So I got a bunch of fresh chestnuts, because I like them and this is the time of year one does these things.
So I got a bunch of fresh chestnuts, because I like them and this is the time of year one does these things. Apparently, they have their very own form of weevil. Note the inclusion of the word 'evil'.
I had them in a bag on the counter for two days prior to the whole roasting thing. Which, horrible though the result was, turns out to have been a good thing, because the nuts were infested. We found grubs crawling all over Halloween morning; they had hatched and eaten their way out of the nuts and the bag. Gross, but at least we hadn't tried to eat the nuts, which were full of eggs.
I mean, if I had cooked them right away I would have found a lot of dead, roasted larvae inside when I peeled them. However, I think I would have been much more grossed out, really. Guess that's what happens when you buy them from a place that doesn't use nasty chemical sprays. Seemingly I have simply been fortunate in the past in not having encountered this?
Yuck.
I had them in a bag on the counter for two days prior to the whole roasting thing. Which, horrible though the result was, turns out to have been a good thing, because the nuts were infested. We found grubs crawling all over Halloween morning; they had hatched and eaten their way out of the nuts and the bag. Gross, but at least we hadn't tried to eat the nuts, which were full of eggs.
I mean, if I had cooked them right away I would have found a lot of dead, roasted larvae inside when I peeled them. However, I think I would have been much more grossed out, really. Guess that's what happens when you buy them from a place that doesn't use nasty chemical sprays. Seemingly I have simply been fortunate in the past in not having encountered this?
Yuck.
To be fair, this is a potential problem with any kind of tree nut or pitted fruit. The variety of wasps, moths, beetles, and other creepy crawlies that like to breed in them is impressive. I just never ran into it with chestnuts before and, being sciency, looked it up. Behold, the chestnut weevil.
ReplyDeleteAlso, though, there appears to be an increase and spread of bugs like this, as well as more invasive species appearances. Definitely not related to changing weather, water, or climate. I will be sad if chestnuts are about to become a rarity. Well, low protein ones, anyway.