Chestnut ‘Layeroka’ (Castanea mollissima x dentatum)

‘Layeroka’ is a blight resistant Chinese and European Chestnut hybrid that’s winter hardy and an early producer of large quantities of medium-size, delicious chestnuts. There are usually up to 3 nuts in the prickly burr. Chestnuts are popular in Italian cuisine where they are most often roasted or boiled and eaten as snacks, in soups, salads or stuffing. Chestnuts ripen in September through early November. Wait for the mature chestnuts to fall to the ground and gather up all the nuts and remove them from the burrs. Discard any with worm holes or other signs of damage. Store in air-tight containers or freeze. Mature ‘Layeroka’ chestnut trees reach 30’ tall creating an attractive landscape specimen. This is a seedling tree that will generally produce fruit 4-5 years after planting.