Chapter 127 Sesame Paste
Black sesame paste tastes better if some peanuts are added. The peanuts at home are brought back from the village.
Improper storage has seen a resurgence.
When I was looking for sesame seeds yesterday, I forgot to look for peanuts. However, they are just damp and not moldy. They should be the same if they are ground into powder.
The harvest of several bundles of sesame seeds only filled half a large mineral water bottle.
Zhao Yeqing poured out the ground sesame paste, a small bowl was enough.
Rice should also be added to the sesame paste, and the rice needs to be soaked in water in advance to soften it.
When building the new house, Mu Xi built a reservoir in the backyard of the kitchen, stored the well water in it, and connected it to a faucet in the kitchen, so that he didn't have to fetch water every time he cooked.
The reservoir is built high to ensure sufficient water pressure, but it needs to be filled with water at regular intervals.
Zhao Yeqing turned on the faucet, washed the sesame seeds, filtered out the water, put them into an oil-free pan and stir-fried them until the black sesame seeds bounced in the pan and emitted a fragrant aroma, then they could be served.
The peeled peanuts are also fried in the same way. It’s a pity that there are no walnuts, otherwise the walnut black sesame paste would be more fragrant.
The container for grinding sesame seeds is a large stone pestle with carved lines on the inner wall. The contents can be crushed by gently rolling it with a wooden stick.
Grind the sesame seeds first, which is a job that requires a lot of patience.
The sesame seeds have to be ground slowly using a smooth piece of hardwood, first coarsely and then finely, until the sesame oil is ground out.
Add peanuts and soaked rice and continue grinding until everything becomes fine powder. Pour into a pot of boiling water, bring to a boil and add rock sugar.
Zhao Yeqing stood by the pot, stirring it from time to time to prevent the bottom from getting burnt. After the water slowly evaporated, the aroma of sesame emerged and the pot gradually became thick.
By the time the sesame paste was ready, Mu Xi had not come back yet. The two of them had been so busy recently that they had not had a good meal. It was past four in the afternoon and she had not had lunch yet.
She served herself a bowl. The sesame seeds were very fragrant. The hand-ground ones were much more fragrant than the packaged ones. She ground them carefully, so the grains were finer.
After eating a bowl of sweet and hot sesame paste, I feel relaxed.
The sesame paste cooled quickly in this weather, so Zhao Yeqing put the pot of sesame paste on a small stove and simmered it with a few red-hot charcoals.
The grass had already piled up outside the fence, and Zhao Yeqing counted the amount and felt that it was about enough.
While Mu Xi was making red bricks and cement, she was cutting grass. After finishing the silo, Mu Xi went to cut grass again.
The family’s forage reserves are now enough to almost fill a silo.
If the grass is cut too early, the moisture will be lost and it will not ferment into silage. It needs to be processed at about the same time to ensure the fermentation quality.
Such a large amount of grass cannot be processed with a guillotine. I have a machine at home that is similar to a manual thresher, which is hand-cranked.
There are two spirally-edged iron blades entangled with each other in the middle. Put the grass in from the feed port and stir it by hand a few times to break it into small pieces.
When the two of them first arrived at the meadow, they saw in the notes that the original owner had more than a dozen sheep. It was estimated that they were used when processing large quantities of forage.
The feed opening is very large, and sufficient amount of grass needs to be put in it before it can rotate and chop. It is only suitable for large-scale processing of grass.
Zhao Yeqing carried a full bundle and put it into the feed port. He shook the handle, but it was not very easy, especially when cutting the thickest part of the grass, he needed both hands to turn it.
But once it starts shaking, it's still much more efficient than using a guillotine.
Otherwise, why do we say that technology is the primary productive force?
The chopped hay was spit out at the bottom of the cutter, and a basket was placed underneath to catch it.
I have to take a break after shaking for less than half an hour because my hands are so sore.
When Mu Xi returned home, one-fifth of the grass had been chopped into pieces.
He unloaded the hay and came over to take over. "You just put the hay in the feed port, I'll shake it."
Zhao Yeqing stopped his hand and dragged him into the kitchen.
"Wash your hands before eating."
Mu Xi washed his hands and a bowl of warm black sesame paste was stuffed into his hands.
The sesame paste tastes sweet and smooth.
It must have taken a long time.
Mu Xi ate everything carefully and washed the bowl. "Once we finish getting the fodder, we'll take a few days off."
If you count carefully, the two have been preparing for winter for more than a month.
I'm busy almost every day.
Seeing Zhao Yeqing nod, Mu Xi smiled.
"Then let's go for a walk by the lake, or go for a walk in the mountains."
Compared to the mountains, the lake is safer. Zhao Yeqing looked at the salted fish above his head and said, "Let's go to the lake."
Fish is best eaten fresh.
The vegetables in the vegetable garden at the back have also matured a lot. Autumn sowing will yield a better harvest than summer sowing.
With tomatoes, you can make tomato sauce, and then save the fish to make red and golden fried squirrel fish.
It was like looking forward to getting paid, and with the anticipation, I became more motivated to cut hay.
They cooked noodles for dinner and spent the rest of the time working on the lawn mower.
After two days of overtime work, we chopped all the grass into pieces and put it into the silo.
After putting in the hay, it has to be compacted.
Since he had to stock up on firewood for the winter, Mu Xi chopped down a tree, sawed off a large piece of wood, and rolled it back and forth on the grass.
When the surface was removed during rolling, a thin layer of salt was sprinkled on it to prevent harmful bacteria.
Finally, cover it with plastic wrap and compact it.
There has to be something heavy on top.
In addition to laying bark on the outer layer of plastic film, some wood blocks are also pressed at intervals.
The original owner should have adopted ordinary surface silage. Experienced herders knew how to reduce the risk of silage mold, but they were no longer able to do so. They did not have the experience and did not dare to take the risk.
There is still enough plastic film left at home for two times of silage making, and they have to accumulate good experience within these two times.
Ordinary plastic film does not meet the standards and cannot be used because it will release harmful substances during the silage process.
She collected a lot of membrane cloths from the village, but they did not meet the standards, otherwise they would be enough to use for a long time.
Now that the silage has been stored, half of the burden on the two men’s minds has been lifted.
She almost gave up halfway, thinking that if all else failed she would just slaughter two sheep and a cow.
Later I thought that the weather was not cool enough, so I would wait until it got colder and then kill the cattle and sheep and put them outdoors and refrigerate them directly.
Mu Xi also said that day, "When we were all done, the weather suddenly became hot again..."
Before he could finish his words, she slapped him back, "Hurry up, bah, bah, bah!"
I hope it won’t be hot anymore. She doesn’t want to feel sticky and sweaty all over, and the sun is so strong that it can make her skin peel off, for another six months.
On the first day of silage production, the two people who had planned to go out collapsed on the bed.
I'm too tired to move at all.
There is nothing more joyful than lying in bed and not moving after work.
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