How to Harvest Water Chestnuts

The water chestnut is a rush-like plant that grows in swampy and boggy areas. Water chestnuts are cultivated for their edible corm, or root. Harvesting water chestnuts is as easy as pulling them out of the ground at the right time of year. The moist, crunchy texture and chestnut-like flavor of water chestnuts, raw or cooked, go well in soups, salads and stir-fry dishes.

Things You'll Need

• Knife

Show More

Instructions

1. • 1

     Drain the water from the water chestnut plot or container once the water chestnut's foliage turns brown in the fall. Keep the soil dry for the next 30 days.

   • 2

     Pull each water chestnut plant out of the soil. Ripe corms should be a rich, chestnut color.

   • 3

     Rinse the dirt from the corms.

   • 4

     Cut the top and bottom from the corm, then peel away the brown skin with your fingers.