Chapter 88
I go to the fertilizer-making area in the corner of the fields.
I check on the things that are fermenting.
It seems fallen leaves ferment faster here than in Japan.
Even the hard parts, such as unwanted stalks left after harvesting, have almost completely lost their original form.
...
It's been a month since I made a place to dump vegetable scraps left over from cooking at the fertilizer-making area.
I've realized that things ferment faster here than in Japan.
In Japan, burying vegetable scraps in the soil turns them into usable soil after a month.
Here, judging by appearances, it seems usable after two weeks.
Fermentation at an astonishing speed.
Its color and smell are different from fertilizer whose fermentation I sped up with magic.
Since I was curious, I decided to grow some test crops to check their growth rates.
I prepare two plants each of ten kinds of vegetables.
Ten kinds with fertilizer made using magic.
Ten kinds with naturally fermented fertilizer.
Done.
...
In front of me are two plants of each of the ten kinds.
It's obvious that the vegetables grown with naturally fermented fertilizer are doing better.
Raising vegetables has made me realize that vegetables in this world grow quickly.
The growth of those grown with naturally fermented fertilizer is particularly remarkable.
If I can keep harvesting vegetables successfully, I may never have to worry about food.
I'm glad my worries about food in this other world are easing.
The differences between the fertilizers show up not only in growth speed, but also in leaf color and stalk thickness.
And in the amount harvested.
Some vegetables even produce nearly twice as much.
It seems fermentation is better left to nature.
I thought magic could do anything, but...
Vegetables and microbes... in other words, living things.
Maybe magic power has an effect on them.
It seems I shouldn't do everything with magic. I'll be careful.
Maybe I should let seasonings ferment naturally, too.
Though, for now, I only have fish sauce and wine.
For anything where I absolutely need a certain amount, I have no choice, but otherwise, I should wait for it to ferment.
I can't wait.
No, I need to be patient. Patience.
What I learned about magic has given me something to think about, so I'll run a little experiment.
I plant seeds and use magic to make them grow rapidly.
Meat cooked with magic and meat cooked over charcoal rock.
Conclusion.
It's better not to use magic to grow vegetables.
I should use as little magic as possible when cooking.
Growing vegetables with magic from the start made them taste considerably worse, and I feel like the food had slightly less umami, too.
I thought magic was all-powerful, but it had a pitfall.
I have time, so I can let things grow slowly and cook normally.
However, if I let things ferment naturally, I may need to consider the timing carefully when preparing each batch.
For now, I have fish sauce and wine.
It will also be important to study fermentation speeds in preparation for the future.
...I'll take it one step at a time.
...
I make a simple threshing machine for the wheat I brought home.
I make a comb-like tool with gaps a little narrower than the wheat grains, then run the wheat through it to thresh it.
Threshing is easier than I imagined.
Next comes hulling—removing the wheat from the husks—but...
I sandwich the wheat between two boards and try rubbing them together.
The method is fuzzy in my memory, but it works pretty well. I carve grooves into the boards I'm rubbing together.
Hulling gets a little faster.
Since there's a lot of it, I stare into the distance for a moment.
...The one-eyed ones came to help.
That was a lifesaver.
...They're faster at it than I am.
I gather the hulled grain, drop it from a high place, and use the wind to blow away the husks.
Adjusting the wind was a little difficult, but I succeeded after several failed attempts.
The one-eyed ones' help is flawless.
For drying, I let a gentle breeze flow through the room and leave the grain there for several days.
The wheat is ready, packed into cloth bags.
I also secured seeds to plant in the next season that feels like spring.
Satisfied.
Next, I'll make natural yeast and aim for bread!