g a n c
sweet chestnut
Even with the chestnut story, we remain faithful to organic principles.
Our sweet chestnut story;
or how every 'difficulty' can also be an opportunity!
Our story with chestnuts (Castanea sativa x Castanea crenata), started in 2014 when we went through a really bad beekeeping season. Due to the constant rain, we lost the entire harvest of honey, which encouraged us to think about how to use the land we own.
Being optimistic, we remembered the good old phrase from:
‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ Winston Churchill, British statesman
Of course, we always aimed to ensure that the plants we planted would also benefit the bees. That’s how we came up with the idea of chestnuts.
W p r o v e d t h a t h e l i t s a r e o n l i n o u h e a d s a n d t h a t w i t h e f f o r t a n d h o n e s t w o r k y o u c a n a c h i e v e a n y t h i n g .
The idea with chestnuts seemed a bit presumptuous because there is a belief that in our region chestnuts don’t thrive, but that’s exactly why this idea presented a challenge and we dived into this project.
So every time you eat our products, you are part of the story of persistence, love of work and 100% organic production.
The year 2018 and the first plantations…
In 2018, we planted the first hectare plantation, and impatiently waited to see what would happen. The seedlings took off nicely and grew year after year, and in 2021 we’ve already increased the plantation by 2 hectares. A year later, for one more ha. All the time, we carefully observed what was happening, and with great effort and love for work, we learned and grew.
Today we cultivate a well over 4 hectares of chestnut plantation with 550 trees.
"The sweet chestnut tree (Castanea Sativa) dates back to prehistoric times. During the period of the Roman Empire, chestnuts were not yet known to Europe (except for the Romans and Greeks). The Greeks and Romans introduced chestnut cultivation to Europe. Throughout history and up until today, the chestnut tree has become one of the most popular trees."
Faithful to organic production
Even with the chestnut story, we remain faithful to organic principles. We do not use herbicide around the seedlings and the protective fence, but we remove the weeds mechanically, and instead of using plant protection products, we prefer to use foliar fertilizers with algae, which are allowed in organic production, and thus we prefer to take care of the good nutrition of the chestnut trees and reduce stress caused by weather conditions.
It is also necessary to understand that foliar fertilization with algae is only a small piece of the puzzle. The most important thing is that the soil in which the trees have roots is alive, full of organic matter and airy.
ORDER
Order organic sweet chestnut
Chestnuts are available from September until the crop is sold out. You can get it at our home address with prior arrangement, but we can also send it by post at your request.
The price for a kilogram of 1st class is 10€, and a kilogram of 2nd class is 6€.
TRIVIA
Did you know?
- The largest and oldest chestnut tree grows in Sicily on Mount Etna. It is between 2,000 and 4,000 years old, and its trunk is almost 58 meters in diameter.
- The thickest tree in Slovenia is the Gašper chestnut tree. It grows in Močilno above Radeče, a good 20 km away from our chestnut plantation. It is more than 300 years old.
- For good growth, the chestnut tree needs mycorrhiza, it is a symbiosis between the fungus and the chestnut tree. The mycorrhiza acts as a good information system that allows chestnuts to access nutrients. Due to the good mycorrhizal variety, chestnuts are even sweeter and tastier.
- Chestnuts are the only nuts (shelled fruit) that contain vitamin C (100 g provide 40% of the daily requirement for this vitamin).
- Chestnuts are sweeter when the temperature drops below zero at night.
- Gluten-free food: Chestnut does not contain gluten, so it is an excellent food in a gluten-free diet.