Chapter 278 Unlocking New Uses for Residues
Wan Laoer moved the potatoes out of the kitchen and piled them all in the yard.
Wan Er's wife got up soon and saw that Wan Laoer had taken out all the potatoes. She knew that he was about to start.
Wan Ersao was not idle either. She immediately went into the kitchen, washed up quickly, and started to cook breakfast.
When the sun rose, Wan Ersao had already fed all the livestock at home and prepared the meal.
Wan Ersao brought breakfast to the table on the kang, and the family ate cornmeal cakes with multi-grain porridge and a bowl of pickles, enjoying the delicious meal.
Little Fubao had a bowl of egg custard.
"Second brother, I see you've messed with the potato, what are you going to do with it?"
After finishing her meal, Old Mrs. Wan sat cross-legged on the kang and asked while looking at Old Second Wan.
"Mother, according to the recipe Yu gave me, the first step seems to be to peel the skin first, then wash it, cut the potatoes into small pieces, and wash them in water to get the pulp."
Wan Laoer recited the steps of the recipe according to his memory.
"But the recipe says potatoes at one moment and potatoes at the other. I guess they are the same thing, right?"
Wan Lao Er said to Wan Lao Tai with some uncertainty.
Old Lady Wan also pondered for a moment, "This potato is like a bean growing in the soil. Does it have another name? Forget about that for now. Let's follow the recipe first. Don't leave it for too long, or it will release the poison again."
When Old Lady Wan and her companions were living in the interior of the country, they used to grow potatoes, but they stopped later on. Potatoes have a high yield, but will easily go bad if not eaten all, and are not easy to preserve for a long time. That's why we often heard about people being poisoned. The court forbade them to grow potatoes because if everyone started growing potatoes, there might be no one left to grow crops in the fields, delaying tax payment.
Nowadays, some people still grow some in their vegetable gardens, which is already very rare. It is really lucky for them to be able to buy it in the county town here.
Moreover, the potatoes in this county town are not from Da Qi, but are transported here by outsiders for trade.
After listening to what Grandma Wan said, Second Wan nodded, put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands and said, "Mom, I'll do it right away. After washing this thing, the starch water needs to be left to stand for an hour, and it needs to be washed several times in between. It's very troublesome, and I don't know what we can get from all this trouble. I don't think this recipe will work, otherwise why didn't Yu's male lineage prosper? And the potatoes haven't developed either. I think our hundred kilograms of potatoes may be wasted."
Wan Laoer was regretting very much now. He shouldn't have been greedy and bought so many potatoes at once. It was also his fault that he was hot-headed and didn't think carefully. Now he thought that what Yu said was not credible.
But since he had already bought it, he couldn't waste it. It would be delicious to eat stewed potatoes with it for lunch.
In short, it cannot be wasted. He spent three hundred coins on this hundred kilograms, which can buy more than one hundred kilograms of rice and flour.
As Wan Laoer said this, he put on his shoes, got off the kang and walked out.
Now he was the only adult man in the room, and there were a few boys, none of whom could help.
Wan Ersao also quickly packed up and prepared to help.
Mrs. Liu stopped Wan Ersao from working and said, "Sister-in-law, go help my second brother. Let me clean up here. When I'm done with the stove, I'll help cut the potatoes. Cutting vegetables is not something we can do easily. How can he be as fast as us as a man? Just let my second brother peel the potatoes first."
Wan Ersao felt that what Liu said was right, and she did not compete with Liu to wash the dishes. Instead, she put Xiao Fubao on the kang and went downstairs as well.
Seeing that his parents were busy, little Fubao behaved well and did not make any trouble. Instead, he started playing with Wan Yu who was lying on the kang and playing with his fingers.
Wan Yu is already five months old. The little guy is plump and chubby. Mrs. Liu’s breast milk is very fertile and has made her son very strong.
The little guy never makes a fuss. He eats and then sleeps, but when he sees the little sister, he opens his little mouth and laughs non-stop. His bare gums are glistening with saliva, and his eyes are narrowed into slits, making people want to kiss him on the face.
