Horse Chestnut

[Shadow Walker]

Horse Chestnut.
I picked this information from the “Plants for the future” data base, can anyone tell me whether its correct and if they have ever tried it.

“The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute.
Seed - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and used as a gruel. The seed is quite large, about 3cm in diameter, and is easily harvested. It is usually produced in abundance in Britain. Unfortunately the seed is also rich in saponins, these must be removed before it can be used as a food and this process also removes many of the minerals and vitamins, leaving behind mainly starch.

The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 - 5 days.”

Jason

 

[stovie]

I've never tried doing anything but bake Horse Chestnuts for "conker competitions" Sounds to me you don't get much return for the effort.

As for Sweet Chestnuts, I throw two dozen in a lidded billy and place on the coals. When you see dents appearing on the side of the can, you know the're done

 

[Pappa]

I have no idea how toxic the saponins are, or whether they pose a danger to health.

Pappa

 

[Moonraker]

Lot of info already posted on Horse Chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum. Try searches and :

fallen horse chestnut

on the toxicity of saponins:

Loads of chestnuts-saponins

As to your info Pappa, The following is taken from 'Earth Medicine-Earth Food, by Michael A. Weiner (1972)'

However, seeds have also been described as toxic and potentially deadly.

 

[Marts]

The edibility of horse chestnuts was discussed recently on this thread

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8069&highlight=chestnut

 

[Pappa]

Last edited by Ed : 02-11-2005 at 00:41. Reason: Drug Reference

I resent having part of my post deleted when posts on Sloe Gin, various types of brewing and other "Drug References" are seen on this board all the time. I've read several posts about Willow Bark as an analgesic, and posts on Tobacco alternatives too. None of these posts were edited due to Drug References. Do you think our hunter-gatherer ancestors and the remaining indigenous peoples around the world live(d) their lives without the use of intoxicants?

My post was hardly an endorsement, it was just a statement of fact.



Pappa