Traveling through the famine, I stockpiled supplies like crazy

Chapter 338: Washing Wheat

By April, all the paddy fields had been turned over, and now we just had to wait for the seedlings to grow a little bigger so we could plant them.

In the following period of time, several people could not be idle. After finishing the work in the fields, the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan went into the mountains.

Grandpa Zhao continued to look after the child at home and give him enlightenment.

Xu Han was not idle either. She took advantage of this gap to grind the flour that would be eaten later.

Wheat cannot be ground directly into flour because when the wheat is harvested, it is dried directly on the ground, and there will be a lot of dirt and dust, which needs to be cleaned first.

Early in the morning that day, after Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest finished their breakfast and went into the mountains, Xu Han began to wash the wheat.

First, take out two large bathtubs filled with water from your home and place them next to the pool in the backyard and fill them with water.

Then Xu Han took out the wheat in the space, filled a bamboo basket with most of the wheat, put the basket into the bathtub, held the basket with one hand and stirred it repeatedly in the basket with the other hand.

Because the bamboo basket is leaky, the dirty water will flow directly into the bathtub during the cleaning process.

The wheat bran and straw that have not been cleaned out will also float out during the repeated stirring process.

After all the bran and straw have floated to the surface, use a colander to scoop out the floating stuff and put it into a basket nearby.

After drying, these straw and wheat bran can be fed to the cows and donkeys at home, and they will eat them.

After washing a basket, lift the basket out and rinse it again in a clean bathtub nearby.

After rinsing the wheat and placing it on an oilcloth to dry, you can grind it into flour.

Xu Han remembers that when she was young, her mother often washed wheat and then went to the flour mill to grind the flour using a flour mill.

When I was young, I seldom traveled far. For Xu Han, every time she went to grind flour with her mother, it was a very happy thing. She could brag about it to her friends in the village for several days after coming back.

There were no noodle making machines in this era, so the only way to grind flour was using the slowest method.

But the flour ground with a stone mill is indeed tastier than the flour bought in modern times.

The flour ground with a stone mill has a strong wheat flavor and tastes more nutritious. It is pure natural flour without any food additives.

In this way, Xu Han spent the whole morning washing four sacks of wheat.

The wheat that has been washed cannot be ground into flour directly now.

It takes about two days of drying in the sun to completely dry the wheat. If the wheat is not dried, the ground flour will not last long and will easily become moldy and deteriorate.

Therefore, if you want to store the flour for a longer time, you must wash the wheat and dry it thoroughly.

"You've spent the morning washing so much wheat. You must be exhausted," Grandpa Zhao said with a smile.

"It's not tiring. It's much easier than doing farm work." Xu Han also smiled.

"If we grind all this wheat into flour, it will be enough for us to eat for a while."

"Yes, it can last for nearly a month. The main reason is that the dogs at home are so greedy. The white flour is left for us to eat, and the black flour is left for the dogs. They can eat all the black flour in just a few days."

"The weather is getting warmer now. After a while, let them go to the mountains to catch bamboo rats or something to eat. That way we can save some food." Grandpa Zhao said.

"It's probably going to be difficult this year. There are not many animals in the mountains right now. They can't catch them even if they want to. By next year, they won't have to worry about their food." Xu Han continued.

"It's okay. Anyway, we grew a lot of food this year, so there will definitely be enough for them to eat. No one in the family will starve."

"Hahahaha, you're right. We will definitely be able to have a full warehouse of grain this year."

"Xiaochuan and the others are not coming back for lunch today, what are we going to eat?"

"Do you want to eat anything?" Xu Han asked.

"How about we just have something simple, like some noodles with beans and minced pork?"

"Okay, this is easy. Just wait, I'll make it for you." Xu Han said and walked towards the kitchen.

First knead the dough, set it aside to rise, and then start preparing the side dishes.

Take out the beans and beef, wash them clean, and then cut them into small pieces.

Then prepare the sauce that will be used later. Take out a bowl, add appropriate amount of light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, soybean paste, a small amount of sugar and starch, add water, stir well and set aside for later use.

Boil water in another pot, put the chopped beans into the pot and blanch them, then take them out and cool them for later use.

Heat oil in a pan, put the minced beef into the pan and stir-fry, then add chopped beans and the prepared sauce, stir-fry and serve.

Finally, add water to the noodles you just rolled and cook them. After taking them out, pour the marinade on them, mix them evenly and you can eat them.

"Grandpa Zhao, Mu'er is ready to eat." After Xu Han finished cooking, she shouted to Grandpa Zhao who was watching the child in the house.

"Mom is here." After hearing this, Mu'er trotted to the kitchen.

"Run slower, and don't fall." Xu Han looked at her eldest son lovingly.

"Okay, what delicious food did mother make today?"

"Mother made your favorite noodles today, noodles with minced meat and green beans." Xu Han replied with a smile.

"Yeah! I love noodles the most."

"Then can I give you more food today?"

"Okay, I want to eat a lot and grow as tall as daddy."

"Okay, be careful when you break it yourself, don't fall."

Xu Han put Mu'er's small bowl on a tray beside him and asked him to take it to the main room to eat.

Grandpa Zhao followed Baozi Ze'er in to serve the meal.

"Let me hold you, you eat first." Xu Han said.

"No, Ze'er is very well behaved today. Put him on the mat and let him play by himself. Don't worry about him. Let's eat when it's time to eat."

"Okay, let him play by himself."

After Xu Han finished speaking, she turned around and put Ze'er on the mat on the ground, and handed him the rattle beside her.

After Ze'er got the rattle, he held it in his hand and wouldn't let go immediately. He immediately started to chew on it with his mouth. In a short while, the rattle was covered with saliva.

Xu Han didn't care about him and just put the rattle in water to wash it. There were several rattles at home anyway.

Xu Han doesn't care much about what children put into their mouths, as long as the food is clean, not dangerous and will not scratch the children.

When children put things in their mouths, they are actually exploring the world. As parents, we don't need to interfere too much.