Chapter 178 Farmer's Vermicelli and Farmer's Wine
"I can only watch. I really don't know how to do this." Lin Heng laughed.
He is the one in the family who is responsible for food. He can definitely cook if needed, but he is lazy.
Father Lin smiled and said, "Wash your hands clean and help me mix the flour later. We will thicken the sauce."
"Okay."
Lin Heng ran to Xiulan and asked her to scoop some water for washing his hands. He also asked, "How much fern root powder did you add?"
"They're all hanging there. I think they weigh about 7 or 8 kilograms. I'll make them into vermicelli for you later."
Xiulan pointed to a white sheet with water control hanging next to it and said.
"After the vermicelli is made, I will make you some cold fern root vermicelli to show you my cooking skills." Lin Heng said with a smile while washing his hands.
Xiulan blinked her eyes and smiled: "Then I'd like to taste your cooking skills."
"I'm sure to conquer your stomach." Lin Heng grinned.
Then he took Xiaoxia and the other two over to thicken the sauce.
The production of sweet potato vermicelli requires a lot of skill, and the first step is called thickening.
Because sweet potato flour is starch, it will sink to the bottom if poured directly into water, so it needs to be thickened.
To thicken the sauce, use half a bucket of boiling water, add sweet potato starch in small amounts several times, and stir evenly to cook the starch.
The boiled sweet potato starch is the same as the lotus root starch we usually make, forming a gray viscous liquid similar to gelatin.
This step requires great skills. There should be no lumps, and it should not be too dry. It should have the right thickness.
Lin Yue added some sweet potato flour, and Lin's father started stirring it frantically.
After a long while, Father Lin looked at it and said, "That's almost it. Pour the sweet potato flour. Lin Heng also comes over to help stir it."
"good."
Lin Heng came over to help.
This large wooden barrel with a diameter of 50 centimeters was placed on a small table, and half of it was filled with starch.
With the starch as a medium, the sweet potato flour will not sink to the bottom when poured in.
"Come on, one, two, one, two..."
Pour some sweet potato flour, and have three people hold their fists in three directions to press the sweet potato flour from the surface to the bottom, then pull up the thickened starch, stir repeatedly, and knead at the same time.
The purpose of kneading is to remove small lumps, and the purpose of stirring is to allow the sweet potato flour and the thickening to blend completely.
“One, two, one, two…”
Xiaoxia and several other children were also jumping around to watch the fun. Some were cheering, some were clapping, and some were eager to try.
As the sound spread, many people in the village came to watch the fun. There was nothing to do in winter, so when there was something exciting, everyone gathered around.
Lin Heng also had a lot of fun. It was a little hot at the beginning, but it became very comfortable later.
Watching vermicelli being made is a very relaxing thing. The villagers watch and chat around the big pot of boiling water. It is just like slaughtering the New Year pig, very lively.
"Lin Heng, are you selling this vermicelli to me? I want to buy some to eat." Tian Baishun shouted with a smile.
"Not for sale. If you want to eat, I can give you some." Lin Heng said with a smile.
Old Man Tian shook his head and said, "Then I'll get some sweet potato flour and you can make some for me."
"I said I'll give it to you, don't be so fussy." Lin Heng shook his head.
"No, that won't work. I'll get you some." Old Man Tian laughed and turned to buy sweet potato flour.
Lin Heng continued to work, and after stirring for half an hour, the first bucket was finally completed.
Now the bucket is filled with white, gelatinous sweet potato powder paste. If you grab a handful and it sticks to your hand and slowly falls off, that means you've succeeded. It won't be good if it's too dry or too watery.
On the other side, the water in Lin's mother's big pot has also been boiled. After the water in the pot boils, it is required to boil but not bubble, and it cannot gurgle, otherwise the vermicelli will be cooked messily.
"It's time to start. Are you ready?"
Father Lin went to get an iron colander and asked with a smile.
"Okay, start quickly." Lin's mother urged impatiently.
"Let's get started."
Father Lin laughed and took the colander. There were densely packed tiny holes underneath the colander.
Pour the mixed white sweet potato flour paste into the pot and tap it gently. The sweet potato flour will leak into the pot in strips and be cooked instantly by the boiling water.
After trying it, Lin's father started to leak the vermicelli. Lin Heng was responsible for holding the colander, and Lin's father beat it to ensure that the vermicelli continued to flow, while Lin Yue added sweet potato flour to the paste.
Lin's mother would scoop up the cooked vermicelli with a wooden stick and put it into a large wooden barrel filled with cold water nearby.
Xiulan was in charge of washing and cooling the freshly made vermicelli in a wooden barrel, while Liu Juan, who was beside her, was responsible for picking up the vermicelli with a wooden stick. When the length was almost right, she would use the wooden stick to string them together and then hang them up to dry.
Six people divided the work and carried out the whole process in an orderly manner. Villagers were watching the fun nearby. When the warm winter sun came out, it was a lively scene.
The vermicelli made in the countryside may look dirty and messy, but the products are genuine, without any additives. Every year, there are people who come to collect them, and they are very popular.
