In the second year after she married into the family, the back of the main courtyard, where flowers were originally grown, had a few plants die. He Zhuo didn't instruct the flower shop to be notified, but instead had a young eunuch plant some spinach, cucumbers, rapeseed, and other vegetables to add some greenery to Yin Zhi's evening meals during the winter. The place was in the back of the courtyard, which was secluded, and no one would go there.

Granny Shao would also grow some sprouts, which was very common in the palace. All you needed was beans, the right temperature, and water.

In winter, the palace never lacked bean sprouts.

This was He Zhuo's first time hosting a banquet, so he inevitably had to deal with the kitchen. This time, He Zhuo used 5 catties of dried mushrooms to exchange for these hot dishes.

Inside the palace, there are greenhouses specifically for cultivating vegetables, commonly known as "flower caves".

With more monks than porridge, even the most skilled imperial chefs struggled to cook without ingredients during the winter. Although the First Princess Consort didn't offer any reward money, the mushrooms she provided allowed them to create many dishes. Gaining the appreciation and reward money from the nobles was far more useful than this small amount of money.

So they put in extra effort today, and the guests and hosts had a great time. They originally thought the First Princess Consort was stingy (she had never served meals or given money separately since she married into the family), but they didn't expect her to be so generous. It's not easy to find 5 catties of dried goods at this time of year.

This was a general suggestion He Zhuo gave to the people on the estate after receiving the dowry list, including suitable temperature, humidity, and sunlight. They experimented for two years before succeeding, and the yield was low; the first year's output, after drying, was only 3 jin (1.5 kg). Now, the annual production of dried goods is around 30 jin (15 kg). He Zhuo doesn't plan to sell it; it's enough for her own consumption and for giving as gifts.

He Zhuo told his mother about this, and his mother also felt that the yield was too low and the cost too high, so she did not plan to cultivate it herself. In addition, his fourth uncle was in Shandong and his second uncle was in Anhui. Every year they would send some mountain delicacies back to the old lady for the masters to eat. They could buy some more, which would be enough.

Now, He Zhuo gives some money to her family every year, which is more than enough.

So Khoja's meager production was basically enough to give Consort Hui two catties a year, the Empress Dowager two catties, her family five catties, and he also ate some himself and occasionally gave some as gifts.

The Empress Dowager has no shortage of food; Khoja is just showing his appreciation, indicating that he is thinking of her even if his granddaughter-in-law has something to eat.

The "flower cave" was not invented by He Zhuo; people had already done it during the Song Dynasty, though it was mostly done in southern regions like Zhejiang and Fujian.

In the north, it's also rare. Due to various reasons such as weather and humidity, the output is too low and the profits are also low, so few people would do it this way. It is available in the market, but very little of it.

Mushrooms are not a necessity; on the contrary, people will build greenhouses whenever they have the means to sprout vegetables such as leeks, scallions, garlic, and celery.

The fungi cultivated at Hezhuozhuangzi are only two kinds of shiitake mushrooms (at different times of the year), black fungus, and white fungus.

Black fungus has the highest yield. Among fungi, white fungus, also known as silver ear fungus, is the most expensive, and its price has remained high because, apart from wild varieties, it can only be cultivated in Fang County, Hubei Province, and Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province, and its yield is pitifully low.

Therefore, the kitchen staff preferred ingredients like dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungus to silver.

These kinds of ingredients were not included in the rations. The amount offered as tribute was just enough for the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Imperial Concubine, Crown Prince, and the four Imperial Concubines. After this process, there was even less left.

Vegetables are scarce in winter, which was a hardship for the imperial chefs. Giving them more ingredients would greatly enrich their winter meals, so both sides were satisfied.

The guests and hosts enjoyed the meal to the fullest today. Although it was the same imperial cuisine, the dishes were piping hot and included a variety of vegetables and bean products.

He Zhuo was very satisfied with this, and had his nanny give the kitchen two more packets of mountain delicacies.