When Yuan Huiniang heard that Yan Qingqing was going to make wine, she also came over to join in the fun.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing had already changed her clothes, Yuan Huiniang rolled up her sleeves and said, "Mother, let me help you. I've never brewed wine before."
I've only ever heard of people using sorghum to brew wine, but I've never actually seen it done.
It is said that these winemaking secrets are all passed down from their ancestors.
I never imagined my mother could do that, let alone make wine from grapes. This is the first time I've ever heard of it.
Yuan Huiniang was extremely curious and kept talking nonstop.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Actually, brewing wine is not too troublesome."
Moreover, there are many kinds of alcohol, including sorghum liquor, rice wine, grape wine, and even beer.
Different wines are made using different methods. However, the general process is largely the same, especially for wine, which is the simplest.
Simply wash these grapes thoroughly, let them dry, and then store them in a jar.
Then add white sugar or rock sugar according to the recipe, seal and ferment.
After hearing this, Yuan Huiniang exclaimed in disbelief and asked, "Is it really that simple? Why doesn't anyone know how to do it?"
Yan Qingqing couldn't answer why no one seemed to know the answer to this question. It was probably because wine didn't even exist in this era, and no one had considered that possibility.
Another aspect is the scarcity of resources in this era. Ordinary families couldn't even afford grapes, let alone think about making wine.
After the grapes were cleaned, they were carried from the kitchen to Yan Qingqing's yard.
Ruyi had already cleaned the two jars and brought them to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing rolled up her sleeves and said to Yuan Huiniang, "Watch how I do it and then do it too."
Yuan Huiniang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
Yan Qingqing put the grapes into the jar, then added rock sugar, and used a pestle to crush the grapes and rock sugar. After that, she sealed the jar.
Yuan Huiniang followed along, doing everything exactly as instructed, and finished before she was even finished.
Yuan Huiniang hadn't expected making wine to be so simple; she had initially thought Yan Qingqing was joking.
So he asked incredulously, "Is that all?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Of course not. The sugar is added to help the grapes ferment quickly."
After about ten days to half a month, when the fermentation is almost complete, filter out the grape skins and seeds, which also allows the wine to expel excess gas.
Then it is sealed again and left to sit for about a month, and the wine is ready.
The quality of this wine is related to the color of the grapes.
The redder the grapes, the redder the wine will be; conversely, the lighter the grapes, the lighter the wine will be.
When I pair it with the set of glass cups in my warehouse, it will be a pleasure to look at.
Moreover, this wine is said to have beauty and skin-nourishing properties, and it doesn't have a spicy or pungent taste, making it perfect for women.
Yuan Huiniang sensed from Yan Qingqing's description that it was a kind of enjoyment.
She couldn't wait to try the red wine.
After Yan Qingqing and Yuan Huiniang prepared two jars of wine, they had Ruyi put them into the storeroom.
He also told her to remember to remind him when the day came.
Ruyi was also tempted by the wine, so she readily agreed.
Two days later, Wei Laosan and his men had picked all the grapes in the orchard and delivered them to Yan Qingqing's house.
The grapes in the front yard were piled up high, making it look quite spectacular.
Yan Qingqing had Yuan Huiniang gather all the old women and maids in the house, and also transferred a batch of jars from the food processing workshop, and then began to teach them how to make wine.
It took two days and more than two hundred jars of wine to use up all the grapes.
Because there are many people in the family now and few empty rooms, Yan Qingqing had these things transported to the food processing workshop.
There are plenty of warehouses there; any one of them can be cleared out to fit everything.
These things were made by Yan Qingqing herself, so Li Xiang'an paid special attention to them and found the most secure and tightly sealed warehouse to put the wines in.
Ah Da also promoted the organic orchard extensively. Some wealthy families in the city usually only know how to buy fruit, but they've never experienced picking their own fruit on-site before. They found it extremely novel.
Everyone wants to pick the fruit themselves at the orchard, not only because the fruit is fresh, but also because they can pick the biggest ones, which is quite a good deal.
Moreover, they had heard that Canghe Village was a great place for outings, not to mention its famous peony garden and rose garden.
Moreover, Canghe Village has many local specialties. Among the more famous ones are flower tea, taro, preserved eggs, braised chicken, drunken duck, donkey meat sandwiches, and various mushrooms.
Moreover, there are many stalls on both sides of the road, making it as lively as a market, and the goods are even cheaper than in the county town.
So no matter how you look at it, their trip to Canghe Village was worthwhile.
On the day the ecological orchard opened, many people came to Canghe Village.
Most of these people came from relatively wealthy families. Another group consisted of prominent figures in Chengyang County.
Firstly, because it was a novelty, and secondly, because it was an orchard owned by Ming Zhaoshuo, they felt they had to show their support.
Even if they can't establish a connection with Yan Qingqing, they can still boast about picking fruit at Ming Zhaoshuo's orchard when they go out in the future.
Meanwhile, Li Kaishan had already received a message from Yan Qingqing, instructing him to notify the relevant parties in advance.
Anyone who wants to set up a stall to sell things can prepare in advance.
So on the day the ecological orchard officially opened to the public, Canghe Village was even more bustling than the market in the county town.
Groups of three or five friends walked into the garden.
Wei Laosan and the people from the orchard greeted the visitors. Then they carefully explained the rules for picking fruit to the tourists.
Since the fruit in the orchard was limited, Yan Qingqing wanted to attract more visitors for a few more days, so she stipulated that each person could only pick one basket of each type.
Furthermore, these fruit trees cannot be damaged, otherwise a fine will be imposed.
Moreover, two people were stationed in front of each type of fruit tree to collect money.
This is a novel experience for those who come to pick fruit.
A small basket of picks wasn't nearly enough to satisfy their cravings, but since this was Mingzhaoshuo's territory, they didn't dare to act recklessly.
They were all a little reluctant to leave and made a promise to come back together sometime.
Anyway, there's no rule in this orchard that says they can't come a second time.
Once they left the park, they were attracted by various vendors selling all sorts of things.
There's food, toys, and useful things.
Now, it's not just villagers from Canghe Village who come to set up stalls in Canghe Village; people from several nearby villages and towns also come to set up stalls.
They all wanted to make more money by taking advantage of this wave of people.
The people who come to pick fruit are generally well-off; they'll buy whatever looks good.
Yan Qingqing was also wandering around here wearing the most inconspicuous clothes.
It really felt like going to a rural market when I was a kid, even more lively than going to the county town. Yan Qingqing really liked this atmosphere.
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