Chapter 031: Immortal Grass
Early in the morning, the wildflowers on the hillside are bathed in bright sunshine.
Xiao Pei stood among the flowers, carried a basket full of green fairy grass, looked at Xiao Yu who was still picking and said, "So much should be enough, wait for the sun to be too dry, go back early." ”
Fairy grass, also known as cool powder grass, as the name suggests, is the main raw material for making cold powder, that is, fairy grass jelly, is very common in Yuedi, has a lot of effects, can quench thirst, remove heat poison, and go to wine. The fairy grass jelly is luscious and refreshing, with a unique flavor.
Stir the fairy grass decoction juice and sticky rice flour to boil, and then pour the boiled slurry into a bowl to cool, it will solidify into a crystal paste, and the fairy grass jelly is ready, but it is mostly called cold powder locally. Serve it with finely chopped and served with honey or sugar, and you can also add red beans and raisins to your liking.
Xiao Yu straightened his waist and said, "This fairy grass can also be used when it is dried." In the future, if the jelly is really popular, I estimate that there will be many people who want to explore the secret recipe, and when the time comes, it will be too noticeable to go up the mountain to cut this fairy grass, so it is better to pick more now and go back to prepare. ”
At that time, people did not know the beauty of this herb, but regarded it as an ordinary nameless weed, and even cut it home with other weeds and burned it as firewood, which was really a bit of a tyrannical thing.
Xiao Yu thought about it, planning to make some cold noodles and go out to see how it sold.
Hearing this, Xiao Pei pressed the basket, bent down to continue harvesting, and asked, "Is this fairy grass really delicious?" Why is it called fairy grass? ”
Xiao Yu said: "Because it is delicious and special, and it has a great effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, you will know when you go back to make it, sister, try it." By the way, there's still sugar at home, right? ”
Xiao Pei thought for a while: "There is a little, and I don't know if it is enough." This sugar is also a precious thing in ordinary people's homes, if it costs a lot of sugar to make cold powder, how much does this cold powder sell for a bowl? ”
Nowadays, there is no white sugar, and the southern sugar is made from sugar cane and light yellow sugar.
Xiao Yu said: "I have thought about it, if the cold powder is sold on the polder, it will be sold with less sugar, and it will be sold for a penny like mung bean soup and sour plum soup; In addition, it can also be made more finely, and it will be more expensive to sell it in restaurants and teahouses, and of course, you can add this and that to eat all kinds of tricks. ”
Xiao Pei nodded: "Then try it first." ”
Xiao Yu found some hay and rubbed the rope, tying the fairy grass he had cut into a bundle. Seeing that the slender broom grass next to him was growing well, he put the fairy grass aside and began to fold the broom branches, and picked up the slender grass stalk and waved it at Xiao Pei.
"Take it back and tie a broom, the people who sweep the medicinal herbs at home are bald."
"Okay." Xiao Pei nodded, put down the basket containing the fairy grass, and folded the broom branch together.
The grass branches are tough and slender, and the leaves are very small, so it will dry in the sun for a day, and then the leaves will fall off after a few beats, and then divide into two strands and twist the kink to sweep the floor. The locals do this, and some even use the broom branch to tie a small broom to wash the pot.
Xiao Pei said while folding: "Now this broom branch looks good, but it is actually quite tender, and it is more durable when it bears fruit in autumn." ”
"My sister, like me, has grown into a village girl with life experience." Xiao Yu turned his head and teased.
Xiao Pei lowered his head and pursed his lips and smiled.
As the sun rises, the mountain flowers bloom more red, and the light fragrance drifts away with the wind, attracting many bees and butterflies to linger.
The two took the fairy grass and a large handful of broom branches and walked home.
"Such a large piece of myrtle, you can come and pick fruits to eat in autumn." Xiao Yu looked at the mountain flowers on the side of the road and couldn't help but say happily.
Myrtle is also called twist in the local area, blooms in summer, the petals and stamens are purple-red, the flowers are in full bloom, and the distance view is really bright like clouds.
Xiao Pei smiled: "I haven't eaten this cold powder yet, so I'm thinking about twisting." ”
"The people live on food." Xiao Yu said suddenly, "It's better to go home quickly, I can't wait to make cold powder." ”
The soil slope is not too far from Xiao's house, and most of the villagers have gone to work in the fields at this time, but they have not met anyone along the way.
Xiao Yu said yesterday that he planned to make cold powder, and got up early in the morning Xiao Pei borrowed a small stone mill from Aunt Qi's house, and grinded the rice soaked last night into thin rice milk, and then went to the slope to pick fairy grass.
