Orange County NC Website
Approved 12/12/16 <br />OC Board of Adjustment – 10/10/16 Page 38 of 113 <br /> <br /> <br />Kara Brewer: So, yes. With the forestry management plan they gave me two options. We could clear cut 1 <br />the entire property, which I did not want to do. It was important to me for the overall farm plan to leave trees 2 <br />and woods there for wild life. So the secondary was to manage that area, clear what I needed to clear for 3 <br />the farming operation and leave some of the forest around it and then yes, adding the chestnut aspect to it 4 <br />as well. 5 <br /> 6 <br />Karen Barrows: How many chestnut trees are you going to plant? 7 <br /> 8 <br />Kara Brewer: So on this farm we started with 36 just to see how they did and they’re doing well. We’re 9 <br />doubling that this spring and then I’m hoping to get close to 150 chestnut trees on that property. 10 <br /> 11 <br />Karen Barrows: Ok, thank you. 12 <br /> 13 <br />Barry Katz: Have you ever harvested chestnuts? 14 <br /> 15 <br />Kara Brewer: Yes, actually. We are currently working with a farm in Hillsborough. A chestnut orchard. A 16 <br />fully mature chestnut orchard. And so we’re actually in the middle of chestnut harvest season right now and 17 <br />it’s fascinating and when we’re out there you have to grab them when they fall to the ground and then… 18 <br /> 19 <br />Barry Katz: Are you doing this with your children? 20 <br /> 21 <br />Kara Brewer: Yes. We are. They love it. We just have to make sure that they have gloves. 22 <br /> 23 <br />Barry Katz: That’s not the usual thing that children do. And how many years do you think it will take you 24 <br />before you actually have chestnuts? 25 <br /> 26 <br />Kara Brewer: It will be somewhere in the realm of 3-5 years. Although we were out there today and the first 27 <br />one dropped and we did have some chestnuts. 28 <br /> 29 <br />Barry Katz: And what do you plan on doing with these chestnuts that you harvest? 30 <br /> 31 <br />Kara Brewer: So right now we are selling to area grocery stores and markets. And so we’re establishing 32 <br />that market through our partnership with the current orchard that we’re working with. Also, direct sales. 33 <br />Eventually we’re going to get to a point where we’re processing it into flour. The flour is gluten free and 34 <br />there are a lot of uses for that. 35 <br /> 36 <br />Andy Petesch: So can you tell the Board the nature of the chestnut? Is it a fat or carbohydrate nut? 37 <br /> 38 <br />Kara Brewer: It’s a carbohydrate. It’s almost like it’s a potato. The texture, if you’ve never had a roasted 39 <br />chestnut. It’s similar to that. 40 <br /> 41 <br />Andy Petesch: Any more questions? 42 <br /> 43 <br />Barry Katz: Do you know what species you have? 44 <br /> 45 <br />Kara Brewer: The Dunstan chestnut. Which is actually developed by a scientist in North Carolina, out of 46 <br />Greensboro. 47 <br />Barry Katz: Ok. 48 <br /> 49