Sweet chestnuts and maggots!

One of my biggest delights this time of the year is to get a bag of chestnuts in which to indulge myself. Maybe it's my imagination, or seeing things through the old 'rose tinted specs' but it seems that more than a third of the nuts available these days (no matter where from) have maggots or are bad. I have several questions:

1. that kind of bug is this?

2. are they pretty much inevitable or is there a way one can avoid contaminated nuts?

3. Is there a way one can roast chestnuts without actually building a bonfire? I've seen things like these ceramic pots advertised but I only have an electric oven. Has anyone managed to roast them in a domestic oven?

 

Hi Dasiees,

We had a pot like that, it broke in the fire. No reason you cant do them under the grill or in the oven. you'd need to turn them under the grill though.

Couldn't find any decent sized ones here this year & not got around to bying any yet, but i'll inspect them carefully before I do.

 

Did Spain have a drought this summer ?

 

We roast them in an electric oven - 15 minutes on an oven tray, remembering to make a cut in each one first.

Then the, oh so much fun, of shelling/peeling the little blighters. Yes, the supermarket ones seem to have more bad 'uns amongst them.

 

Thanks guys - interesting ......

 

Just bought a bag of chestnuts from Morisons after squeezing every one in store, much to the interest of the security guard who always follows me round the shop.

No weevils, very moist & no bad ones & that was just the security guard.

 

I got a bag from Asda yesterday ,and yes I checked everyone . Going to do then tomorrow when we cook the turkey ..

Dave

 

Interesting - only bagged ones up this neck of the woods!