Chapter 43 Osmanthus Honey
The steps of rice seedling cultivation are complicated, and after manual threshing, several more processes are required.
The first step is to dry the seeds. Fortunately, it has been sunny recently, and the rice seeds need to be dried in the sun for two days.
Solar energy enables rice seeds to absorb oxygen at a higher rate, awakening the seeds to germinate more easily, and can also kill pathogens on the surface of the seeds.
Afraid that the rice seeds would be eaten by chickens if he wasn't paying attention, Zhao Yeqing put the rice seeds in a winnowing basket and placed it on the second-floor terrace to dry, turning it over from time to time to ensure that the rice seeds were evenly dried.
During the two days of drying the crops, the two of them also cultivated the corn field.
Corn likes fertilizer. The weather has been very hot recently, and the homemade organic fertilizer in her previous compost bucket has all been decomposed. It is just right to spread it on the ground as base fertilizer before planting corn.
Corn seeds need to be soaked in warm water before sowing. Zhao Yeqing soaked the corn seeds in water for two days. The seeds absorbed water and a small sprout emerged from each seed.
The cornfield was divided into rows, and Mu Xi dug small holes on it, five or six centimeters deep, one every thirty centimeters.
Zhao Yeqing put corn seeds into the small holes, and Mu Xi followed behind to cover them with soil.
The corn has been planted and the rice seeds have been dried.
Zhao Yeqing had seen his grandmother planting a few corns behind the house before. He knew nothing about rice planting and could only rely on Mu Xi.
Their family's fields were previously cultivated by others, but not by others. When she was in junior high school, Mu Xi helped her family plant rice seedlings and harvest rice.
Like most seeds before sowing, rice seeds also need to be soaked in water, but while other seeds are grown in water, rice seeds need to be fished out after soaking in water before continuing to grow.
Mu Xi added hot water to the cold water in the basin and kept testing the temperature with his hands. He said that around 30 to 35 degrees was most suitable for rice seeds to absorb water.
When the water temperature is right, put the rice seeds in. It will take one to two days to soak in water, during which time you need to turn the seeds over and change the water from time to time.
Seeing that she was puzzled, Mu Xi explained, "The temperature of the water for soaking rice seeds should be kept at 30 degrees. If you don't stir and change the water, it will easily produce alcohol without oxygen, and the rice seeds will not germinate."
I don't know why it's so impressive.
The anaerobic respiration of seeds produces alcohol, which really touches on her blind spot in knowledge. She has never heard that these things need to be paid attention to in normal vegetable seed seedling cultivation.
There was basically nothing to do before sowing the rice seeds, so Zhao Yeqing and Mu Xi discussed whether to rebuild the wall.
"The weather is changeable now. After reinstalling the dismantled wall, it's better to protect the shed in advance." Mu Xi raised his eyes and looked at the radio.
Zhao Yeqing also agreed. A notification came on the radio this morning, which was the official red warning for high temperatures.
This means that the temperature in the city is now at least 40 degrees Celsius.
Since it has been decided to build a new wall and a greenhouse for protection, why not just fence off the two newly reclaimed fields as well?
This will require cutting down some more trees.
Mu Xi was responsible for cutting down trees, and Zhao Yeqing was responsible for sawing off the extra branches.
In order to reduce the amount of wood used, Mu Xi suggested peeling off the bark of the cut trees to build the protection of the greenhouse.
The bark is relatively light and waterproof enough. It can be peeled off when not in use without affecting the light. The shelf under the bark is firmer and will not have any problems bearing the weight.
Zhao Yeqing thought this was a perfect idea, and when sawing the branches, he was careful not to damage the bark of the trunk.
The bark on a freshly cut tree is still very moist and tightly attached to it. To peel it off, you need to first cut a line with a knife, and then tap it little by little with a chisel and hammer.
When Mu Xi cut down the required tree, Zhao Yeqing had already peeled off the first piece of bark. The peeled tree was then handed over to Mu Xi to be split into boards.
The construction of the fence was not large, just the wooden boards needed for two newly reclaimed plots of land, and it was completed in just one day.
To protect the greenhouse, you need to build a frame first. Look for branches of suitable length and thickness sawn off from the fir trees to build the main frame of the wooden frame. Thick enough wooden sticks are inserted into the four corners of each plot of land to serve as the main beams to bear the weight.
Fortunately, she has a little obsessive-compulsive disorder. When she was cultivating the vegetable garden before, the vegetable plots were all standard squares, and now it is much more convenient to set up the shelves.
Several horizontal bars need to be nailed onto the main square wooden frame to hold the bark and provide support to ensure the load-bearing capacity.
The heights of the shelves in different areas are also different. The highest one in the vine area is nearly two meters, while the ones in the root and stem area and leafy vegetable area are very short, only about fifty or sixty centimeters. In order to facilitate picking, the horizontal bar above is not nailed in place. It is usually placed in the tool shed and put up together with the bark when needed.
Zhao Yeqing obviously found that he had become darker recently. The ultraviolet rays were really too strong. Even though the sun had set at around six o'clock now, his arms would be red when he came back from working outside for a while.
We can only pour spring water on it to cool it down, but we don’t know if it can be saved.
Working in high temperatures has put a lot of strain on her body. She felt dizzy these past two days and wanted to replenish some energy. She remembered that the osmanthus honey she had made before was forgotten in the corner, so she quickly took it out of the cupboard to have a look.
The glass jar, which originally had a layer of white sugar and a layer of osmanthus with distinct layers, is now full of golden color. After the white sugar melted, it mixed with the osmanthus and turned into a beautiful golden color, like honey. When it is gently shaken, some of the luster flows.
Zhao Yeqing scooped a spoonful into each of their cups, dissolved it with water, and added ice cubes.
The moment the ice water enters your mouth on a hot day, a rich osmanthus fragrance explodes in your mouth, accompanied by a hint of sweetness, and all your pores open up at once.
Mu Xi asked for another drink.
Zhao Yeqing made him another cup and refilled his own cup. After drinking it, he smacked his lips and decided to wait until the sweet osmanthus flowers bloomed in the golden autumn. He must get a few more bottles. The sweet osmanthus flowers at that time are truly the best.
After drinking the osmanthus honey water, the heat in their bodies was soothed and they began to plan their next arrangements.
Rice cannot be planted yet, so Mu Xi plans to go up the mountain to see if there are any bodies at the location of the electric tower mentioned earlier.
In order to save electricity, Mu Xi decided not to ride a bike and walked along the mountain road, while Zhao Yeqing was tending to the vegetable garden at home.
Watching Mu Xi leave, she always felt like she had something she hadn't told him yet, but she couldn't remember what it was, so she just gave up.
A lot of weeds grew in the vegetable garden after the rain. Zhao Yeqing carried a basket on his back and went to the nearby woods to pick up dead leaves.
The dead leaves of the fir trees were prickly, so Zhao Yeqing walked a little further away and picked them up under some maple trees.
I picked up a full basket and brought it home, spreading it on the vegetable garden.
Spreading dead leaves on the ground of the vegetable garden can not only turn into organic fertilizer to improve the soil, but also inhibit the growth of weeds underneath and retain water, achieving three goals at one stroke.
The mother rabbit and her cubs at home can now be moved back to the rabbit pen. Zhao Yeqing was afraid that the little rabbits would not be used to leaving the cardboard boxes, so he simply made a hole in the cardboard box and put it into the rabbit pen, allowing the mother rabbit to decide where her children would live.
In just a few days, white or gray fur has appeared on the little rabbit's body.
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