Little Fubao also likes this little brother who is younger than her the most. She looks at him countless times every day. The two of them babble and the adults can't understand a word. But Wan Yu seems to understand what her sister says. She waves her little arms and legs happily. Her two short legs often make a thumping sound on the kang. The crisp laughter constantly echoes in the room, touching the hearts of the adults. The room is always filled with laughter because of the two little babies.
Liu listened to her son's giggles and smiled happily. She cleaned up the dishes and said to Old Lady Wan, "Mom, I see you must be tired after taking the bus yesterday. Take a good rest today. If Wan Yu is hungry, call me. I'll go help my second brother and his wife with the chores."
"Don't worry, you guys go about your business, I'll take care of the children, don't worry."
Old Mrs. Wan is feeling very happy now. Life at home is getting better and better. Her children are filial and her daughters-in-law are getting along well with each other without any conflicts. The whole Shizi Village envies their family.
Liu hurriedly finished the work in the stove and went to the yard to work with Wan Laoer and his wife.
Wan Laoer peeled the potatoes by himself, while Wan Ersao and Liu chopped them into pieces for later use.
Wan Laoer weighed the potatoes in advance. According to the recipe, six pounds of potatoes could produce one pound of flour. Wan Laoer wanted to try whether this was the standard, so he only weighed six pounds.
Six pounds of potatoes were not a lot, and they were quickly finished when the sun had just risen in the sky.
"Okay, the next step is to wash out the starch water. Just wrap it in cotton cloth and rub it until there is no more starch water in the mashed potatoes."
Six pounds of shredded potatoes were divided into three portions among three people, and the kneading was quite quick.
Because it was their first time and they had no experience, they were all extremely cautious and rubbed the water very hard and carefully. They didn't think it was okay until they saw the water was no longer turbid.
Wan Laoer poured all the pulp into a large wooden barrel and covered it with a wooden lid. He then said to the two men, "Okay, let's do this for now. Let's see what happens tomorrow morning. Anyway, this is our first time, so we have to cross the river by feeling the stones. It doesn't matter whether it succeeds or not. We still have more than 90 kilograms of potatoes."
Wan Ersao was also a little worried. It was not that she felt sorry for the money, but she felt that if it failed, the Yu family would lose a source of income, but their family would not be greatly affected.
Liu looked at the potato residue piled in the wooden basin on the ground in the yard and asked Wan Laoer, "Second brother, what should we do with these residues?"
Wan Laoer turned his head to take a look, then strode over, picked up the wooden basin on the ground and walked towards the livestock shed.
"I'll see if I can feed these to the chickens and geese. If they eat them, maybe we can raise more chickens and geese, which will also be a good source of income."
Liu and Wan Ersao's eyes lit up. Why didn't they think of this? These things can be eaten by humans, but with so many produced at once, people definitely can't finish them all. It would be a pity to throw them away. If they can be used, it would be a good idea.
Wan Laoer grabbed a handful of chopped potatoes and threw them into the chicken coop. The livestock, which had eaten early in the morning and had been jumping around in the chicken coop for half the morning, were now a little hungry. When they heard the noise, they immediately gathered around.
Liu and Wan Ersao followed closely behind Wan Laoer and looked into the chicken coop.
I saw the chickens and geese fighting over the food.
"Yeah, it really works, but I don't know if it will be poisonous if you eat too much of it?"
Wan Ersao began to worry. After all, this thing would produce toxins if left for a long time. Humans couldn't stand it, and poultry probably wouldn't be able to stand it either.
However, Wan Laoer already had a plan in mind.
"I have another idea. I think we can dry the remaining residues. This way, they won't be toxic. After all, damp things are more likely to mold. If they become dry, can they be stored for longer? This should be the same as storing food."
After hearing what Wan Laoer said, Wan Ersao and Liu both showed strong anticipation in their eyes.
"I think it's possible. It's just like the wheat bran we have at home. When the time comes, we can put these residues together with the wheat bran, add some weeds or something, and add some water. These animals will definitely like to eat it. In winter, there is nothing to feed these animals. If we have these dry residues, then we have solved a big problem, and we can raise chickens and ducks on a large scale in the future?" Wan Ersao's IQ was online at this time. She clapped her hands and laughed happily.
Liu was also overwhelmed with emotion when she heard this.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
