Autumn is the harvest season, and although it is still a little early to harvest wheat, in the small courtyard of Crescent Street, Zhong Hao and Wan'er have already begun to cut potatoes from the ground. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Zhong Hao planted potatoes in mid-March, and now they have grown for almost four months, and they should be ready to be harvested. In fact, the latitude of Qingzhou is not high, and according to Zhong Hao's estimate, potatoes should be able to grow in more than three months. However, Zhong Hao made the potatoes longer for a while in order to be safe.

Today, Zhong Hao came to harvest potatoes and specially applied to the Xu family to bring Wan'er to harvest potatoes together. Xu is not only strict with Zhong Hao, but also with Wan'er, every day Wan'er in addition to helping in the store, is to follow Xu's school girl red, which makes the lively and active Wan'er very uncomfortable. Wan'er was very happy to be able to come out with Zhong Hao today.

Zhong Hao took a hoe and carefully dug the soil around the potato plant, and dug out the potatoes by hand, this thing is now precious in the Great Song Dynasty, so Zhong Hao is careful to plan, even if it takes a little more effort, it can't be soaked.

Wan'er picked up the potatoes that Zhong Hao had shaved out one by one and put them in the bamboo basket next to her.

"Brother Hao, what is this?"

"It's a potato, it's delicious!"

"Can you eat this? It looks like a stone egg. ”

"You can eat it, this can be fried and eaten, stewed, boiled and eaten as dry food, and can also be cut into thin strips and fried!" Speaking of French fries, Zhong Hao really misses it. After snorting, Zhong Hao said: "After the busy meeting, let's go to Butcher Zhang's house, I heard that his family has beef for sale today, Brother Hao will go get some and make you potato stewed brisket to eat!" ”

"Okay, Brother Hao is the best", Wan'er was full of anticipation. Zhong Hao's cooking skills, Wan'er knows, it is called delicious, and she can't help but be full of expectations for this potato stewed brisket.

……

Zhong Hao finished planing all the more than 30 potatoes, and when Wan'er finished picking them up, Zhong Hao picked up the bamboo basket and checked it, about a dozen catties.

Zhong Hao shook his head slightly, it seems that there is no chemical fertilizer, and the yield is indeed very low. I remember when I was a child, my family planted potatoes, and if the harvest was good, 3,000 kilograms per acre of land was not a problem. And about three or four thousand potatoes are planted on one acre of land, that is, one plant can produce nearly one kilogram of potatoes.

Zhong Hao planted more than 30 potatoes, only harvested a dozen catties, the yield is less than a quarter of the later generations, this is still the result of his own careful management, it seems that the role of chemical fertilizers is really great.

However, Zhong Hao thought about it, even if there was no chemical fertilizer, according to this yield, one mu of land could reach an output of nearly ten stones, which was enough to cause a great sensation in this era. You must know that at this time, one acre of mature land can produce two or three stones of grain, which is already considered a high yield.

Potatoes are a crop that is highly adaptable, does not pick the ground, and the yield can be several times higher than that of existing crops, which can definitely cause great shock.

However, that is a matter for the future, there are too few potatoes for the time being, and these should all be kept as seeds and planted again next year.

Zhong Hao carried a bamboo basket and Wan'er to buy beef at the butcher's shop in Zhang Butcher on Miliang Street. When he was about to leave the courtyard, Zhong Hao took out a piece of linen cloth and covered it with a bamboo basket, so that he would not have to meet the neighbors to ask questions later, and he would have to explain more.

"Fifth Uncle Zhang, come two catties of beef!"

"Brother Hao, you kid has a very smart nose! Fifth Uncle just killed the cow, you know. ”

"Hey, hey, I heard it!" Zhong Hao listened to the diners who went to eat fritters in his shop this morning.

