Veggies & Fruits: Chestnuts

I picked up these chestnuts at the farmer's market last week and they immediately brought back memories of childhood. Gosh, I can't remember the last time I've had these...must've been over 10 years ago, at least! It was always a treat when Mom used to make them for us during cold winter and the chestnuts always tasted so warm and delicious. Nostalgia aside, photographing them was not as easy as I envisioned. Their teardrop shape made them hard to manipulate and position, and I struggled to come up with any interesting arrangement. Then, I decided to try adding in some leaves and that seemed to do the trick. I'm pretty happy with how these pictures turned out and I think they're quite fitting for the winter season.

On a side note, cooking the chestnuts after the photoshoot did not go as well. After doing some internet search, we were excited to try roasting them in the oven, but they were impossible to peel afterwards. We kept cooking them longer thinking that would help, but after over an hour, we just gave up. I know my mom used to cook them by boiling in water and maybe that's what I should've done...very disappointing and a huge waste! Sad...