mtl008 Chapter 351 Storing Chili Peppers
Chapter 351 Storing Chili Peppers
Wang Ying'er was carrying a small basket of peppers and eggplants, all of which had just been picked.
She was used to being frugal and couldn't stand any waste. Many of the peppers had grown mold, and the eggplants had changed color and were about to rot.
"Mother, you can't eat anything like this. I'll go tell Second Grandpa to have everyone pick the ripe peppers and eggplants and dry them in the sun. If you don't want to, you can put them in a large water tank and cover them with sand. They'll last for a while."
"We're not going to sell this for money, we're just going to eat it at home, so it should be okay, right?
Forget it, Mom will listen to you and pick some fresh ones later.
Do you need me to accompany you to the village?"
"No need, mother. I'll just go out for a walk and be back soon."
"Okay, then watch your step. The road is slippery. Don't fall."
Zhang quietly watched the mother and daughter from the side, with an aunt's smile on her face.
After Song An Ning left, she whispered:
"Ying'er, have you noticed that Aning has become much more lively since you recovered from your illness?"
"This child is very thoughtful and considerate, so I can feel more at ease if I take care of her at home.
At least I don't have to worry about the two little ones, and I don't have to rush home even if I'm busy outside."
Zhang was a little surprised after hearing what Wang Ying'er said.
"As a mother, are you really worried about Aning going on a long trip? Your temperament has changed a lot since you recovered from your illness."
Wang Ying'er looked at her daughter's receding back and smiled with relief.
“When children grow up, it’s a good thing for them to go out and explore the world.
Staying in the village all day, listening to the women talking about trivial family matters, there is no way out.
Mom, I finally figured it out. People should be free and happy in their lives. "
"I'm relieved that you think so."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law smiled at each other, then went into the house to get a small basket, ready to pick some fresh vegetables from their own vegetable garden.
As soon as Song An Ning arrived at the village entrance, he saw a lot of people gathered under the big banyan tree, and they were all talking about their own fields.
"There's not too much water in my fields, so the crops and peppers are fine. It's really the Buddha's blessing."
"It's the same at my house, especially the good corn seeds, they're growing well."
“It’s just that a lot of peppers and eggplants have rotted, which makes me very sad.
Now that the village bridge has collapsed, Zuixianju can’t even get through. Who are we going to sell our chili peppers to?”
"Well, I'm lucky to be alive. Look at what's happened to Liujia Village next door?
Most of the houses were destroyed by the flood, and many people were washed away. The remaining ones are all on the mountain."
"That's true, but now is the best time for peppers and eggplants to bear fruit. My family has planted a lot. Even if the whole family doesn't eat anything else, we still can't finish eating all the peppers and eggplants."
Although everyone's faces showed joy at surviving the disaster, there was also some worry. They all knew that vegetables could not be kept for too long, including peppers and eggplants. What should they do?
"Is everyone here? My mother just picked a lot of peppers and eggplants that were about to rot from the field. She was so distressed.
I've thought of a few ideas, and I'd like to share them with you all."
"Oh, Aning, you came just in time.
We were just talking about this and were worried about it."
"Aning, tell me quickly. Auntie will listen to you."
In their hearts, Song Anning's words must be right, and they would be right to do as they were told.
After a while, everyone surrounded Song An Ning, and Song Erhe also stood aside, waiting for her to come up with a solution.
"Our Banyue Village was able to escape the flood safely thanks to the dikes and flood control walls we built.
And everyone is working hard to guard it.
Even so, there is still a lot of water in our land that has not been drained out in time.
The situation outside is even worse, especially in the villages along the river, which are similar to Liujia Village.
I say this, first of all, to remind everyone to stay alert. Others are suffering from disasters, but we are living in peace. There will definitely be many people who are eyeing our village.
Secondly, the official road along the river is in such bad shape that we can’t get to the town for a while.
The carriage at Zuixianju cannot move forward. The water level has not receded much yet, so the water route is not feasible.
The ripe eggplants and peppers can only be stored well for a few days."
