sunday June 1, 2025 (Choose one date; both programs will cover the same material.)
Where: Cook Forest State Park, Pennsylvania
Time: 10:00 am — 4:00 pm

To maximize your learning experience, space is limited and registration with payment in advance is required to secure your spot.

To learn more and to register, click here and choose the appropriate session.

I’d love to see you there!

—Adam Haritan