Though the American chestnut tree is but a faint memory and presence, its Chinese counterpart has mostly taken its place in the landscape (for now). Working last week at McKeon farm in Ridgefield, one of my fellow commissioners sent me a picture of harvested chestnuts from a tree at the far end of its orchard. I had to take a closer look. The ground underneath this impressive tree is littered with empty burs whose sharp spikes make it hazardous to grab. But buried in the surrounding grasses are a large number of chestnuts that the animals have missed. I pick them with the anticipation of having “chestnuts by an open fire” reminding me of a Christmas song that my parents played over and over again during my youth.
