Tinkerland Farm is a family farm located across the road from Bryant Ln on Rt 151 in Nelson County, Virginia. It is named after the late Tinker Bryant(Frank George Jr.) who lived on Bryant Ln and worked as the rural letter carrier out of the Roseland postoffice for many years. He is survived by two of his daughters, Rebecca Moyer who owns A Bryant Family Farm on Bryant Lane, and Sarah Loken who owns Tinkerland Farm on the East side of Rt.151. The chestnut harvest at Tinkerland Farm generally starts around the last week of September and goes until the 3rd week of October. The 2022 chestnut harvest is now over, so we are no longer offering pick-your-own chestnuts. We will however still be open on alternating weekends going into November and December, selling pre-picked nuts. We are currently selling chestnuts frozen-in-a-box, vacuum-packed and frozen, or pasteurized for your refrigerator. Frozen-in-a-box chestnuts are $4 per lb. Vacuum-packed and frozen chestnuts are $5 per lb. Pasteurized for refrigerator chestnuts are $10 for a 1lb-6oz box, or $5 for an 11oz box. We accept payment in the form of cash or check. FYI, the Tinkerland Farm chestnuts orchard is a no spray orchard, and our pasteurization process is a warm-air process designed specifically to kill weevil larva eggs. Nuts are sold in the shells. Please check our hours and stop by! Otherwise, see you next year!
We began planting the chestnut orchard in the spring of 2012 with 225 trees in a 10 acre field formerly occupied by cows.
Despite losing some trees in a fire in 2014, by the summer of 2015 we had expanded to 450+ trees planted.
In 2021 we harvested 700 lbs of nuts(with many left unpicked and eaten by animals).
In 2022 we are expecting to harvest over 1000 lbs of nuts.
The variety of chestnut planted at Tinkerland Farm is called a Dunstan Hybrid Chestnut,
which is a cross between the American(Castanea dentata) Chestnut and the Chinese(Castanea mollissima) Chestnut.
Dunstan Chestnuts are the primary variety of chestnut cultivated in America, due to their resistance to The Chestnut Blight(Cryphonectria parasitica)
which wiped out the American Chestnut in the beginning of the 20th century. However, because they are a hybrid there is noticeable variability between the nuts of each tree,
and each tree will produce nuts of different sizes.
We are currently only selling in person this year, and offer both a pick-your-own option as well as pre-picked nuts by the pound.
Our chestnuts are unsprayed so we heat-treat the harvested refrigerated nuts with warm air at 120°F as a preventative against chestnut weevil larvae.
We also sell frozen nuts. Freezing also kills weevil eggs. We pick up nuts on a rolling basis to minimize the amount of time the nuts lay on the ground before processing.
Due to the Chestnut Weevil(Curculio elephas) we recommend pick-your-own customers keep the nuts frozen until ready to cook/eat.
Alternatively, pick-your-own customers can try to heat-treat at home using a crockpot, however nuts should be thoroughly dried after soaking to prevent molding.
Chestnuts are gluten free, cholesterol free, high in fiber, and a good source of anti-oxidants.
Raw chestnuts are a great source of vitamin C. We believe wildlife should be free to roam, so there are no tall fences surrounding the orchard.
Consequently, there may be animal droppings in the orchard. We recommend rinsing the nuts before consuming raw.
Chestnuts are generally higher in carbohydrates than other nuts, like for example walnuts and pecans, which are relatively higher in fats and proteins.
Don't forget to bring your leather gloves to pick-your-own because chestnuts form inside a prickly burr/husk/hull. We also offer gloves for sale on site.
To cook a pound of chestnuts in the microwave, simply cut an "X" in each nut using a knife and cutting board,
and place the nuts in the microwave in a covered bowl. Run on high for roughly 3-5 minutes depending on wattage.
The outer skin will peel back off the nuts when they are ready.
To roast using a conventional oven simply cut an "X" in each nut, and bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes.
Here are some nutritional facts about chestnuts curtesy of Wikipedia and USDA:
Update(11/27/22)
The chestnut harvest ended in October, and as winter approaches, now is the time for various off-season tasks. Consequently, we will not be selling nuts on the side of the road again until Fall 2023.
Please contact us if you are interested in chestnuts before then. Arrangements may be made for local customers and large orders.
We accept cash or check.
The orchard is located along Patrick Henry Hwy(VA-151) across from the intersection of Bryant Ln(781) and Patrick Henry Hwy(VA-151), in Roseland, VA.
The entrance is approximately 80 yards down 151 on the right going northbound from the intersection with Bryant Ln. Parking is located along the fence-line next to the orchard.
Click here for google maps
Alternatively copy+paste the gps coordinates: 37°48'20.9"N 78°56'59.5"W (37.805808, -78.949868)
We accept cash or check.
Please email us at contact@tinkerlandfarm.com if you have any questions or feedback.
We will be looking for 4 to 8 helpers for the 2023 chestnut harvest, to help us pick up nuts at whatever time they are available starting around the last week of September and going through approximatly October 20th. If you are interested please email us at contact+hiring@tinkerlandfarm.com(please include your name and a good contact number).