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The chestnut harvest, the emblematic fruit of autumn, has begun and the season looks promising in Ardèche, both in quality and quantity.
Like fishermen, the chestnut pickers shake their nets to reap the fruits of their labor. Leaves, bugs, but above all kilos of fruit are there. “If we want to keep the quality we have today, we have to pick up quickly because it needs to be hot and the chestnut is a fresh fruit”, argues Philippe Ranc, castanéiculturist in an AOP in Ardèche. Last summer, dry and scorching, could have harmed the harvest, but the rare storms in August were enough to water the chestnut trees.
Sometimes it is impossible to use the nets on the steep terrain. They then go about it with a stick and rob a tree. They come to hit the bugs, protective envelopes of the fruit, accelerating the fall of the chestnut. Depending on the size of each fruit, different recipes are preferred. “The small ones are used for flours and creams, the medium size is more for grillers or Christmas markets and the large ones are for fresh and candied chestnuts.”, explains Benjamin Vignal, castaneiculturist.