Seeing that everyone was curious about his pine flower tea, Liu Ben went into his room and brought out a large box of golden pine flowers.
The ladies who were intoxicated by the fragrance of the flower tea all twitched their lips. Such elegant and fragrant flowers must be special, so why were they just casually packed in a plastic box?
Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, Liu Ben said generously, "This is a gift from the research institute I'm collaborating with. It's pine blossoms that naturally fell from the pine trees they cultivate. If you like, you can take some back later."
You Ying picked up a flower and could smell the rich fragrance without getting close. However, this flower was not an osmanthus at all. This golden flower had two layers of petals, each with five petals. The shape of the whole flower was somewhat like that of the Malvaceae family, but each flower was only the size of a thumb, miniature and cute.
"I don't know what the use of so many flowers is. They can't be eaten, so I use them to make tea. Not to mention, it smells pretty good," said Liu Ben.
The ladies were all very interested in this charming fragrance, so they all said they would take some away for themselves.
You Ying asked Liu Ben, "Can it be used to make perfume?"
"Perfume?" Liu Ben was stunned, then clapped his hands: "Yes, it can be used to make perfume!"
You Ying: "If you need it, I can find a way for you."
Liu Ben also thought about it, and then said confidently: "I will try it myself later. I also took a traditional perfumery course in college!"
You Ying was surprised: "You also learned this?" Liu Ben has a straightforward personality and doesn't look like an elegant person at all. How could he actually learn perfume?
"No, I forgot about it when the electives just started. When I remembered and went to choose, there were only a few courses left. The best one was perfume." However, Liu Ben only learned the basics and was limited to theoretical study.
Everyone was chatting and sipping tea while Wang Fengjing and the others started serving the dishes.
In order to ensure that this reception would be satisfactory, Wang Fengjing specially learned how to cook online a few days in advance. Although most of the dishes today are relatively homely, all the vegetables are bought in the village or grown in Liu Ben's space, and are very fresh. Wang Fengjing's cooking skills are also good, so the whole banquet can be considered sumptuous.
There were also two new dishes that tasted very good and that no one had ever tasted before.
One dish is leafy vegetables mixed with sauce, topped with some red chili rings and chopped garlic. It looks a bit like cabbage and a bit like Chinese cabbage. The other dish is served in a small round bowl for each person, topped with a layer of slightly burnt cheese. I don’t know what’s under the cheese, but it looks delicious.
"This is vinegar-fried round vegetables, and this is cheese round mashed potatoes. These two are new products that will be launched in my store soon. I hope you like them." Liu Ben introduced to everyone.
The name of this dish was quite strange. Aunt Sun asked hesitantly, "Is it cabbage and mashed sweet potatoes?"
"Hmm... well, it's a new product from the Agriculture Department of the Space Research Institute. Like the previous dishes, it's very nourishing to the body."
"Eating zucchini regularly can help you lose weight, and zucchini can help you build muscle," Liu Ben recalled, nodding in confirmation. "It's true!"
"Yummy!" Hu Lu was the first to try the delicious-looking cheese mashed potatoes. The cheese had a rich, milky aroma, while the mashed potatoes underneath were smooth and thick. It tasted a bit like a mixture of cooked sweet potato, pumpkin, and chestnut puree, with a little bit of sugar. It was sweet and delicious, and the more she ate, the more she wanted.
Hu Lu wanted to eat more after finishing her meal, so she subconsciously looked at her father. Her father usually didn’t like sweets, so he probably hadn’t... But Hu Lu was disappointed, as her father had already scraped off the last bite of cheese mashed potatoes.
Hu's father also noticed his daughter's resentful look and let out a fake cough. "Well, even though the boss's talk of muscle building might just be a promotional advertisement, and sweets are supposed to only make you fat, Liu Ben has a good reputation, so maybe it's true? And this mashed potato is really delicious. It's not that he completely dislikes sweets, he's just usually more restrained. Now that he's tasted this delicious mashed potato, he can't stop.
The seemingly ordinary vinegar-fried glutinous rice balls are also very delicious, with a crisp and juicy texture. After the leaves are blanched, various vinegar-based sauces are added and mixed evenly. It is fresh and refreshing. When you bite it, there is a "crunch" sound, and the juice inside mixed with the sour sauce is very delicious.
"If this really helps me lose weight, I will put this vegetable in my salad from now on. It's really delicious." Ms. Bai said to her husband.
Mr. Hu nodded. Although he was not trying to lose weight, he had to eat salad with Ms. Bai every time she was trying to lose weight. It would be fine if he could change to a more delicious dish.
Everyone was very satisfied with the meal. After eating too much fine food in big restaurants, it is really enjoyable to try farm dishes occasionally.
Liu Ben believes that delicious flavors are universally appreciated, regardless of wealth. For example, he sells pickled radish at Xingyuelou. Although Boss Xue has warned that his customers are wealthy and prefer elaborate dishes, the pickled radish remains incredibly popular. While the price at Xingyuelou is higher than Aben's farm produce, he still sells hundreds of jars daily. Even customers who don't make it themselves appreciate it. This demonstrates that everyone's appreciation for food is universal; delicious food is not determined by the complexity or costliness of the cooking method.
