Her Cultivation Diary-Chapter 1826 - 1663: Rearranging Sesame Leaves

The sesame leaves were washed and put into the pot. Seventh Uncle glanced at the leaves and immediately knew that the group of young employees didn’t know how to pick the leaves properly, despite their confident claims.

Not good at all!

It’s fortunate these aren’t for sale; otherwise, it would be embarrassing.

Master Jiang was still asking, "Are we blanching them or steaming them?"

Seventh Uncle looked at the sesame leaves in the bowl, sighed, took the large steamer, and told the employees to rinse them again:

"Steam them."

Master Jiang chuckled: "I noticed they picked the leaves neither too young nor too old. If we were to blanch them, the taste wouldn’t be as good."

Even though it’s a simple process, the outcome is vastly different.

If sesame leaves are blanched, the taste is refreshing, retaining most of the fibers, with a bit of chewiness.

But if steamed, the taste is softer and more fragrant, although it’s hard to get rid of the slight fuzziness on the leaves.

Given the current batch, they can only be used for steaming and saved for noodle soup.

Seventh Uncle glanced outside, "You tidy up here; I’ll go explain to them in the field."

The old man walked leisurely up the mountain, his age notwithstanding, he was full of energy.

When he picked up the large pot and gave it a shake, the young folks couldn’t compare.

Reaching the large sesame field with its lush green plants almost as tall as a person, the little white tubular flowers were sparse. Employees were standing among them, quickly picking the leaves, even Qiaoqiao was full of enthusiasm.

The thing is, sesame leaves aren’t picked this way.

Seeing the already picked stalks in front, Seventh Uncle felt heartache:

"Qiaoqiao, don’t pick the sesame leaves now, wait until next month."

Qiaoqiao was confused: "Huh? Why?"

Wasn’t it said to pick the leaves while it’s quiet now, as next month we might be too busy?

Seventh Uncle pointed at the sesame stalks ahead:

"Not many flowers have bloomed yet, I’m afraid picking too many might affect the yield."

"Next month, first find someone to pinch off the tops, then you can pick the leaves."

Actually, for their family, picking a little bit wouldn’t affect the yield, but the employees weren’t being consistent, and Seventh Uncle was too concerned.

Qiaoqiao didn’t quite understand, but he was always obedient. He emerged from the field, his forehead sweaty under the hat, holding a handful of sesame leaves to show Seventh Uncle:

"Did we pick them wrong?"

It wasn’t exactly wrong either.

Anything can be eaten, the taste might be different, but it wouldn’t be inedible.

Seventh Uncle pulled out a handful of leaves to examine:

"Don’t pick the young leaves on top. You can pick the mature ones with the stalks; they have different flavors."

"Also, don’t pick too high up, those parts are where the sesame will grow."

Qiaoqiao nodded, feeling a bit discouraged:

"Maybe I didn’t teach them well; I didn’t explain it in detail." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Seventh Uncle looked at his pitiful expression and couldn’t bear to say more.

It wasn’t that crucial after all!

And you can’t really blame Qiaoqiao. This wasn’t a main sesame-producing area. In earlier years, only some elders planted small plots sporadically, let alone intensive cultivation; they didn’t even bother with pinching the tops off.

Everything relied on rough management.

So he quickly consoled them:

"Anyway is fine. I’m just letting you know there’s not much impact picking this way now."

Last year, Lao Song’s family planted less sesame, and they did not put much effort in, leaving it to nature.

This year, they’ve used a systematic approach, and Yan Ran and the others watched each field every day. Without some meticulous farming, wouldn’t it be a waste?

So this year, they’ll discreetly pinch off the tops when the sesame heads stop blooming, allowing the fruits to mature better, making the sesame plumper.

After pinching, though the young leaves might be fewer, the resulting leaves will have a more uniform taste, and it won’t affect the yield.

The way they’re picking now, a mix of young and old, is quite wasteful.

After listening earnestly, Qiaoqiao was very receptive, quickly waving to the field:

"Brothers and sisters, let’s stop picking, we’ve got enough."

Self-taught Sister poked her head out: "But my bag isn’t full yet."

Qiaoqiao explained sincerely: "Seventh Uncle said picking in another month or two will result in a more even taste, I’ll teach you properly next time."

Alright then.

Top Brother wiped his sweaty forehead, embarrassed: "So we weren’t picking properly! That’s not good, it’s wasting good ingredients. Good things need the right time and place."