Chapter 437 Grape Jam
The harvested grapes are not planned to be used for making wine this year. With the help of small household appliances, making bread has become easier. Compared to two glasses of wine that would make her slightly tipsy, Zhao Yeqing prefers bread covered with jam.
All the fully ripe grapes on the vines have been picked off, leaving many green ones that have not turned red or purple, and many that have just bloomed. I guess I will get tired of eating grapes this year.
After spreading out a basket full of harvested grapes, Zhao Yeqing sat on the grass beside the pond and picked off the rotten or overripe grapes and threw them into the pond to feed the fish and ducks.
The remaining intact grapes are all juicy. Take them home, rinse them, pick them, pour them into the pot, and then add a few large pieces of sugar to boil them together.
The grapes grown at home are not sprayed with pesticides. They can be put into the pot after being lightly washed with water. They do not need to be soaked in something to remove pesticide residues before being eaten like the grapes purchased.
The disadvantages of not spraying pesticides are also obvious. Half of a bunch of grapes are rotten. These sweet fruits are most susceptible to insects, and everything will come to take a bite. If the fruit farmers who make a living by buying grapes do not use pesticides, they may not even be able to afford food.
The iron pot conducts heat quickly, and soon the pot began to bubbling. Zhao Yeqing took out a rolling pin and gently crushed the grapes that had been boiled for a while in the pot. The fire under the pot continued to burn without being turned off, and he continued to use a mesh colander to scoop out all the grape skins.
It was boiled over high heat until all the juice and water inside were evaporated, leaving only a slightly thin sugar sauce. Zhao Yeqing quickly turned off the fire. She was boiling glass jars to hold jam nearby, and she didn't pay attention to the heat, and almost overcooked it.
After wiping off the moisture from the sterilized glass jars, they were neatly placed on the cooking table. Zhao Yeqing took a large spoon, scooped out the jam, and slowly poured it into the glass jars.
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It doesn't matter if the hot jam just out of the pot is a little thin, it will gradually thicken after being left to cool for a while.
After making the jam, you have to make bread.
It took two hours to cook the jam, and I used the second largest iron pot in the house so that it could be cooked straight away without having to be boiled again. While waiting, in addition to sterilizing the glass jars, I also kneaded the bread dough and covered it with gauze to let it ferment.
The fermentation time of bread does not need to be very long. In about an hour, the original dough will expand to twice its size. Cut it into small pieces, flatten it, fold it several times and flatten it again. In this way, when the baked bread is torn open, it will be layered.
If there are more layers, the texture will be more solid when you bite it, and it won’t feel empty.
The cow at home was pregnant and would not give birth until the end of the year. Without milk to make bread, Zhao Yeqing kneaded double the amount of butter into the dough and baked it in the oven for half an hour. When it came out of the oven for the first time, as soon as the oven door was opened, the whole house was filled with the aroma of butter and milk.
The aroma of milk mixed with the aroma of flour, and then it was brushed with a layer of butter and put into the oven to bake again.
The finished bread is topped with a layer of butter that is toasted until crispy.
The kitchen was made less deserted by the heat and aroma. Zhao Yeqing smelled the aroma of the bread and couldn't wait to grab a piece and tear it open before it cooled down. The steaming heat almost burned her so much that she could not hold it.
He quickly threw it back into the plate, lowered his head and blew on it continuously until the white steam slowly turned from thick white to dissipated before he picked it up again.
The freshly baked bread was soft and warm. It was so delicious that you almost swallowed your tongue after taking a bite. The milky aroma of butter filled your entire mouth. The bread was soft with a hint of chewiness. Zhao Yeqing smiled with satisfaction.
When this bread gets cold tomorrow and is given to Mu Xi, it will taste chewier than it does now. Bread with a chewier texture is more suitable for people who have worked all day and will be more enjoyable to eat.
Early in the morning, Zhao Yeqing packed bread and jam into his backpack, and also took the rations he had cooked for the dogs in the morning. When riding his electric scooter on the cobblestone path, Zhao Yeqing raised the intercom and began to call Mu Xi.
There was a response very quickly.
"I'm already at the edge of the slope. Come over here. I'll pick you up at the cliff."
When Zhao Yeqing just arrived at the swamp by bike, she met the dogs who had come to pick her up earlier. As soon as they saw her, they jumped up and pounced on her.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, I brought you some delicious food, don't worry..."
When Zhao Yeqing reached the edge of the cliff, he happened to meet Mu Xi who had walked out of the forest on the right. After not seeing him for a day and two nights, Mu Xi already had a scruffy beard. If it weren't for the new clothes on his body, he would have looked like a wild man from the mountains.
There was still a lot of mud on his face.
Seeing Zhao Yeqing looking at him with an undisguised smile in her eyes, Mu Xi coughed lightly in embarrassment, then took two steps forward and hooked Zhao Yeqing's neck, letting her smell the sweat on her body, and then pretended to be vicious and said: "If you smile again, I'll bite you."
Zhao Yeqing did not look disgusted, but felt a little distressed. When he got closer, he saw several scabbed bloodstains on his face, probably caused by the flying stones when he smashed the stone.
Seeing that Mu Xi's lips were a little dry, she asked, "Did you not find a clean water source?"
As soon as she said this, she knew that her question was in vain. Mu Xi was very particular about hygiene on weekdays. If he had water, his face would definitely not be so dusty now.
Seeing that he was about to tell him about the situation on the slope, Zhao Yeqing quickly took out a water bottle from his backpack and stopped him from talking. "Drink some water quickly, and then we'll talk."
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