Met a wonderful knowledgeable man named Fred at the River Market on a Saturday morning in October. He was selling some herbs and greens, but what caught my eye is that he was selling chestnuts from his farm! I have never bought uncooked chestnuts before and bought a small basket to try. These chestnuts were huge! My mistake was not cooking & trying them on that Saturday. They were so fresh, as Fred had mentioned, that they were so easy to peel! I have never had chestnuts so fresh that the fuzzy interior skin peeled off so easily! Each large chestnut was so delicious. Fred is a wealth of information! We chatted and learned he had completed his agricultural masters at the University of Hawaii at Manoa! He is the epitome of the friendly Midwesterner I remember from my college days! Check out Fred at River Market in Kansas City to see what he is selling. He will gladly answer questions. Although it is not blackberry season, he has a blackberry picking farm. Will contact him the next time I am in Kansas City! Btw, Fred said he enjoys the chestnuts boiled. I tried boiling and baking per the instructions he provided. Yes, I did clip the bottoms of the chestnuts Fred. The boiled ones were moister, but more difficult to peel. The roasted o ES peeled nicely as the hard shells cracked with light pressure. I liked them boiled with less time, then tossed in my Ninja I have in KC. I still have to do more testing on the cook times to get them perfect. Maybe I need to need to roast them on an open fire! read more