"Yeah, Aning, you go on. We won't interrupt."
The villagers obeyed obediently. They were all very good at speaking, but when it came to Song Anning, they were never noisy, and each one was like a primary school student listening attentively.
Song Anning looked at their serious expressions, smiled, and continued:
"Mr. Pan and I have thought of several ways, and the best way is to dry it in the sun.
It doesn't look like it will rain in the next few days, so we can cut the eggplants into long strips and dry them directly in the sun.
As for the chili peppers, cut them into small pieces and dry them in the sun for two or three days.
While drying, turn it over from time to time, just like drying bamboo shoots.”
"That's a feasible method, but it's a pity that we can't sell it for silver."
"Why not? The peppers and eggplants will be ripe until early autumn, so we can dry some and store them, then wrap them tightly in oil paper.
When winter comes, we can sell it to Zuixianju as well, and maybe the price will be higher.”
"Yeah, why didn't I think of that?
There aren't many vegetables in winter, and the people in town still want to eat something fresh. We can make some money selling dried eggplants."
"Aning's little brain works really fast.
You said that mushrooms and bamboo shoots have been dried for so many years, but you never thought about this.
I'm going home now to pick peppers and eggplants and dry them in the sun while the weather is nice."
As they were talking, several women started to walk home, and Song An Ning quickly stopped them.
"Don't worry, Auntie, I haven't finished yet.
There are two more methods, would you like to hear them too?"
"Okay, Aning, just go ahead."
“If you don’t want to dry them in the sun, you can also find a large vat for pickling vegetables at home and clean it.
Spread a layer of sand in the jar and place the peppers with their stems facing upwards. The thickness of each layer of sand should be such that the peppers cannot be seen.
This method can keep the peppers for a longer time, more than ten days is no problem. But the situation outside is not good now, and Zuixianju may not come over, so everyone should think carefully.
If you want to exchange it for silver as soon as possible, you can wait. If you are not in a hurry, it is best to dry it in the sun.
Then there are the newly planted red peppers, which must be dried for easy storage and better price.
Or if you have coarse salt at home, you can pick some small peppers and eggplants that are not growing well, pickle them with coarse salt, and add a few red peppers. It is also a good pickle.
Song An Ning said a lot in one breath, even describing the detailed process of pickling pickles.
The villagers who were originally worried about this matter were grinning from ear to ear, but at the same time they felt a little ashamed. Aning asked them to grow peppers to make money, which was already a rare opportunity.
This girl is very responsible. Every ten days or so, she would take Xiao Ming and Xiao Yuanbao to visit each family's pepper fields and point out any problems she sees in a timely manner.
Not only that, like this time, they even helped to think of a storage method.
They must have done a lot of good deeds in their previous life to be able to meet such a good girl like Song An Ning.
"Thank you so much, Aning. You said that at our age, we have seen and heard more than you.
But every time something happens, this large group of people are like children who have not been weaned, either looking for you or Uncle Erhe. Sigh, I feel so helpless just thinking about it. "
"That's right. Let's stop talking nonsense and think more about how to make money. Then our village will get better and better."
"Yes, I agree! I went to Zuixianju a few days ago and saw that there were only a few dishes related to peppers and eggplants.
I think we should just research some new recipes when we have nothing to do, maybe we can come up with something?"
"Then go back and dry the peppers and eggplants. It's okay, we can just stay home and study the recipes and make a fortune together!"
"it is good!"
Outside the flood control wall, the scene is devastated.
In the Half Moon Village within the wall, everyone's hearts are united, and they are all busy with their dreams for the future.
Song Anning said hello to his second grandfather and went back.
Song Er and a man stood under the big banyan tree, looking at the intact Half Moon Village, and nodded with a smile.
It’s great that Banyue Village has been saved.
After returning home, Song Anning had nothing to do. Thinking of the big gift package the system gave her, she hurriedly called Xiangxiang out.
"It smells good, let's open the gift pack!
I want to see what treasures are in the upgraded gift pack."
"Okay, Xiangxiang, open it."