Castanea sativa x mollissima. This tree has incredible potential as a truly sustainable food source for humans. High in vitamins and starch, the nuts can be used to make a flour food staple, or pressed for oil to be made into bio fuel. We grow a hybrid of Chinese (for blight resistance) and American (for cold hardiness), which reaches 15m tall.
For more inspiration and ideas in growing sweet chestnuts as a crop, we recommend this book: Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers by Mark Shepard
Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5
Recommended Use: nuts for fresh eating, cooking, baking. Nuts ban be pressed for bio fuel as well