In the Great Song Dynasty, cattle were not allowed to be slaughtered and eaten casually. As the main productive force of an agrarian society, cattle are strictly protected by the government. Only in special circumstances such as old age, illness, death, and injury can cattle be killed after reporting to the government for approval. Zhang Butcher's family has a brother who works as a warden in the county government's house, and the slaughter of the cattle happens to be in the management of the household, so Zhang Butcher can slaughter the cattle from time to time after reporting illness and death. It's related, it's easy to do!

The main meats consumed by the Great Song Dynasty were mutton and pork. But at this time, people still didn't know the technique of fanning pigs, the smell of pork was too strong, and rich people didn't eat pork much.

Beef is rarely sourced, so it is naturally expensive. Zhong Hao cut these two catties of beef for 400 yuan. You must know that at this time, a pound of pork is only about 20 yuan, and a pound of mutton is only 50 or 60 yuan. Four hundred wen is enough to cover the living expenses of ordinary people for more than half a month, so ordinary people really can't afford to eat this beef. Fortunately, Zhong Hao now has a natural dividend of thirty or forty percent a month, and he can be regarded as a rich man, and he is still willing to eat some beef.

On the way, Zhong Hao also went to Yahang to find a few masons and asked them to dig a cellar at home in the afternoon.

Zhong Hao took out a few pieces of potatoes from the basket with some heartache, and prepared to make potato roasted beef brisket, this is a baby, it is really heart-wrenching to eat it.

There are fresh carrots in the firewood room, and it is the season when the carrots are on the market, and the potato stew with some carrots also tastes good.

Peel and dice the potatoes and carrots and set aside. Cut the cut beef into pieces and blanch the water. Stir-fry the beef brisket in the pan, then add ginger, green onions, star anise, and cinnamon to stir-fry, wait until the meat turns white, pour the potatoes and carrots, add sauce and some water, simmer over low heat for two quarters of an hour, and then reduce the juice over high heat.

Soon a pot of fragrant potato stew was ready.

Zhong Hao's family eats now in the store, because the Xu family has to take care of the business by the way. Usually cooking at home, breakfast and lunch are usually made by Wan'er, because Xu has to take care of business during the day. Originally, Zhong Hao wanted to do it, but Xu still said the same thing: the gentleman is far away from cooking, and he resolutely does not let Zhong Hao enter the kitchen.

Zhong Hao felt that the Xu family was determined to cultivate himself into a useless scholar who was not diligent and did not distinguish between grains. In fact, Zhong Hao wanted to tell his aunt that in fact, the gentleman was far away from the kitchen, saying that the gentleman couldn't bear to see the killing, not that he wanted to stay away from the kitchen.

Of course, Zhong Hao knew that Xu's was also for his own good, and studying in the Great Song Dynasty was undoubtedly the most successful life path. Therefore, Zhong Hao just secretly helped Wan'er cook, and did not refute Xu's meaning.

Of course, Zhong Hao made this dish today, because Wan'er had never made potatoes, so Zhong Hao applied to Xu Shi for him to cook today, for the reason that Wan'er was afraid that Wan'er would spoil the potatoes.

"Ah, Brother Hao, this potato is so delicious, it's floury and soft, well, and it smells of beef!"

"Hey, Wan'er has a real tongue, she can actually taste the smell of beef in potatoes", after speaking, Zhong Hao laughed, cooking it with beef, it can't taste like beef!

"Stinky brother, laugh at me again", Wan'er thought about it, and couldn't help but get up and tickle Zhong Hao.

Xu looked at Zhong Hao and Wan'er who were struggling with a smile, his face was full of happiness, and he persuaded: "Okay, okay, you two don't make trouble, eat first!" ”

"Mm-hmm, eat", Zhong Hao took the opportunity to get rid of Wan'er's claws. "Auntie tastes the potatoes I planted."

"Well, it tastes good! How come my aunt hasn't seen this crop before, and how do you know that this crop can be eaten? ”

"This ...... I found this in the mountains, and I had seen an introduction to this crop in a lost ancient book before", Zhong Hao encountered something that could not be explained, so he pushed it up to the lost ancient book. Like soju, stir-frying, and ice making, Xu had asked Zhong Hao where he had learned it before, and Zhong Hao had deduced that he had learned it from lost ancient books.

