Are the chestnuts native forest where you live? If they are you should honestly stop gathering them in the first place. *Maybe* foraging enough to feed yourself, but you absolutely shouldn't take pounds and pounds of them because you'll disrupt the native ecosystem that relies on them.
If they're not native forest then go nuts I guess.
They're not native, they got planted in the 18th century, and there's so much that the animals are having their fill as well! The foraging spot is so popular, currently there's over 20 foragers there every day, it's extremely competitive. Animals usually snatch the chestnuts during the night, and in the morning we can see the chewed up ones. And every year, there's plenty leftover that don't even get eaten, I end up finding them going bad in the forest during the spring.
Also there's native trees as well, but they produce smaller chestnuts so foragers leave those alone. I admire your care for the native ecosystem anon! Rest assured I would not be taking food that animals rely on.