After a while, the first batch of vermicelli came out and was hung on the rack to dry. The translucent gray vermicelli reflected rays of light in the sun, and just by looking at it, you could imagine how chewy and elastic it was.
When Lin Heng and his friends were making the third batch of vermicelli, Tian Baishun finally came back with a bag of sweet potato flour: "I bought 20 kilograms of sweet potato flour, you guys can help me make it."
Lin Heng glanced at him and nodded without any hesitation: "Okay, I'll add the last batch to yours."
"Okay, what we make ourselves has to taste better." Tian Baishun said with a smile.
"Of course, this is all real stuff."
Someone nearby nodded in agreement.
Each batch of vermicelli made by Lin Heng and his team weighs 50 kilograms, and it was already noon when they finished the third batch.
Immersed in work, several of them continued to work without eating. The children next to them were so hungry that they were staggering and crying for their parents.
"Dad, I'm hungry~"
Xiaoxia even hugged Lin Heng's legs to prevent him from continuing to work.
"Okay, okay, wait a moment."
Lin Heng went home and got four bags of shrimp crackers and gave one bag to each child. When Li Chengguo came up yesterday, he also asked someone to bring up a box of shrimp crackers, which contained thirty bags.
"Thank you, second dad~"
Lin Tao thanked with a smile on his face. This was a snack he had never dared to think of before, as only his second father could bring it to him.
"Brother, just take one pack and share it between the two of them. This is too much." Lin Yue said with a smile.
"It doesn't matter. It's not worth much money." Lin Heng waved his hand and said with a smile.
He didn't have any snacks when he was a child, so he couldn't let these kids have none too.
Some children in the village who were watching the fun smelled the fragrance and heard the crisp crackling sound. They stretched their necks and swallowed their saliva.
Not to mention them, even adults have never eaten shrimp crackers. The best snack they have ever eaten is biscuits.
When seeing the children eating shrimp crackers, they all looked curious, and most of them had no idea what they were made of.
Lin Heng handed the remaining bag to Lin Tao and said, "Lin Tao, you can share this bag with them..."
"good."
Lin Tao opened the food and distributed it to the children. The well-mannered ones thanked Lin Heng repeatedly, while the unmannered ones just stuffed the food into their mouths and ran away.
Lin Heng didn't care about it, and he didn't give the snacks for free just to get someone to thank him.
"Go on."
Father Lin said something, and the three of them continued to make vermicelli. It was already past two in the afternoon when they finished the last bucket.
Then he made the 20 kilograms of vermicelli for Tian Baishun separately.
"Your fern root powder is really black." Father Lin said with a smile while thickening the sauce. This was his first time using fern root powder to make vermicelli.
"This is the pure one." Lin Heng smiled. The reason why it is black is because there are a lot of pigments in it.
I thickened the sauce, but since the fern root powder was not dry enough, it was a bit troublesome to stir and blend it. It took me half an hour to finish.
When it is poured into the pot through the colander, the color is pure black.
In a short while, 17 or 18 kilograms of beautiful black fern root powder were ready and hung on the shelf.
"It's finally done. I'll go cook quickly." Mother Lin wiped her hands and said. She was also very hungry.
"Let's pack up." Father Lin said with a smile.
After washing the utensils, everyone took out the large wooden barrel in the house, filled the gaps with sawdust, and soaked them in it, to be used for making wine the next day or the day after tomorrow.
The people in the village had all left at this time. Lin's mother made the sauerkraut noodles very quickly. Lin Heng scooped a bowl and ate it while sitting on a small stool under the eaves.
There was still some sun at this time, and the vermicelli in the yard quickly lost moisture under the cold wind and sunshine and gradually became dry.
It was already past three o'clock after dinner. Lin's father and eldest brother went to fetch some straw to feed the cows and horses.
Lin Heng and Xiulan went home to rest for a while, lit the fireplace, and sat by the window drinking tea, which was quite comfortable.
"Are you going to Red Maple Mountain later?" Xiulan asked after taking a sip of tea. She liked to add some sugar to her tea.
Lin Heng nodded: "Yes, notify everyone to take a holiday."
Xiulan said immediately: "Then let's go together. I'll go pick some wild vegetables to eat."
Crack! ! Lin Heng was about to speak when he suddenly heard a crisp sound.
"Oh my god, my purple clay cup!!"
Both of them were startled and looked at Xiaoxia at the same time. Xiaoxia was so frightened by their gazes that she dared not move. She pursed her lips and was about to cry.
"You broke your father's things, so you should apologize to him and say sorry." Xiulan looked at her and said.
"Wow~ I'm sorry, Dad~"
Xiaoxia cried and snuggled into Lin Heng's arms, wiping her tears with her little hands.
"It's okay, it's okay. Just don't hit me again next time." Lin Heng quickly hugged her, patted her back and comforted her.
She cried for a long time before she stopped. She hugged Lin Heng's neck and kept saying sorry.
"The water just poured is very hot, don't take it next time." Lin Heng said helplessly. Fortunately, it was not an antique, otherwise he would be heartbroken.
