Béa's Chronicle "The Breadfruit Tree"

The fruit & the tree

The fruit: 

The chestnut is an energy-rich fruit, very high in complex sugars (starch), B vitamins, and trace elements (potassium, magnesium, iron). More than 120 varieties have been identified by the Cévennes National Park Figarette, Pellegrine, Gascar, Barbue, Redounette, Baumelle and so many others… They are beautiful, round, brown or red, hairy or shiny – all different but all interesting for their taste and preservation qualities. 

Chestnuts are eaten cooked, in a bajane (a type of stew) with milk or wine, or roasted over a wood fire for convivial gatherings. At the beginning of the 19th century, chestnut jam became a popular dish. For about 30 years now, chestnut flour, which is gluten-free, has been added to wheat flour to create a more distinctive bread. (Be careful not to add too much, or it will become too dense.)

The tree: its story

Already reintroduced to the Cévennes by the Romans, it is said that in the 12th century, Benedictine monks arrived in large numbers in our region. They brought with them expertise, including the selection of varieties and the art of grafting. Crown grafting, flute grafting, or cleft grafting: these techniques are still used today. Grafting is easy to do but fragile in the wind and provides an entry point for endothia disease; it must be protected. The tree is cared for like a fruit tree: pruning, trimming, maintenance, fertilizing, and watering. 

When a child was born, it was common to plant chestnut trees to help build the future home. Straight trees—called "bouscasses"—were necessary and useful for making the frame, as well as the beams, stairs, and floors. This wood is strong and rot-resistant. It was used for everything and throughout its life: for stakes, cradles, coffins, watering troughs, but also hollowed out to shelter the black bee and make it a home—known as a "log hive."

The clède & diseases

The clède: chestnut drying shed 

Essential for preserving chestnuts year-round, this small house is built on two levels. It is located near houses or deep in the forest. Some can still be seen amidst old chestnut groves, with one or two sections of wall still standing against the elements.

In the upper section, the chestnuts were laid out on slatted boards in a layer that could reach a maximum of one meter thick. Below, a hot but flameless fire burned continuously. It took a month to dry the chestnuts, taking care to turn them over from time to time. 

Next, the chestnuts are "shelled" (that is, the outer skin is removed). And in the evening, around the fire during the evening gathering, knife in hand, the watchmen patiently remove the inner skin. Finally, they are sorted and stored for the annual consumption of both people and animals. 

Diseases

The endothia  is a fungus that blocks the flow of sap and causes the bark to "swell", resulting in a "canker"; often the tree withers above the canker and may die, but resistance develops more and more.

The ink It is also a fungus that is transmitted through the roots and travels up the trunk. The tree exudes a black "ink" at the base of the trunk and dies.

The gall wasp is another disease transmitted by an insect that lays its eggs in a chestnut bud. A gall forms on the shoot. The infested plant will produce little or no fruit. Researchers have introduced a micro-wasp, the torymuswhich lays its eggs in the galls caused by the gall wasp and whose gall wasp larvae are fond of those of the gall wasp! This biological control has slowed down this new disease.