Gardening Life With Plant Magic: Haku and the Spirits’ Botanical Garden

By the way, we get salt from a place in the western mountains of the Radcliffe territory where rock salt can be mined.

But the round trip alone takes about three weeks, so when they go to mine, they take all the magic bags they have. They also need to secure enough for the villagers.

There are also battles with magical beasts along the way, which makes it tough.

It seems we don’t have enough to sell to other territories.

So, salt is also super valuable.

Our meals at home are lightly seasoned. Once you get used to it, it’s not so bad.

If salt and pepper are precious, then sugar is obviously a luxury item as well.

However, sugar is made from plants, and I’ve already created it in my botanical garden.

I grew sugar beets, which can be cultivated in cold regions.

There’s even a factory to process it, making my plant cultivation skill really an all-encompassing cheat, isn’t it?

The processing is simple: chop the beets finely, boil them to make a sugar solution, skim off the scum, and boil it down to make sugar.

In the botanical garden, the little folks handle the process in shifts.

They stir a big pot with a big ladle.

So cute.

It tasted different from refined white sugar, but in this world, it’s a precious enough sweetener.

Getting back to the topic, I filled jars with the spices I made.

By the way, the ripe dried fruits turned into red peppercorns.

I want black pepper too, but for now, this is enough.

If this gets out to the world, I might be locked up like a canary.

Scary, right?

It’s a secret, okay?

Are there any other plants that could substitute for pepper?

How about Japanese pepper or wasabi?

I wonder if they exist in this world.

My father and the squires probably wouldn’t know.

Maybe when I grow up, I can go to the mountains to find them?

While I was pondering such things, I finished filling the jars with spices.

I made five types: pepper, clove, cardamom, laurel, and cumin.

Even with just these five, the range of cooking possibilities should expand, right?

I made clove and cardamom because they were ingredients for craft cola.

I’ve also asked for some additional jars, so when they arrive, I’ll fill them with dried herbs.

But if you go to the garden, herbs like basil and thyme are thriving, and summer vegetables like bell peppers and chili peppers are also planted. Shiso grows freely from scattered seeds.

Herbs and spices are surprisingly close at hand.

I put handwritten labels on the jars. Don’t you think the round, childlike handwriting has its own charm?

“Done!”

I jumped off the chair, filled a handbasket with the jars, and left the room with a “Yoisho.”

It’s a bit heavy for a child, but I toddled off to the kitchen.

Since it’s the afternoon, Jeff should be taking a break.

“Jeff, are you there?”

I called out from the kitchen entrance.

“Oh, young master, isn’t it a bit early for a snack? Are you thirsty?”

Jeff noticed me and approached.

“Nope. I brought something new!”

I’m not that much of a glutton!

I thrust the basket in front of the crouching Jeff.

When Jeff took the basket from me and read the labels, his eyes widened.

“Young master! This stuff is insanely valuable! Just this amount is worth several years of my salary!”

Wow, his loud voice echoed in my head. I couldn’t help but cover my ears.

Also, his polite speech flew out the window.

Why does it sound like ‘dangerous stuff’ when Jeff says it?

Is it just my imagination?

“I know. That’s why I only brought a little, just enough for us to use at home. I’ll also dry and jar the herbs from the garden later.”

I said, looking up cutely to seem more endearing.

Seeing me like that, Jeff’s mouth twitched.

“I’ll just put it in the pantry, so feel free to use it.”

Without giving him a chance to respond, I turned on my heel.

If you come to this house, you just have to get used to it.

Teshhuu!

Later, Burton warned me to “exercise some restraint.”

But he didn’t forbid me from entering the pantry.

I guess it’s okay as long as it’s used for our household.

Well, Burton will firmly warn any newcomers.

Visiting servants don’t enter the kitchen, so it’s fine.

Although I was told not to reveal my skill openly, I accidentally let it slip.

One day, I snuck into the pantry in the basement while cheerfully singing.

I had Pikka light up the dim room with magic.

Hmm, little me can’t reach the top shelves.

Fuu, can you help me?

Sure!

Thanks.

Can you place it on the second shelf from the top, at adult eye level?

Make sure the labels are visible!

I think I’ll place fruits on the lower shelves.

Oranges are delicious. And, of course, white peaches too.

Oh! Don’t forget the beet sugar! I’ll put a lot of it here.

We can bake cookies later.

In that case, we’ll need flour. It’s not milled, but that’s okay, right?

I wonder if I can make nuts someday?

I should also restock potatoes.

Later, we can all have a snack together.

One day, the pantry started filling up with spices and ingredients, and Jeff seemed to be holding his head in his hands.

“Young master, what am I supposed to do with unmilled, unthreshed wheat?”

Oops.

Looks like I grabbed the wrong bag.