"I understand." Xiaoxia nodded, still a little scared. She actually just wanted to drink some water.
After drinking two sips of water, the family set off at around five o'clock.
Lin Heng held Xiaoxia in his arms, while Xiulan held a bamboo basket and a small hoe.
The three of them first quickly walked to Red Maple Mountain and dug back from there.
Lin Heng took his daughter to the construction site to take a look. Li Shiwei said, "It's basically done. Should we just put it down in the afternoon?"
Lin Heng checked them one by one, and after seeing that there were indeed no problems, he took out the workbook and said, "Everyone, come over and sign after you have finished your work.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are both holidays. Please report back at 8 am the day after tomorrow."
"Then let's go back this afternoon. It's a good opportunity to go back and take a look." Li Shiwei said.
"It's up to you. Anything is fine." Lin Heng said with a smile. He didn't like to keep trying to keep others.
"We'll go back and tell your dad and then leave. We'll be down early on the 9th." Li Baiquan said with a smile.
"Okay." Lin Heng nodded, and after making the arrangements, he went to find Xiulan to dig wild vegetables.
It’s a bit cold in winter, but there are shepherd’s purse, dandelions, and purslane. Xiulan mainly digs shepherd’s purse and purslane, as her family doesn’t like to eat dandelions.
"Mom, there's one here!"
Xiaoxia looked for vegetables everywhere, and when she found them, she jumped up and down and called for her mother.
Lin Heng pulled her to the side and watched, walking back little by little, just like taking a walk.
There are no extra words, but it is very comfortable and warm.
Some of the dandelions on the roadside had bloomed small golden flowers. Xiaoxia picked some and played with them in her hands.
This scene gives one the feeling of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the southern mountains.
But Xiaoxia was picking chrysanthemums on the roadside.
"Mom, this is for you."
Finally, Xiaoxia gave all the dandelions she picked to Xiulan.
"Thank you." Xiulan kissed her, very happy.
It was almost dark when the three of them returned home. Lin Heng found that his uncle-in-law and Li Shiwei had not returned, so he asked curiously.
"Your mother asked us to stay here and help get some wine tomorrow. We'll be back the day after tomorrow." Li Baiquan smiled helplessly.
"Then stay, we'll have a drink tomorrow after we're done." Lin Heng said with a smile.
"Okay." Li Baiquan smiled. He liked drinking.
After chatting for a while, Lin Heng and Xiulan went home. They had a simple dinner of rice. Xiulan made a cold dish of purslane, which tasted good.
Xiulan didn’t eat the shepherd’s purse, so she planned to make shepherd’s purse dumplings tomorrow.
With the fireplace, I no longer feel cold when I sleep at night. Even in my pajamas I still feel a little hot, so I have to take them off.
Turn down the air intake of the fireplace so you only have to get up once in the middle of the night to add more firewood.
Xiaoxia slept in her own little bed without worrying about whether it was too warm or not, and Lin Heng was no longer afraid of the cold even when he held Xiulan in his arms.
This fireplace is really worth installing.
When you get up in the morning, you can add some firewood to the fireplace and open the window to enjoy the scenery outside without having to worry about the cold.
Lin Heng likes to lie down and watch his wife get dressed piece by piece, he finds it very interesting.
After putting on the clothes, Xiulan's curvy figure was hidden by the cotton-padded jacket, revealing nothing at all. Outsiders had no idea how great her real assets were.
"Wake up!"
Xiulan rolled her eyes at him and threw the clothes over.
In the morning, Xiulan kneaded dough and prepared to make dumplings for lunch.
After breakfast, Xiulan made dumplings at home, and Lin Heng went over to help his father and others get wine.
There are two kinds of wine in our house. Today we are making sweet wine, which is field sorghum.
We will make some jujube wine tomorrow.
All Lin Heng has to do is help smash and chop the sweet stalks, and the sorghum grains on the sweet stalks need to be steamed.
Under normal circumstances, it would just need to be chopped up and then added to the yeast, but Lin's father and his colleagues would also add some herbs in, which were said to enhance the taste of the wine, but Lin Heng didn't quite know the details.
After helping, I watched my father mix the yeast. After mixing, he poured it into a large wooden barrel and sealed it for fermentation. Generally, the wine can be made after 21 days.
That is distilled wine.
Lin Heng is a person who only tries a few wines. He feels that the wine made in the countryside is pretty good, with a low alcohol content and is comfortable to drink.
Some people think that the wine made in rural areas is not safe, but the wine sold in stores is also more likely to be made with various technologies and hard work.
Of course, except for the extremely expensive ones.
All in all, he still thinks that this kind of wine whose raw materials he can see is better.
After finishing the work of getting wine, Lin Heng went to the village to take a look. All the electric poles had been buried, and there was one outside their old house.
"Electricity will be turned on tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it."
Lin Heng sighed as he felt the wind blowing, saying that he had not seen the light at night for a long time, and he really missed the days when there were electric lights at night.
I went back to my hometown to chop wood for my grandma and slaughter a pig these two days. 4,000 words today. I will try to write 6,000 words tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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