This time they encountered a hawthorn grove. Lu Chuan and Liu Erzhu quickly climbed the trees to pick the fruit, while the others picked the fruit from the ground that wasn't too high up.
Sure enough, no one could resist the temptation of picking. Although everyone was very tired, and their necks ached from craning their necks to pick hawthorns for a long time, everyone had a smile on their face.
Their hands moved without stopping, frantically picking the fruit, their hands leaving afterimages as they plucked them.
Dan Niang said, "These hawthorns are really good-looking. Although they are a bit small, there are so many of them!"
Qi Yu chimed in, "Yes, the bright red color is so pleasing to the eye."
"Let's try to pick more. Hawthorn berries make even better canned fruit; they're sweet and sour, and taste especially delicious."
Dan Niang asked in surprise, "Can hawthorn berries be canned?"
"Of course, canned hawthorn berries not only taste great, but they also have a beautiful color. You'll see when they're done."
Not only that, it can also be made into candied hawthorn skewers and fruit leather, both of which are delicious.
Liu Erzhu chimed in, "I've seen candied hawthorns sold on the street before. They're really sour, and only kids like them; nobody else can eat them."
There used to be hawthorn berries on the mountain behind my house, but nobody wanted them. They were too sour for us to eat ourselves, and we couldn't make any money selling them.
Over time, people became too lazy to pick them anymore; only children would pick them to play with, as they couldn't eat them all.
After all, most people can't afford candied hawthorn berries; the sugar used is very expensive. Plus, they're quite sour, so not many people like them.
Xu Han smiled and said, "Let's pick more, and I'll make you candied hawthorns when we get back. I promise they won't be sour or astringent."
"Madam can even make candied hawthorn skewers! I thought we picked these to make dried hawthorn berries to make tea!"
Hawthorn berries soaked in water is the most common drink in our family. At first, they didn't like it, but they gradually got used to it.
If you add a little dried hawthorn and a few rock sugar pieces when brewing tea, the resulting tea is quite delicious and not as sour as you might expect. In fact, its sweet and sour flavor is very refreshing and helps to cut through any greasiness.
"Yes, including the hawthorn jam you're eating, I made it last year. There are many ways to prepare these wild fruits, so you can pick them without worry."
Not only are there wild hawthorns in the mountains, but Xu Han has also planted many hawthorn trees in the orchard. However, the hawthorns in the orchard are much bigger and of particularly good quality.
There weren't many hawthorns in the orchard, so Xu Han planned to keep these for herself, whether to make hawthorn preserves or dried hawthorn.
After listening for a while, Lu Chuan interjected, "When you're walking later, carefully observe your surroundings and see if there are any other wild fruits."
Remember, as long as it's wild fruit, no matter how much or what kind, pick it if you see it.
These wild fruits have many uses; your wife plans to make a lot of fruit wine this year and sell it in the county town!
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and as they continued on their journey, they all either lowered their heads or craned their necks to look around.
Wherever they go, they pluck feathers from the passing geese, leaving nothing behind.
Not only Lu Chuan's team, but the other two teams did the same, and they all had pretty good results.
After all, nature has recovered considerably after a three- or four-year recovery period following a natural disaster.
Some fruit trees grow particularly fast because the soil is rich in fertilizer.
After several years of growth, this year is the time to reap a great harvest.
In addition, this is a remote mountain area, and no one usually comes here to pick the fruit. Apart from small animals, no one else comes to pick the fruit in the mountains.
Moreover, some of the ripe ones had already fallen to the ground or been pecked by birds.
Xu Han specially took out a basket to pack some ripe fruits, which could be eaten directly when she got home without needing to ripen them further.
Everyone picked and ate as they went, instantly achieving fruit freedom.
Especially when it came time to pick wild kiwifruit, Xu Han's mouth never stopped.
There are no kiwi trees planted in the orchard; we eat kiwis all year round and are just waiting for the autumn harvest!
Xu Han hadn't eaten kiwifruit in a long time, and she finally got to satisfy her craving today.
However, she didn't forget her two children who were at home while she was picking the fruit. She secretly put the fruit into her spatial storage while she was putting it into the basket, so she could give it to the children when she got home.
Lu Chuan looked up at the high-hanging sun and said, "It's noon. Let's find a place to rest and have lunch."
Xu Han nodded and said, "Okay, we had breakfast early, so everyone must be hungry. I remember there's a stream nearby, how about we go there?"
"Wash your hands while you're at it; they're sticky and uncomfortable."
When we were picking wild grapes, everyone's hands got dirty by accident, and we definitely couldn't leave them unwashed.
"Hmm, there's a stream not far away, let's go there."
Just as we were about to leave, two dogs, Black Wind and Black Spot, who had followed us, came along carrying two wild rabbits that they had hunted from somewhere.
Xu Han watched the two dogs run over and said with a smile, "Looks like Black Wind and Black Spot want to give us an extra meal!"
Lu Chuan was also very happy, "How about grilling it?"
The two exchanged a glance. "I think it's a good idea."
The others had no reason to object; the host had already made the decision, and only a fool would refuse to join in the extra meal.
When they arrived at the riverbank, Lu Chuan and Liu Erzhu went to deal with the wild rabbit, while Liu Sanzhu went to gather firewood.
Xu Han, Qi Yu, and Dan Niang found a shady spot under a tree to sit and rest. After they finished preparing the rabbit, Dan Niang took it and started roasting it.
After eating the wild rabbit, the sun was still very strong. Xu Han led everyone to rest under the shade of a tree for a while, and only continued picking wild fruits when the sun was not so strong.
By mid-afternoon, all the baskets and sacks that everyone had brought were full.
Xu Han looked at everyone. Each of them had two large burlap sacks on their backs, and Lu Chuan was carrying three sacks on his back, not only two on his back but also one in his arms.
He then said, “Let’s go back. Everyone has had a good harvest today. Even though it’s still early, our baskets are full, and we can’t carry any more.”
Lu Chuan agreed, "Yes, we're all carrying a lot of stuff, and it'll take us quite a while to walk back, and we'll be moving slowly. Let's go back!"
After saying that, he took the lead and walked back. Xu Han followed closely behind, and the others followed him back as well.
When everyone arrived home, the sun was still high in the sky, indicating that it was still early.
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