Chestnuts in summer? Yes!

For those of us who forage for wild foods and try to eat seasonally, chestnuts are a late autumn/early winter choice. But for those of us who shop at LaBonne’s Market in Salisbury, chestnut season began early, thanks to a sale on pre-peeled, pre-roasted chestnuts in small bags.Chestnuts are one of my favorite foods, much to the chagrin of my daughter, who is often forced to go on chestnut-gathering expeditions with me. I love to collect them, I love to eat them but I really don’t love the part where the hard brown shells (after they’ve been removed from their prickly outer husks) have to be cut with a sharp knife. The hard little nuts then have to be boiled or roasted and then peeled. Extremely tedious. Zipping open a vacuum packed bag of nuts is a delight, and I recommend it. You skip the hard parts and get right to the tender chestnut, which tastes sweet, has a lovely soft sticky texture and provides odd little trace minerals such as copper, vitamins B6 and 7 and potassium (which is one of the electrolytes you lose in hot weather when you sweat).Chestnuts are also a source of complex carbohydrates, which means they actually are a healthy carb that doesn’t turn right to sugar in your body. And, unlike many other nuts, they are low in fat and have no cholesterol.My daughter will happily eat chestnuts right out of the bag, often using a pair of chopsticks so she can get at them without getting her fingers sticky. We also are particularly fond of a cake we buy at the Japanese market in New Jersey that is made with chestnut flour and lots of whipped cream and is topped with chestnut puree and a big fat chestnut in the center of each slice.With the bounty of these prepared chestnuts (which can also be found at Sharon Farm Market), we are planning to make chestnut soup, which is a little bit thick and filling for this hot time of year, but we don’t care. Chestnut soup always makes me feel a little bit as though I’ve traveled magically to the south of France, and that’s a lovely imaginary place to be at this time of year. If you enjoy that fantasy, serve this soup cold and add a garnish of fresh chopped lavender on top and feel fully transported. Chilled chestnut soupServes six to eightOne leek, cleaned and chopped, one celery stalk, cleaned and diced (the celery takes a little longer than the other ingredients to soften), half a carrot, peeled and chopped (or a cup of baby carrots, chopped), half of a medium onion, peeled and chopped, two garlic cloves, peeled and chopped, two tablespoons olive oil, six bags of peeled and cooked chestnuts, two cups of good quality chicken stock, one cup of water, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Garnish options: chopped lavender or chopped chives, lemon zest, creme fraiche.Sautee the leek, celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the olive oil for five to 10 minutes, until they’re all tender and translucent. Add the chestnuts and sauté them for an additional five minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken broth and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the liquid begins to get flavorful. Add salt and pepper to taste. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth (I don’t like it too smooth, but it’s a matter of personal taste). You can serve it hot or put it in the refrigerator to chill and then serve it with a swirl of creme fraiche, some lemon zest scattered across the top and a teaspoon or two of chopped chives or lavender.