Why We Grow Dunstan Chestnuts at The Diamond R Ranch

Chestnut trees used to dominate American forests, providing food and materials to communities across the country. As Ted will tell you, the American Chestnut tree used to be so prolific that a squirrel could jump tree to tree all the way to the Mississippi River. But the chestnut blight in the early 1900s nearly wiped out this iconic tree, leaving only memories of what used to be.

Enter the Dunstan chestnut—a hybrid variety that brings hope to chestnut growers. Developed in the 1950s, the Dunstan chestnut combines the best traits of American chestnuts with the disease resistance of Chinese chestnut trees. This makes it much more resistant to chestnut blight, allowing growers like Ted and Jody at Diamond R Ranch to produce healthy, productive trees.

The nuts from Dunstan trees are large, sweet, and perfect for roasting or cooking. They offer great flavor while being easy to grow organically, something that’s important to the Diamond R Ranch. Ted and Jody focus on sustainability and grow their chestnuts without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, making sure that the organic chestnuts for sale are both delicious and responsibly produced.

The Diamond R Ranch made its chestnuts available to the public at wholesale pricing in 2023, and sold out that first season. Ted and Jody would like to make their harvest available to Georgia restaurants, farm to table, if the harvest allows. So far the demand across the U.S. for their organic chestnuts has been more than they'd hoped.

Ted also plans to offer his chestnut saplings for sale. Please let him know if you're interested. 

Dunstan chestnuts offer a future for chestnut farming in the U.S., and at the Diamond R Ranch, they’re proud to be part of that legacy.