That Old Chestnut: A Nutty Tale, of Love, Loss, and Reconnection
Just a little over a hundred years ago, eastern forests were studded with what was called "America's perfect tree": 100-foot giants with straight-grained, rot-resistant wood, which filled the woods every fall with delicious, nutritious nuts. This nut\u2014the American chestnut\u2014was a staple in the diet and culture of Indigenous peoples, local wildlife, and colonial Americans. Then, in the early 1900s, disaster struck: a deadly and seemingly unstoppable disease moved in and made the species functionally extinct. But Americans haven\u2019t given up on the chestnut; there\u2019s a movement today to bring back this iconic tree using a variety of ingenious approaches. So what will it take to return the \u201credwood of the East\u201d to our forests\u2014and its sweet, buttery nut to our plates? Join us this episode as we take a frolic through the chestnut\u2019s forgotten history and the science underpinning its potential return, as well as visit a farm growing hybrid American chestnuts to taste for ourselves why they once drove Americans wild\u2014and might soon do so again.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices