The sugar mill is also located in the village. This is to prevent unscrupulous people from coming to steal the techniques, and also to make it easier to keep an eye on the stored sugar.
The sugar mill was built according to Shui Qing's blueprints. The main building had five rooms for sugar production, while the east and west wing rooms served as storerooms. A well was dug in the courtyard.
Shui Qing looked around and was very satisfied.
Great, no one offered any unsolicited opinions, and everything was built according to the requirements in her drawings.
She turned to Feng Damancang and the others and instructed them, "Go and bring the stone mill we brought."
"Yes!" Feng Damancang and the others accepted the order and immediately turned to carry it out.
The men and women of Zhulin Village were both nervous and expectant.
They knew nothing about sugar production. After harvesting the sugarcane, the days went well. They busied themselves cultivating the fields and quickly planted potatoes, hoping to harvest another crop of potatoes in between. After planting the potatoes, they waited and hoped that the sugarcane could be turned into sugar.
I went to Shanshui Village twice to deliver toothbrush handles, and I also asked my wife for permission, but she said that the time had not yet come, and she would come when it did.
We've finally made it here today, how can I not be excited!
Then Feng Damancang and others pulled up a horse-drawn carriage and unloaded two millstone blocks from the carriage.
This stone mill is different from the ones they use to grind soybeans to make tofu or to mill wheat! The two are stacked together in a column shape with a small hole in the middle. The men looked closely around the stone mill but couldn't figure it out.
"This is used for juicing. Sugarcane is put in through the hole on top, and then pulled by an ox. The two stone mills will crush the sugarcane and extract the juice. Do you understand?" Shuiqing asked after she finished speaking.
Of course, if a man is strong enough, he can complete this step, but that would be too tiring, as a person's strength cannot compare to that of an ox.
Gong Shang and the other men nodded quickly.
No wonder the lady told them to buy more cows to raise; it turns out that's why!
Shuiqing gave a live lesson to the men and women: "The tender leaves and stalks on the top of the sugarcane can be fed to the cows. They like to eat them, and they are sweet and nutritious. However, you don't need to feed them too much. Just control the amount yourself."
Let me explain the first step before juicing sugarcane. Remember, you don't need to wash it unless there's mud or other dirt on it. Otherwise, you don't need to wash it. Books say that preserving the white bloom on the sugarcane will result in better brown sugar.
Upon hearing that it was recorded in a book, everyone present immediately stood in awe!
They were illiterate and always thought that things written in black and white were incredibly powerful! And it turned out to be true; look at the fact that the master found the sugar-making method in a book.
"Sugarcane juice cannot be poured directly into the pot. It must be filtered three times through a fine cotton cloth to ensure that no sugarcane residue is removed."
"The pot for boiling sugarcane juice is a large pot. I see that the one you bought is very good. Only keep a small fire in the stove. You can't use a large fire, otherwise it will easily burn. Once it burns, the whole pot will be wasted!"
During the simmering process, someone needs to stir it constantly. It takes about two hours to simmer it into a thick syrup. Then, scoop it out and stir it continuously in a basin. Books say that this step is called "sanding".
This is to give the sugar a soft, granular texture; without this step, the solidified brown sugar would be very hard.
After each sentence, Shui Qing would stop and look at everyone's expressions to make sure they had listened before moving on to the next one.
After she finished speaking, she paused for a moment, and then continued, "What I just said is all written in books. Let's try to do it this afternoon!"
Let's make brown sugar first, and then we'll make white sugar after the brown sugar is ready.
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