In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed, and finally, it was time for the tomatoes to ripen.
Zhao Jun stood on the land in the western suburbs, looking at the vast green area with a happy mood.
"Ms. Zhao, as you said, these tomatoes can be picked when they turn deep red." Wang Taicang couldn't stop smiling at the red fruits all over the ground, but this was not what made him happiest.
Ms. Zhao said that these tomatoes are mainly fruits for adjusting the taste, and corn and sweet potatoes are their most important crops.
The yield of the sweet potatoes growing underground is not yet visible, but the corns with ears full of fruits are already visible. They watched the corn grow from a tiny seedling to a stalk as tall as a person day by day. Each stalk is hung with a heavy cob of corn, which is a symbol of a good harvest.
"Yes, the tomatoes are ready. The corn and sweet potatoes in the ground will be ready in another two weeks. Let's get everyone together to pick the tomatoes today. Oh, and pick the best tomatoes first for seed breeding."
Zhao Jun walked to the tomatoes and looked at the red fruits all over the ground. His mouth felt sour and he quickly picked them up so that he could eat them.
"Captain Xuan, take your men and pick these tomatoes and put them in the basket. Pay attention to my movements and don't use brute force to pull them. We still need to keep these seedlings."
Zhao Jun squatted on the ground and demonstrated to Xuan Yang. Over there, Wang Deng had already picked out several large baskets of the best tomatoes to save for seeds.
"Also pay attention, don't pick those that are still a little green. Leave them to grow for two days and then pick the red ones. Did you hear me?" Zhao Jun shouted to the soldiers who were already picking.
The soldiers responded loudly and then began to work enthusiastically. These tomatoes were grown by them with a handful of soil and a bowl of water. It was also their first time planting and harvesting. Everyone's face was full of smiles.
The soldiers bent over and used their hands and feet. After half a day, they had almost collected all the red fruits. The tomatoes in the two acres of land seemed to be a lot, but they didn't expect that they would weigh 500 kilograms. In addition, there were still a small half that were not ripe in the field, which added up to almost 800 kilograms.
By this calculation, the yield per acre of land is about 400 kilograms, which is amazing in this era.
While they were picking the tomatoes, Zhao Jun had someone wash some of them first. Tomatoes are both food and fruit, and it is quite good to have a tomato to quench your thirst in such hot weather.
Zhao Jun asked someone to come over with washed tomatoes, and he took one first and put it into his mouth impatiently.
Mm, sour and sweet, bursting with juice in one bite, so delicious!
Zhao Jun narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Everyone can come and take one to try." As early as when she started eating, many soldiers were watching eagerly. Now that they heard that everyone could take one, they all rushed over.
Xuan Yang and Wang Deng were of course the first to get the batch. The food they had worked hard to grow for more than two months was finally ready to eat. Even though it was raw, everyone tasted the fruits of their labor with satisfaction.
The field was quiet at first, but soon bursts of exclamations broke out as everyone began to taste the fruit.
“Oh my god, what on earth is this? It’s so delicious!”
"Stupid, didn't you hear what the lady said? This is a tomato. I've decided that from today on, my favorite thing to eat is a tomato!"
"This is really food, not fruit. I've never eaten such delicious fruit before."
Xuan Yang finished one quickly. He stood there for a long time without saying anything. After a while, he secretly walked to Zhao Jun and whispered
"Ms. Zhao, as the leader of the school lieutenants, I've been working diligently these past few months. Can you give me another one?" Xuan Yang said seriously. "My wife is pregnant and hasn't had much of an appetite these past two months. I'd like to bring one back for her. Is that okay with you?"
Zhao Jun looked at him with a smile. He didn't expect that Xuan Yang was already married. It seemed that he treated his wife quite well.
"Of course you can. Take another one back with you, and give one to Wang Taicang as well. Consider it a small reward for your hard work over the past few months."
"Thank you, Madam."
Soon everyone's tomatoes were finished, and everyone had a satisfied smile on their face. Some people even looked at the sweet potatoes and corn in the field with burning eyes. The tomatoes were so delicious, I believe these two must be delicious too!
"Wang Taicang, these tomatoes are ready-to-eat crops, but they're not as easy to preserve as grain. In this temperature, they can only last three to five days. So, I'll take 100 kilograms back to the palace first, and leave the rest here. Xuanyang, you take the others to watch over them. I'll go back tonight and ask the king what to do with them."
Wang Deng and Xuan Yang nodded to show that they understood.
Zhao Jun already had an idea about these tomatoes, but as they were the first batch of mature crops, she still had to go back and tell Ying Zheng first.
In the evening, Zhao Jun came back with some things. More than a dozen soldiers came directly to the kitchen with the things in their arms.
Soon the kitchen yard was filled with things. As expected, when Zhao Jun sent them away and came back, he was surrounded by onlookers again.
There are several new faces in the kitchen, probably newly recruited people. Butler Ai and Aunt Chaisang are still in good spirits, especially Chaisang. The milk tea she makes is very popular nowadays.
"Ms. Zhao, what new things have you brought here? Fruits?" These red fruits look like fruits to anyone.
"No, these are tomatoes, freshly grown. They can be eaten raw or used in cooking. Leave them here for now. I'll make a few dishes to present to the king."
It was already getting late, and as night fell, stars began to appear in the unpolluted sky.
Zhao Jun hurried into the kitchen, lit the oil lamp and started cooking.
Tomatoes are very easy to prepare. With simple processing, a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, tomato egg soup and tomatoes with sugar are ready.
Zhao Jun spent some time making a can of tomato sauce. Although it was simple to make, it was still delicious.
Aidu stood beside her and watched, and found that her methods were very simple, unlike the way she made other delicacies before, and he felt a little confused.
"alright."
Zhao Jun breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the plate, and picked up a few unprocessed tomatoes. The job was done.
Ai couldn't help but ask, "What is this, Madam?"
"You can see that these dishes are very simple to make, but try them and see how they taste."
Zhao Jun paused for a while, smiled, nodded at him, pointed at the leftovers in the pot, and motioned him to try it.
Aidu suppressed his doubts, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a little and put it into his mouth.
After a moment, he nodded to Zhao Jun
“Ingredients like this should be cooked simply.”
Zhao Jun ignored the puzzled crowd around him and walked towards the front hall with the basket in the moonlight.
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