The alarm clock was set earlier than usual. We were all geared up to head north to visit several chestnut farms in Iowa. Since that day six years ago when Daniel first told me of his brainstorm about filling our 11-acre field with chestnut saplings, it has been an amazing process of learning. True to his goal, the nuts would be ready for harvest once the children were all old enough to learn to shoulder responsibility in a healthy way and make a difference with the work at hand.
Now that Daniel was no longer here, I prayed for the wisdom to lead and passion to follow through with the projects at hand. Since that first day I walked through the grove after he had gone to heaven, the trees seemed to offer their own sense of comfort. Not only that, it was my place to go talk to God. He would hear what I would tell Him audibly; no one else was around to hear or see me cry, pray, or sing. Though the trees did not actually know my story, there was One who met me there every time, and the trees reminded me to pray for the many souls our Lord would save through Daniel’s death and God’s master plan in it, which I am not yet able to see fully. Thus the young grove became a place of rest and solitude.
One day, as I thought of naming the different sections of the grove, I thought of five letters in a row in the alphabet: “P, Q, R, S, T” as the beginning letter for their names. The names just fell into place. Peace would be the first section across the drive; beyond it would be Quiet. The new section where Daniel had cleared an area in the woods to get ready to plant chestnuts would be Rest and then there’s Solace — the exact area where Daniel got hurt. Last but not least is my favorite section, back yonder: Tranquility.
As we’re slowly growing more and more into the chestnut world, so to speak, I enjoy learning from others. When I spoke with a gentleman from Iowa, asking if they would consider buying nuts from us this fall on a wholesale basis, he said we could come see their facility. I was intrigued with the idea of seeing what we could find. Daniel’s brother and family, who also have a grove, planned the five hour trip and so we all did it together.
Thus we were on our way, early Thursday morning. Upon our arrival at that first farm, we were quite impressed with the operation they had for taking care of 60-plus acres of trees. The farm was picture perfect. We walked through the lush green grass among the trees. Us ladies and the children had our picnic lunch together of tortilla wraps, seasoned pretzels, and energy balls, while the guys took measurements of a sorting/washing machine in hopes of one day making their own.
The next farm was quite unique. It is owned by an elderly couple who were among the first in the United States to start disease-resistant chestnut trees after diseases swept through, wiping out most or all chestnut trees over the last 100 years. I enjoyed listening to their stories while touring their farm, checking out numerous plants and trees I never knew existed. This little sparkly lady did not lack in hospitality as she took us through the house she and her husband built together many years ago, and even gave us samples of gummi and English walnuts they had raised.
Last came the facility which buys chestnuts on a wholesale basis. I’m excited to tackle the season this fall and see where it takes us. If any of you out there would like to place an early order or are interested in finding out more about pricing, drop a letter in the mail to 10510 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427. We’d be happy to accommodate you in any way we can, and yes, we are able to ship out orders.
Now for a light snack on a warm summer evening. My sister-in-law made yummy seasoned pretzels we munched in that picture-perfect grove. Here is a recipe for you to try yourself. Enjoy a yummy twist to an ordinary pretzel!
Delicious Seasoned Pretzels
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound pretzels
1 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp. cheddar cheese powder
3 Tbsp. sour cream and onion powder
Instructions
Mix together oil and seasonings.
Pour over pretzels (we prefer thin sticks).
Now mix thoroughly.
Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
Gloria Yoder is an Amish house-wife in rural Illinois. She is the third writer of The Amish Cook column since its inception in 1991. Yoder can be reached by writing: The Amish Cook, P.O. Box 157, Middletown, Ohio 45042.
