Chestnuts are one of the world’s most iconic holiday foods, but for almost 100 years, New Yorkers have not had access to locally grown, fresh, deliciously roasted chestnuts in...
Read moreChestnuts are one of the world’s most iconic holiday foods, but for almost 100 years, New Yorkers have not had access to locally grown, fresh, deliciously roasted chestnuts in the holiday season.
Chestnut trees were once abundant in the Eastern Forest of the USA, but then came the chestnut blight, killing 4 billion trees and making the American Chestnut all but extinct. Most chestnuts that Americans have “roasted on an open fire” in the last 100 years were imported from overseas and woefully un-fresh. But now, this once great tree is making a comeback in North America! Farmers have developed blight resistant, cold hardy, and delicious varieties of chestnut and are growing them again in the USA. And we are bringing this new supply of locally grown, fresh chestnuts to New York City!
The Great Chestnut Experiment is a pop up at the Bryant Park Holiday Market dedicated to bringing chestnuts back in North America. We work with pioneering farmers growing the next generation of tree crops, and eaters of all stripes who want to enjoy some of the best food nature provides. Last year, we did 11 holiday pop-ups selling American grown roast chestnuts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with great success. This year, we are part of the Bryant Park Holiday Market Village, the largest NYC Holiday market drawing crowds of 20k+ people every day from October to January. We’re incredibly excited to bring American grown chestnuts back to the masses this holiday season!
