Where to go for Easter holiday? Of course, to the Blue Mountains for chestnut and walnut picking!
And yes, it’s chestnut picking season again. This chestnut orchard (Kookootonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm) located in Mt Irvine, about 2.5 hours from Sydney, is managed by an elderly couple. You need to pass through the Blue Mountains and Mt Wilson, but the orchard is quite large with plenty of chestnuts and walnuts to pick.
The orchard is called Kookootonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm, you can find it on Google. When I went, the damp weather made the surroundings misty, giving it a fairy-tale-like atmosphere.
Getting to Kookootonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm
We set off for the chestnut farm as soon as we woke up today, heading towards the Blue Mountains, Except for the last stretch where the lanes are narrow and the road is rough (lots of potholes, so drive slowly), the other roads are quite easy to drive on. It’s challenging to reach here by public transport, so driving is the most convenient option!
What we think
There weren’t many people at the farm the day we visited probably because it’s midweek, but the farm owner was very enthusiastic, showing us how to identify quality chestnuts (big and firm ones are good) and how to pick them (both walnuts and chestnuts are mature when they fall to the ground, chestnuts have spikes that can be picked with clippers).
The farm provides containers for nuts, gloves, clippers (which is very useful!) and umbrellas (provided if it rains, but they recommend bringing raincoats).
The farm has been around for over 100 years, and the fruit trees are enormous. We chose several trees to pick from on the ground. We’ve never seen chestnuts this big, with an average diameter of 4 cm, some even over 5 cm!
There aren’t many walnut trees, but we cracked open two on the spot and they tasted delicious and oily!
The chestnuts we took home were $10/kg, and the walnuts were $12/kg, with no entry fee.
After a busy afternoon, we picked 4 kg of chestnuts and 1 kg of walnuts, and on the way back to Sydney, we stopped by Blackheath. Some maple trees have already turned half red, while most are still green.
Here are some tips
To differentiate between walnut and chestnut trees, look at the leaves. Chestnut leaves are serrated and slender, while walnut leaves are relatively round and without serrations. A walnut that doesn’t loosen when twisted after picking is a mature walnut, whereas for chestnuts, choose ones that are hard and shiny.
Here are things you may need!
- Boots (rain boots are best, as it can get muddy).
- Thick, puncture-resistant gloves as chestnut shells can be really sharp!
- If you don’t have gloves, bring clippers.
- Bring a raincoat in case it rains.
Kookootonga Chestnut and Walnut Farm
Address: 247 Mount Irvine Rd, Mount Irvine NSW 2786
Opening Hours: March 9th – mid-April, daily from 9 am to 6 pm