After the meal, when everyone was ready to digest and leave, Liu Ben finally brought in a large pile of packed food boxes.
He took out a large box and opened it. What appeared before everyone was a long, green, square pastry with what seemed to be some filling in the middle.
Liu Ben grinned, revealing his big white teeth. "This is the grass cake I made. The main ingredient is the grass our cows eat, and it's filled with cheese made from our milk. Everyone, try it!"
Everyone: ￣Д￣!!
Seeing that no one else was moving and seemed hesitant, Liu Ben took one as a demonstration and ate it in front of them. The green grass cake was as long as a finger and as wide as a knuckle. Others could only finish one in two bites at most, but Liu Ben could finish it in one bite. While he was eating, he took another one and handed it to You Ying: "Try it, it's really delicious."
You Ying looked at the cake in front of him solemnly. Apart from being green, it seemed to be just an ordinary water chestnut cake. But Liu Ben had just said that the main ingredient of this cake was green grass, so it must be made of green grass.
You Ying looked up at Liu Ben, who was chewing with great relish. This man really loved cattle. What if he was the only one who thought grass was delicious? How could ordinary people eat grass?
But Liu Ben had already put the cake in front of his mouth, so he had to eat it whether he wanted to or not. You Ying swallowed his saliva calmly. The green grass cake smelled quite fragrant and had no strange smell. Regardless of whether it tasted good or not, it should be edible.
You Ying opened his mouth to take the green grass cake handed to him by Liu Ben, pinched it with his hands, and took a small bite.
Liu Ben took his hand back and asked him, "Is it delicious?"
Indeed, You Ying was surprised to find that this grass cake was actually quite delicious. It was indeed made of grass; You Ying could even feel the texture of the grass. It had a fresh grassy aroma, yet a sweetness like maltose. The cheese filling in the middle gave the cake a rich, milky aroma.
"Delicious," You Ying nodded. "How is this made?"
Liu Ben was very proud: "I first extracted the sugar from the grass, then removed most of the fiber, and then did this... that... and finally made the grass cake."
Seeing that they were enjoying the meal, the others tried it tentatively. Hey, this green grass cake does feel like eating grass at first, but after just a few chews, it quickly became acceptable because both its taste and texture are very unique.
The fusion of grass and milk makes people feel like they are lying in a pasture where the sun is not shining and the temperature is just right, comfortable and relaxed. The air is filled with the scent of new sprouts in the soil, and there are long mooing sounds in the ears.
Of course, no one would think that ordinary grass can produce such a good taste. It must be that the grass Liu Ben used to feed the cattle is of good quality, otherwise there would not be such a special feeling.
"Young boss, you can also make pastries. That's amazing!" Everyone praised him.
"Just messing around, just messing around," Liu Ben said modestly. "There's nothing special to offer when you visit our dairy farm, so these green grass cakes are just souvenirs. Oh, and I'll wrap up some pine flowers for everyone, too."
Wang Fengjing: "We still have cheese and butter made at the dairy farm. Everyone, take some home!"
Liu Yibiao: "Yes, these are not sold outside, and they are delicious!"
The Liu family was so welcoming, offering food that no one could refuse. They arrived empty-handed but returned happily with bags and packages.
Hu Lu was still reluctant to part with the cute calf, and did not show any dislike for the calf's dirtiness and stench at all. She even asked her father if she could buy the calf home.
Mr. Hu: "Can you feed your calves such good grass when you buy it?"
Hu Lu lowered her head to look at the boxes of grass cakes placed next to her. Hmm... there were only the flowers and plants her mother liked in her garden, and they didn't look tasty at all.
You Ying got the most things because he was Liu Ben's friend and had the best relationship with him. When he got in the car, he was stuffed with a lot of vegetables, especially round vegetables and round potatoes that the store had not yet started selling. Most of the trunk was filled with You Ying, and the other small part was filled with pickled radishes, dairy products and other things.
Only then did You Ying and Aunt Sun realize that the names of Yuanyuancai and Yuanyuanshu were indeed correct.
Other vegetables are round, but they tend to be somewhat flat, long, or uneven. These two new vegetables, however, are truly perfectly round, like they were drawn with a compass. The skin of the round potato is a bright purple-red, somewhat similar to sweet potatoes, but its round shape gives it a festive look. The fully rounded vegetable is completely different from the cabbage; it's also round, but from the top you can see layers of wavy texture like petals, a bit like unopened cabbage, but also like a spherical work of art. It's incredibly beautiful.
You Ying walked over to Liu Ben and asked, "How do you make green grass cakes? I've never heard that green grass can be made into cakes before."
Liu Ben said proudly: "I studied food engineering in college. Although my major was oil processing, I also learned about other aspects."
"Food processing," You Ying nodded slightly. "Then why can't you cook?"
Liu Ben: "...food processing is not like learning to cook!"
You Ying: “Hahaha!”
Liu Ben suddenly realized: "You ask even though you already know the answer! Hey, you..."
You Ying: "Let's go, bye!" After that, he got in the car and sent Aunt Sun home. On the way, he stretched out his hand from the car window and waved.
Liu Ben laughed, shook his head, and waved at the car that had already driven away. He didn't know whether You Ying could see it.
You Ying was looking at the rearview mirror at this time and showed the same smile.
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