Pt. I
Not long ago, the Appalachian mountains were filled with expansive stands of the ‘giant of the forest’;the great American Chestnut Tree’. “The mountains were like a sea of white with chestnut blossoms in the early summer.”
Pt. II
However, in 1904 a devastating blight began, destroying them; a blight which persists today.
Pt. III
Up until the blight, the American Chestnut tree's delectable nut was a key part of American holiday tradition. Mel Torme's 'The Christmas Song', also know as 'Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire' pays tribute to this era, as it portrays cozy Thanksgiving & Christmas holidays, where the roasted aroma wafted thru America's homes and streets, and the sweet taste of this unique chestnut was an eagerly anticipated seasonal delight.
Pt. IV
We seek to recreate this lost delicacy with our small orchard of patented, blight resistant American chestnut hybrids. They are meticulously kept, irrigated by artesian spring water & located high in the rugged Yancey County mountains, where these giants once dominated this landscape.
