harveyc

Most of the time the chestnuts are fine to eat if they just have some slight mold on the outside. The spores are present naturally but that still doesn't make it desirable.

I've sometimes had problems myself, especially when new member to the harvest help don't quite follow directions. Storing chestnuts in poly bags will help boost CO2 levels which inhibits mold but oxygen should not drop below about 4% or the nuts will die and then still spoil. The best thing is to store them as cold as possible without freezing. In my own refrigerator, I've found that the meat drawer is about 30F so that might work out good for most.

Sometimes the chestnuts at Whole Foods are terrible but other times they are fine. I think if the inventory moves fast enough, like it should right now, they are probably okay. Still, the more hands they go through the more room for mistakes.

I've had two customers out of a little over 600 this year tell me of mold problems and I suspect it's most likely because of some shipments getting put in warm containers, etc. during transit. This year I started using mesh bags and putting ventilation holes in shipping boxes to reduce humidity slightly. I just try to control it as much as I can and it usually works out well.

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