This habit helps them survive periods of food scarcity, ensuring their survival and reproduction.
Even though I had no high expectations for what was inside, it was only when Top took out the two remaining tubers from the hole that I realized I was the one who was truly naive and inexperienced.
Looking at the yellowish-brown oval tuber, I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. I grabbed the tuber from Top's hand and examined it from all angles as if it were a rare treasure.
I was afraid I was dreaming, so I deliberately slapped myself hard.
"hiss……"
I gasped; that slap really hurt. But I was even happier because it wasn't a dream; it was all real.
"Hahaha...Great, great, Top, you did a great job!" I was so excited that I was almost incoherent.
Top and Pat looked at each other, somewhat suspiciously, as if they were looking at a fool.
Top was confused. He had taken a bite himself, but I, who hadn't even eaten yet, seemed more excited than this monkey who had.
I know Top can't understand how I feel right now, because Top has unintentionally drawn the strongest king crop in the three-piece set of early-game crops.
The so-called three essential crops for pioneering agriculture are corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. As the oldest crops in the world, these three have evolved an amazing ability to adapt to their environment.
The reason they are called the "three-piece set" is that having these three ancient crops is, to some extent, equivalent to getting rid of the problem of hunger.
Even a barren, desolate mountain can be transformed into a granary with these three items combined.
First, there's corn. It's drought-resistant and can thrive in poor soil, making it suitable for planting on newly reclaimed land. It has a relatively short growing cycle, high yields, and provides abundant carbohydrates.
However, a certain amount of water is still needed to ensure that the corn yield does not decrease, so it is more suitable to be planted in some moist soil at the foot of the mountain.
Next up is the sweet potato. It is more adaptable than corn, with strong growth and adaptability, and is not demanding in terms of soil requirements.
The vines can be propagated by cuttings, have high yields, and are rich in nutrients such as starch, making them an important crop choice during the land reclamation period.
The key is that it doesn't require much water; it can rely entirely on the weather and still get enough to eat. Too much water will actually affect its yield, so it is generally suitable for planting in water-scarce areas on the mountainside.
Finally, there's the potato. Its adaptability speaks for itself. The fact that the Soviet Union cultivated potatoes in the frigid Siberian region during World War II clearly demonstrates just how incredibly adaptable this crop is.
They are relatively undemanding in terms of soil requirements, easy to cultivate, and produce considerable yields. They can be used as food and vegetables, providing basic food security for land reclamation workers.
This is a crop that is guaranteed to yield a good harvest regardless of drought or flood. Growing it doesn't require the same care or skills as other crops; you can do it with your bare hands.
This is also one of the few crops that can be grown on the barren and water-scarce mountaintops.
It is these three easy-to-grow and durable crops that have saved countless lives during most famines around the world.
Even outside of times of famine, in ancient dynasties where food was generally scarce, they fed the majority of the population.
Even in some modern countries and regions, corn is still a staple food, which shows that the contribution of these crops to mankind is not much less than that of Yuan Longping.
However, I was lucky; Top drew the ultimate survival crop. With this as seed, how could I possibly starve along the way? That's ridiculous!
Today's harvest has far exceeded my expectations, how could I not be happy?
Since there are potatoes in this badger's burrow, and their activity range doesn't extend too far from their burrows, it's estimated that wild potatoes must grow somewhere within a radius of several miles.
It's a pity Pat doesn't know what potato stolons look like, otherwise he would have worked overtime to patrol the area and find out the coordinates of that potato.
At that moment, it felt like a bunch of kittens were scratching at my heart. If it weren't for the time constraints, and the fact that we had already hunted a badger and needed to take it back to process it as soon as possible, I would have been able to do this.
I really want to set off immediately to find where those potatoes are. If I can find them, their value in the long run will be much greater than hunting for food.
Above my house is a wasteland overgrown with weeds. I will find some dry firewood, set it on fire, and burn all the weeds to make fertilizer. Using the most primitive slash-and-burn agriculture, I can turn my backyard into a huge granary!
Just thinking about it fills me with excitement. But it's not dark yet, it's not time to dream, everything depends on finding that area first.
However, I can take these two potatoes home, water them, and plant them first. Although they won't fill the empty space above my head, if they grow enough, it should be enough for one meal.
I glanced at the sun in the sky; it was getting late. I still needed to make some molds to process the natural rubber, so I decided to head back first.
We picked up the badger from the ground, and a few minutes later, we returned to the taro patch.
At that moment, I realized that Top had already filled my basket more than halfway with taro. If I hadn't shouted that earlier, I doubt this guy would have stopped until the basket was completely full.
Top made a move to continue pulling up the taro, but I quickly stopped him. I pointed to the earthenware jars that held the rubber, indicating that I needed some more space to store those things.
Seeing this, Top looked at Taro with some reluctance, rubbed his little hands together, and then reluctantly nodded at me.
I gave a wry smile and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. This brat is always trying to kill me; last time, that full basket of taro exhausted me.
This time, we hunted down a badger, and then carried so many taro and rubber. Even the legendary stone guardian of Mount Tai wouldn't dare to do this.
I checked the ceramic jars that were used to collect rubber and found that each jar was about one-sixth full of a milky white liquid.
I poured them all into a jar, and got more than half a jar of milky white natural rubber liquid.
These natural rubbers are more than enough for my pneumatic piston components, and the extras can be used to make some spare parts, since pistons are consumables in pneumatic tools.
After sealing the jar with leather, I tossed it into my basket. Then, carrying the badger we had hunted, we happily hurried home.
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