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● You can grow and produce chinquapins in USDA zones 5 through 9, and they grow native from Pennsylvania down to Florida and west to Texas. The nut of the Allegheny chinquapin tree resembles that of a chestnut with a spiny bur but is slightly smaller in size. For optimal results, you should plant your tree in at least 50% shade and in a well-drained soil. The chinquapin tree or bush will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity and will produce nuts at an early age. Spacing should be about every ten feet with rows being spaced 20 feet apart.
- Cherokee Indians used the leaves to produce a tea to treat headaches and reduce fevers. The leaves contain a high tannin content and make an astringent tea. You can collect the leaves and dry them to make the medical tea. A recipe for brewing medicinal chinquapin tea is listed below the USDA Growing Zones map.
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You can grow the chinquapin as a single tree or multi-stalk bush, but, since we are mainly planting the chinquapin for wildlife, we would want to grow the bush form. Cut the stem at the ground level and, as the tree heals it, new growth will sprout from the ground, producing a thick cover for wildlife. Squirrels and rabbits are known to eat the nuts, while wild turkeys take shelter in the bush. White-tailed deer frequently graze upon the foliage, making this a very valuable plant for wildlife attraction and food plots.
- To store chinquapin nuts long-term, you will need to dry out the nuts and put them in a Mylar bag with oxygen absorbents; this will make its shelf life last for a couple of years. The nuts can be eaten fresh, and can also be used in cooking: Native Americans would boil the nuts to produce a broth and make chinquapin bread for the tribe's chief.
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Does This Plant Grow Where My Survival Gardens is Located?
How to Make Chinquapin Tea for Consumption from Chinquapin Leaves
Ingredients:
- Fresh or dried chinquapin bush leaves,
- 8 ounces of water,
- Honey.
Steps for Brewing Medical Chinquapin Tea for Consumption:
- Bring 8 ounces water to boil,
- Add 2 tablespoons of diced chinquapin leaves,
- Let simmer for 20 minutes,
- Strain the tea,
- Sweeten with honey to liking.
*Give as needed for coughs and fevers one spoonful at a time.
How to Make Chinquapin Bread Like the Cherokee Indians
Ingredients:
- 1 quart of hulled and peeled chinquapin nuts,
- 1 quart of cornmeal,
- ½ teaspoon of soda,
- ½ teaspoon of salt,
- 1 cup of sugar,
- 2 cups of water,
- 20 hickory leaves or 10 corn blades.
Steps for Baking Native American Chinquapin Bread:
- Boil the chinquapins for 3 minutes and then peel,
- Mix the chinquapins with 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water and boil for 15 minutes,
- Drain and add them to the 1 quart of cornmeal that has been sifted, adding the ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of soda,
- Add a little more water to make a stiff dough,
- Knead well to make a firm bread,
- Wash and scald the leaves,
- Put the dough on the leaves or corn blades and tie the end of the leaf or corn blade with a loop knot,
- Put in boiling water and let simmer for 1 hour.
*Enjoy your chinquapin bread the way the Native Americans did.
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Order/shipping/replacement 
Time Will Tell 
Chinquapin Bush 
