Enjoying the Romans’ legacy: gathering chestnuts in the forest

 

It’s some kind of a family tradition now. Every year in late summer and early autumn the whole family goes to the Palatine Forest to collect those little brown chestnuts. The area where we live was once a thriving Roman colony and those legendary  conquerors didn’t only cultivate the first vineyards here but also planted many figs,  wallnuts, and chestnuts, many hundreds of years ago. No wonder that our region - the South Palatinate - situated near the French border is called the German Tuscany.  

 

Our area is known for its chestnut trees and the forest in our village is just 10 minutes by foot away from our house but we knew that, just like us, many German families would go out in droves this warm Sunday morning to have a leisurely walk in the forest and  to gather its chestnuts.

 

So after having brunch, we went driving south with our car some 20 km. away. There we had our own little spot of forest, far away from the rest, where the chestnut trees built a canopy, providing us with shade  as we gather its nuts.  

 

After less than an hour of work, we had collected about 10 kgs. of nuts between ourselves. Tonight my wife would cook some of the nuts we ourselves gathered and drink new wine with it. What Martin and Anna had gathered they would sell in the market- competing with other children, teaching them along the way one important virtue in life: how to earn their own money through hard work and honesty.