When they got home, the two washed the fairy grass and put it in the pot, boiled and mashed one part fairy grass and two parts water, filtered out the gelatinous juice with gauze, threw away the residue of branches and leaves, boiled the grass juice again, and removed the foam impurities on the surface. Then, add the ground thin rice milk, stir it with a spoon, cook until it is thin and bubbling, pour it into the coarse porcelain basin prepared next to it, wait for it to solidify, and soak it in the cool well water with the basin.
The finished jelly is as green as jelly, crystal clear, and it feels refreshing and pleasant before you eat it.
"It's a good look." Xiao Pei praised, "Since the fairy grass can also clear heat and detoxify, if the taste is good, it is really an excellent snack." ”
"I've eaten it and think it's good, and I'll be able to taste it later."
Xiao Yu smiled slightly, took the remaining small handful of candy from the house and boiled it in water.
"Hmm." Xiao Pei nodded, "I'll go wash my clothes first, and by the way, I'll catch some fish and feed the chickens." If you really go out to set up a stall to sell this jelly, then you won't catch another chicken and come back to raise it, I'm afraid I won't be busy. ”
Chickens raised at home often eat fish and shrimp, and they grow very fast. Several hens have laid eggs, and the eggs are both large and numerous. The other people in the village were also envious, learning to fish and catch shrimp and go back to feed the chickens, but they didn't catch as much as the Xiao family sisters and brothers. They didn't know that Xiao Yu had a specially carefully prepared bait recipe, so that he could easily trap two bamboo baskets of fish and shrimp to take home every day.
"Wait for me, I'll get through soon."
After a while, Xiao Yu put out the fire, put the sugar water in the bowl and covered it, and Xiao Pei took the clothes and bamboo baskets out of the house.
The two sisters picked out two plates of large and delicious fish and shrimp, half of which they ate by themselves, and the other half was sent to the seventh uncle's house, and the rest was scalded and chopped, mixed into the bran vegetables and fed to the chickens.
Before I knew it, it was time to make lunch.
Xiao Yu looked at the porcelain pot of moist and clear fairy grass jelly, and said, "Eating this will inevitably affect the meal, so I should eat it in the afternoon." It's a pity that there is no well in the courtyard, otherwise it would be cooler to put it in a basket and hang it in the well. ”
Having said that, Xiao Yu also deliberately went to the well to fetch new water to replace it.
In the afternoon, the sun was poisoning, Xiao Pei was still doing needlework in the hall, Xiao Yu sorted out the fairy grass picked up today and put it in the yard to dry, and continued to deal with all kinds of medicinal herbs.
The weather was hot and sultry, and there was a cry in the distance, and the leaves of the longan trees in the yard glowed with a dazzling green light, motionless.
There is not a trace of wind.
Xiao Yu stayed in the steamer-like room, and the sweat wiped off and came out again. She walked out and saw that Xiao Pei was also in the same condition, and immediately remembered the fairy grass jelly she had made in the morning.
"Sister, eat a bowl of cold noodles to cool off first."
Xiao Pei answered, put down the needle and thread, and wiped the sweat with a square handkerchief. The two came to the kitchen together, took a big spoon and dug two pieces of fairy grass jelly in the porcelain basin in the shade, put them in a bowl, poured sugar water, and chopped the bowl with a knife and mixed well.
Two bowls of verdant and crystal cold noodles can be eaten, and Xiao Yu put in a small porcelain spoon.
Xiao Pei picked up a bowl and suddenly asked, "Ah Yu, you said that the sun-dried fairy grass can also be made into this cold powder, is it also so green and clear after it is done?" ”
"Sister Ke asked the point, this is green jelly made of fresh grass, but the black jelly made of dried fairy grass is dark tan, just like black jade, and it doesn't look bad." Xiao Yu smiled, "Come, try this green jelly first." ”
Xiao Pei scooped a small spoonful and put it in his mouth, only to feel that it was cool, crispy, smooth, fresh and natural, sweet and delicious, and most of the summer heat disappeared immediately, and he said happily: "It's really delicious!" ”
Xiao Yu smiled: "Otherwise, how can there be the name of fairy grass." Eating this in the hot summer is the best way to quench your thirst. ”
Xiao Pei said with a smile: "The quality is good, the taste is good, and it can relieve the heat, and the price is not expensive, not to mention the novelty, this cold powder must be bought by many people." ”
"Well, that's what I thought." Xiao Yu nodded.
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O(∩_∩)O Thank you, Your Highness Huishen, the peace charm of the blue bird vs the clouds, and the sachet of the sin of nirvana (loneliness) reward! Come, come, come, let the heroine invite you to eat fairy grass jelly! Ask for recommendations, praise, and add to the bookshelf collection! Book friends!