"Oh", Xu didn't think about it, he just thought that Zhong Hao was well-read and knowledgeable.

"Auntie, do you know? This potato can be used as both food and vegetables, and the yield per mu must be at least ten stones. ”

"Ten stones per mu!? So much? Xu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Yes, this thing doesn't pick the ground, it's drought-tolerant, it's very easy to grow, and the yield is high, it's really a treasure! Auntie, you said that I would give this treasure to the official family, will the official family give me an official to do? ”

"This ...... This aunt doesn't know! When Xu Shi said this, he changed his words and said in a deep voice: "However, my aunt knows that you study hard, as long as you are admitted to the Jinshi, there will definitely be a big official to do it." You said that this potato yields ten stones per mu or something, it can't be that you don't want to study again, right? ”

"Why, aunt, don't be angry, I'm just talking casually, I like to read!"

"That's good, don't mess with those miscellaneous things in the future, and study well at home. You have read so many books, you have so much knowledge, you have studied hard for two years, and there is no problem at all in being admitted to the sergeant and becoming an officer, don't think about opportunism all day long. ”

"Uh, okay, listen to your aunt", Zhong Hao saw that the Xu family took out the posture of the elders to teach himself, and he only listened to the training at the moment. He lost his parents since he was a child, and he still eats a set. Although he didn't agree with Xu's words, it didn't hinder Zhong Hao's respect for her, because he knew that Xu was thinking about him wholeheartedly.

"There is another matter, Dalang, you are not small, Mama Zheng came here today, and said that she wanted to tell you about family affairs, I didn't agree at the time, I have to ask what you mean."

"Auntie, I'm still young, don't worry!"

"It's not small, it's fifteen, and I'm an adult. In our family on Cangnan Street, several sons and daughters are married before fifteen. ”

"Auntie, I still have to study for the imperial examination!"

"It's okay, let's settle down first, and after you have the title of the gold list, it's not too late to marry!"

"Which girl was introduced by Mama Zheng?"

"It's the eldest daughter of Su Yuanwai's family in Huaishu Hutong, not far from us, who is now twenty-seven years old, beautiful as a flower, and a good girl who knows books and gifts!"

"Poof" Zhong Hao just drank a mouthful of chilled watermelon-flavored drink, all of which squirted out. "Isn't Su Xiaotao pockmarked on her face?"

Seeing Zhong Hao's big reaction, Xu couldn't help but be stunned and asked, "Have you seen her?" ”

"I've seen it, the day before yesterday, I saw her holding a rolling pin, chasing and killing the little third son of Zhang's butcher's family! Tsk, she is as beautiful as a flower, knowledgeable and gifted, Mama Zheng really dares to fool! ”

"The matchmaker who killed these days was almost deceived by her, these matchmakers don't have a good thing, they are all talking nonsense with their eyes open!"

"That's it!"

"But you have to say kiss, wait until I talk to our old neighbors, and let them help you find it!" The woman seems to be very energetic when she talks about the marriage of a man and a woman.

"Uh......" Zhong Hao felt that he couldn't continue to chat.

Fortunately, at this time, the savior came.

Zhong Hao went to Yahang in the morning to find the three masons who had to dig the cellar.

Zhong Hao led the three masons to the backyard, found a place out of the way, and let them dig the cellar.

This cellar was intended to be used to store potatoes and sweet potatoes for seeds. In this era, there is no cold storage, and how to save potatoes and sweet potatoes until next spring is really a big problem.

The water level in the castle is very shallow, and the water can be dug about three or four meters, so the cellar was dug about two and a half meters deep.

First dig a shaft with a hole in the wall so that you can step on it, and then dig a large hole horizontally, and it will be a cellar for storing potatoes and sweet potatoes. In order to prevent the shaft from collapsing, Zhong Hao used a mason to build a two-layer bluestone platform, and a cover was prepared on top to prevent rain and snow from falling into the cellar.