Chapter 207 Mushroom Harvest
"It's the same in my family. I have to say, Lao Xu's method really works. People who have educated themselves are different from us. If mushrooms can be grown successfully this time, our lives will be much better." Guo Zizi said with anticipation.
Working on the ranch, the salary is not high and the location is remote, so everyone lives a tight life. They can only rely on the Qilian Mountains to provide them with opportunities to earn extra money. However, mushrooms, cordyceps, and yellow sheep are not easy to come by, so most of the time they rely on the weather for their livelihood.
If we can successfully grow mushrooms, it will be a different story. It will be equivalent to having a relatively stable income in addition to our salary, and everyone's lives will be greatly improved.
The earthworm chicken farming method that Xu Lingjun had taught them before had been successful, and the egg production of each household had increased. They had seen the tangible benefits and naturally had expectations for mushroom cultivation. If they had said this at the beginning, no one would have believed it.
If Xu Lingjun's experiment is successful, these people will follow suit immediately. This is the power of trust. If someone else told them this, Guo Zizi and the others would definitely not believe it.
Everyone worked together to help, and the mushroom shed was built in just a few days. Then Xu Lingjun began to make the boletus culture medium. He mixed the pine sawdust, pine needles and rotten wood collected in these days in a certain proportion, added appropriate amounts of water, gypsum, lime and other nutrients that promote the growth of the strain, and then stirred it evenly for sterilization.
Then sprinkle the fungus evenly on the surface of the substrate, and try to allow the mycelium to spread and grow quickly with the help of sufficient water, which can promote the growth and reproduction of boletus.
After these are handled, it is time to start the daily maintenance and management phase. During this process, the moisture content of the substrate needs to be controlled, neither too dry nor too wet; at the same time, attention needs to be paid to factors such as environmental temperature, light, and air circulation. The operation is relatively complicated and requires certain skills and patience. This is also the reason why ordinary people dare not easily try mushroom cultivation nowadays, because the slightest mistake will lead to a waste of investment.
Fortunately, Xu Lingjun has a capable assistant like Li Xiuzhi, who has never lacked patience and has never encountered any problems in raising earthworms before.
Xu Lingjun wrote down the methods of caring for and managing porcini mushrooms in detailed items and explained them to her one by one. When Xu Lingjun followed Guo Chenzi and others to the mountains to graze, Li Xiuzhi stayed at home and took good care of the porcini mushrooms according to Professor Xu Lingjun's method.
Every time they came back from grazing in the mountains, Guo Chenzi, Dong Kuan, Haisheng and others would come to visit the mushroom shed. When they saw the young fungi being produced from the substrate, their expectations became stronger.
"It looks like it could work! Although it's not as good as yellow mushrooms, it's still a good thing worth two or three yuan per pound. When the time comes, I can sell it and have a good New Year."
Haisheng couldn't help but calculate how much money he could make from this room of porcini mushrooms. The rough estimate surprised him, "Lao Xu, I'm afraid the money you make is much more than your salary!"
"The money that Old Xu has earned from digging Cordyceps, picking yellow mushrooms and hunting has long been more than his salary." Guo Zizi said nonchalantly. They spent every day together and he knew very well how much money Xu Lingjun had earned recently.
"It's different!" Haisheng emphasized immediately, "Digging Cordyceps, picking mushrooms, hunting, these are all unreliable. If you're lucky, you can make a lot of money, but if you're unlucky, you'll work hard for a long time and get nothing. If you grow mushrooms, as long as you find the right way, it's just like growing crops. You can get a stable income every year!"
Xu Lingjun nodded secretly after listening to this. Haisheng was indeed a veterinarian who had received veterinary training and had seen the world. His short sentence revealed the fundamental reason why farming eventually replaced hunting and gathering in human history.
Because the harvest from planting is relatively stable, while hunting and gathering depends on the weather, the harvest fluctuates too much, which can easily put the tribe into a dilemma of having no food or clothing. Although planting is also affected by various factors, its stability is still much higher than hunting and gathering.
Mushroom cultivation can also be considered a type of planting industry. Once you have mastered the mushroom cultivation technology, the income will definitely be more stable than going all over the mountains to look for mushrooms. It can also be replicated so that more people can make money by growing mushrooms.
After resting for a few days at home, Xu Lingjun followed them to the mountains to graze again. At this time, the changes that Xu Lingjun brought to them were reflected. Guo Chenzi, Dong Kuan, Haisheng and others all had some more tea eggs in the food they carried with them.
The earthworm chicken farming technology has already taken effect. The egg production of each household has increased. Their family members are willing to exchange eggs for money to buy some tea, and then learn how to cook tea eggs from Li Xiuzhi to supplement the nutrition of the strong labor force in the family.
After arriving at the ranch and setting up the tent, Guo Zizi took out the tea eggs and ate them happily. While eating, he said, "Thanks to Lao Xu, otherwise how could we bear to eat eggs while grazing? Not to mention eggs cooked with tea leaves."
"That's right. The chickens in my house not only lay more eggs, but are also fatter than before. I'll kill one and stew it during the Chinese New Year. It's so wonderful just thinking about it!" Haisheng couldn't help laughing when he thought about the dishes that would appear on his family's dinner table during the Chinese New Year this year.
Xu Lingjun took this opportunity to quickly instill information in them, "Our place may look poor, but as long as we think of ways, there are many ways to make money. In addition to raising chickens and growing mushrooms, there are many other ways. I will try them one by one. If they work, everyone will follow suit. I can guarantee that in three to five years at most, everyone will be able to live a good life that they never dared to think of before!"
"I believe what Lao Xu said. From now on, we will enjoy the good life with you." Guo Zizi laughed happily.
"Oh, why didn't I read more books at that time? If I had read more books, maybe I could have found a way to make money." Haisheng said with regret. Only then did he understand what it meant to regret not having read enough books when you need them.
"It's okay. You are still young. As long as you want to learn, there is still time. When I go to the county to deliver mushrooms, I will ask the teachers at the agricultural school and ask them to bring you some books. Read them carefully." Xu Lingjun encouraged. Since his friend had the idea of making progress, he would definitely be willing to help.
Before they knew it, more than two months had passed and the first batch of mature porcini mushrooms finally appeared in Xu Lingjun's home. Guo Chenzi and others entered the mushroom shed and were stunned by the plump porcini mushrooms.
"What a great harvest! Lao Xu, you can earn at least a few hundred yuan from this crop. That's a lot of money!"
Hearing this, Xu Lingjun couldn't help but think of a classic line from a post-apocalyptic novel - "I wish you a good harvest of mushrooms and a full warehouse of rats." Although the same words are used in different contexts, the expectations for a better life are the same.
There will be more later, and it should be back to normal tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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