Chestnuts should be harvested daily as soon as some begin to ripen and
drop to the ground. They should be placed at once on shelves or in
curing containers with wooden or metal bottoms through which the larvae
of any weevils with which the nuts may be infested cannot penetrate and
reach the ground. In areas of infestation, these grubs soon begin to
bore their way out of the nuts and leave conspicuous holes in the
shells. All infested nuts should be promptly burned.
In order to cure chestnuts to best advantage, they should be spread
thinly on floors, or on shelves, or in shallow containers as just
described, and held in a well-ventilated room. They should be stirred
frequently and held for from 5 to 10 days depending both upon the
condition of the nuts and the atmospheric conditions at the time of
harvest: During the period of curing, the nuts will shrink rapidly in
weight and the color will change materially. Both luster and brightness
will largely disappear and, although still attractive, the nuts will
quickly become dull brown. Three weeks is about as long as Chinese
chestnuts usually remain edible without special treatment.
Chestnuts should be marketed as promptly as possible both to minimize
deterioration and to take advantage of good prices which are usually
highest early in the season.