OWOSSO, Mich. – Various nuts will be the focus during a four-day gathering in Michigan, the nation’s leader in acreage for raising chestnuts. The Chestnut Growers of America and the Northern Nut Growers Association (NNGA) will host their annual joint national conference Aug. 3-6.

The kick-off will be at Nash Nurseries in Owosso with networking and dinner to follow tours of the orchard, which includes groves of chestnut trees and processing facilities.

The next two days will feature things like presentations by tree nut experts and group discussions on various topics ranging from breeding, harvesting and value-added marketing.

The final day will be strictly for bus tours to three nut tree growers and processors.

One of the stops will be at Chestnut Growers, Inc., the largest cooperative and processor of chestnuts in the state.

According to the NNGA, much of the conference will be about chestnuts but hazelnuts and other nut-producing trees like hickory along with the fruit bearing pawpaw tree will receive some attention during the conference.

To register, the cost is $295 with discounts available for association members, students and exhibitors. The conference is open to anyone interested in nut-producing trees, according to NNGA.

More people have possibly heard the famous musical lyrics “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” at Christmas than consumed one.

Nicole Davis and her husband, Eric, have about 700 chestnut trees on 20 acres near South Haven at their Lake Effect Acres Farm.

Last year, she said her trees, including some about the size of oaks, yielded about 16,000 pounds of chestnuts.

Nicole Davis described chestnuts as sort of sweet with a flavor that’s kind of between a carrot and potato. “It doesn’t taste like a nut at all,” she said. 

Davis said boiling is another cooking option, but she prefers to bake them for 30 to 45 minutes.

A slice must be placed into each one before cooking or the pressure that builds inside from the heat will cause them to burst.

“Otherwise, it would be like popcorn in your oven,” she said.

Davis said chestnuts also can be used in other ways like in soups, scones, beer and even ground into flour.

According to the Agricultural Resource Center, the other leading chestnut producers in the nation based on acreage are Florida, California, Oregon and Virginia. Other contributors include Ohio and Iowa.

Davis said chestnuts are harvested on the ground throughout October after they’ve fallen from the trees. She estimated one-half of her crop is taken by droves of customers mostly driving over two hours from Chicago on weekends to gather them up.

Some of her customers leave with as much as 20 to 100 pounds of chestnuts, Davis said.

The remainder of the chestnuts are harvested by a man who brings a machine that sweeps and vacuums them up. The chestnuts are then taken to a coop for distribution to markets leading up to the holidays.

The Davises had never raised a crop until 2021 when they purchased the already existing farm, which also has 20 acres of blueberries. Nicole said she was a social worker and her husband a building inspector when they felt a need for a “life change” in their late 40s.

After weekends of traveling to look at properties, they saw the farm and made an offer the next day. Davis said she quit her job a month later and dove into learning how to raise chestnuts. Now, much of their income is from the farm and the rental homes they’ve owned for a long time.

Eric Davis is still a building inspector but just part time, and he makes some cash on the side from his woodworking.

“We love it. Very happy. We didn’t know this is what our dream job was,” Nicole said.