SFS Chapter 243 Making Bayberry Wine
Chapter 243 Making Bayberry Wine
In the end, the matter concerning Old Wang's family was reported to the authorities for handling.
One issue is the huge sum of money involved, and the other is that a family from outside the village ran away, and the village chief guessed that it was that family that did it, so it's beyond the village chief's control.
Since arriving in Qingshui Village, Song's mood has improved considerably, and she is no longer someone who gets sick at the slightest breeze.
Today, she took her wet nurse, Granny Zhou, to the Lin family's house. They had arranged to embroider together today.
Lin was the wife of the youngest son of the third uncle's family. She originally worked in Song Jiaojiao's workshop. Later, when her wife gave birth, she returned home to take care of her. She had her own insights into embroidery, and Song enjoyed being with her. Of course, she also enjoyed listening to them talk about Jiaojiao's life before.
Time flies, and things change.
Three months have passed just like that, and now that summer has begun, the weather is starting to get hot.
Lady Cheng'en could not stay outside for long and had already returned home. Lady Song, however, had no restrictions and did not go with her.
When Madam Chengen left, she took Muxue with her.
Mu Xue is already ten years old and a young lady. Now that their social status is different, they can't be as carefree as before. Even if they don't know the etiquette and rules of a wealthy family, they still have to understand them.
The pedestrian street is basically completed and is just waiting for vendors to set up their stalls.
That day, Xu Yan arrived at Qingshui Village.
"Madam, the pedestrian streets in various towns are almost finished, and we're just waiting for the vendors to move in. Here are the registration forms for each town."
Xu Yan handed a stack of papers to Song Jiaojiao.
This is already a screening process, but there are still quite a few people.
Song Jiaojiao glanced around and asked, "By the way, are the fruit trees in Xinhui Town about to ripen?"
"Yes, madam, I just returned from there a while ago, and some of the fruit was ripe when I came back."
Xu Yan nodded and said that the pedestrian street in Xinhui Town was the slowest to develop. There were few wealthy businessmen there, and many people were not optimistic about the pedestrian street there. In addition, many of the signs were put up by himself.
"Well, about the snacks, have these people go to the food stalls in batches to learn. You come with me to Xinhui Town to take a look."
Song Jiaojiao wanted to confirm if it was bayberry. If it was bayberry, then she could take a break for half a day to launch a new product.
"By the way, where are the wineries in Tongan County?"
Making bayberry wine requires a large quantity of liquor, and buying it all from stores is not enough; it is necessary to cooperate with wineries.
"Luckily, there's a winery in Xinhui Town!"
Xinhui Town is mountainous with many trees and springs. Wine brewed with spring water tastes better than wine brewed with ordinary well water.
Xinhui Town has many springs, and there are quite a few wineries of all sizes there, but the purity is not high enough, so the wines sold outside are not very good.
The mountain road was rugged, and it took them most of the day to reach Xinhui Town.
Town Mayor Shi Chu came to greet them. Xu Yan had informed all the town mayors when the imperial order came down that they were now all under Song Jiaojiao's jurisdiction.
"Mayor Shi, are all the fruit trees around Xinhui Town ripe?"
“They were ripe a long time ago. My son picked a lot of them a couple of days ago, but they were too sour, so they all ended up in the mouths of the poultry.”
Mayor Shi bent slightly and spoke in detail.
"Magistrate Xu, send someone to buy twenty catties of wine and ten catties of brown sugar, and also send someone to pick forty catties of fruit, which should be ripe but not overripe."
On her way here, Song Jiaojiao had already seen what the fruit looked like, and it was exactly what she had imagined—a bayberry.
Besides being used to make wine, bayberries can also be made into jam for sale. They can be soaked in water to make a sweet and sour drink with a beautiful color.
With the weather starting to get hot, I can use a half-day off to launch new products.
In recent years, county towns across the country have opened half-day shops, and many well-developed townships have also opened shops, so the demand is considerable.
Xu Yan was very fast; in just half an hour, everything Song Jiaojiao needed was ready.
First, he instructed his servants to soak all the fruit in water and sprinkle salt on it, which could effectively force out some of the larvae hidden in the fruit flesh.
The flesh of the bayberry is exposed, which makes it easy for dust to accumulate and attract insects, so it needs to be soaked and washed.
Fifteen minutes later, scoop the bayberries onto a winnowing basket to drain the water. Use half of them to make wine and the other half to make jam.
"Making bayberry wine is relatively simple. Just spread the bayberries out in a clean, oil-free jar. Before putting them in, it's best to pour in some white wine and swirl it around. This can effectively kill bacteria and increase the success rate."
Then, following the pattern of layering bayberries and brown sugar, after filling half a jar, pour in white wine to submerge the bayberries.
Remember, make sure to leave space at the top. The bayberries will produce gas in the wine; if there's no space, it will either overflow or explode.
Song Jiaojiao said as she worked.
Xu Yan and Shi Chu listened very attentively, especially Shi Chu, who was afraid that Song Jiaojiao would forget after leaving, so he personally took notes.
Making bayberry wine is very simple; the key is to be attentive, and even ordinary people can do it well.
However, it's best to keep everything that goes into your mouth consistent.
Xu Yan had a plan in mind, and he needed to take action in the next couple of days, otherwise the harvest season would be over and he would have to wait until next year.
"After soaking for half a month, the wine can be drained, sealed separately in a custom-made small ceramic bottle, and marketed as a high-end product, sold exclusively to wealthy families and for sales outside the region."
You can also keep it steeping, which will make the fruit flavor stronger, but the liquor won't be as clear and transparent. Bulk liquor can be supplied to barbecue restaurants, pubs, and other similar establishments.
By the way, this is a current season product; if you miss it this year, you'll have to wait until next year.
As a specialty of Xinhui Town, a shop must be set aside on the pedestrian street, even though the wine is not yet ready.
However, wine doesn't have an expiration date; as long as it's sealed properly, it can be kept for as long as desired.
Song Jiaojiao's initial idea was to sell bayberry wine as a specialty of Xinhui Town. Even if it only lasted for half a year, it could bring considerable income to the area, at least to help the town escape poverty first.
"Next is to make bayberry jam. This process is a bit complicated and time-consuming. I will write out the recipe later."
As Song Jiaojiao removed the flesh from the bayberry, she spoke.
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao's project was a big undertaking, Shi Chu quickly called several people over to help, including Xu Yan, who never usually cooks.
I'm just not very skilled, so I'm not very fast.
Many hands make light work, and in no time, the pits of twenty pounds of bayberries were removed.
All the brown sugar was used to make alcohol, and we had to send someone else to buy more later.
"After removing the pits, put them in a mortar and pestle and pound them into a paste. Once it's all done, pour it into a pot, add brown sugar, and simmer over low heat."
As Song Jiaojiao spoke, Shi Chu directed the servants to do as she said.
To see the finished product as soon as possible, Song Jiaojiao used a small pot to cook it, pouring in about two pounds of jam.
"The bayberries are quite sour, so you can add more sugar. As long as they are sealed properly, they can last for three months without any problems."
When making jam, you need to stir it constantly, otherwise it will stick to the pot and burn. Burnt jam has a strange taste and can't be fixed no matter what you do.
Song Jiaojiao's hands didn't stop. The most important thing in making jam is patience. Although the weather wasn't very hot, she was constantly roasting it by the stove, and soon her undershirt was soaked with sweat.