NOVEL NEXT 33: How About Making Jam?
Ren and Hugo, taken away by Grandfather, still haven’t come back yet.
There’s no way they could escape from Grandfather, and being implicated is scary.
Well, if they come back by July, they’ll make it in time for the new school term, so they might hang on until the last minute.
Grandfather will.
After making the white peach gifts with Martha and Burton, we discussed future activities.
Today, I’m unusually serious.
Kiri!
“Even if we continue selling high-end melons ourselves, the quantity will significantly decrease, so we need to consider jobs for the village women’s association too, right?”
“Indeed. I believe some of them will be employed by the Harudo Company as experienced workers, but not everyone.”
Burton furrowed his brow thoughtfully.
“I think that selling fruit as it is doesn’t add value. But processing it can create more jobs.”
Relying solely on primary industries isn’t sustainable; we need to develop secondary and tertiary industries in the village for future growth.
Yeah, I’m pretty smart, right?
“Do you have any ideas, Master?”
Martha asked with a serious expression.
Many of Martha’s acquaintances are in the women’s association, so she must be worried.
“How about making jam? We can use the misshapen Radberries. Radberries are sweet enough even without sugar, right?”
In this world, fruits are generally less sweet, so they need a lot of sugar or honey.
But I think Radberries can work without sugar.
Jam can be made with just strawberries and lemon juice, right?
If we can’t get lemons, maybe we can use other citrus fruits?
Jeff, the cook, might know about that.
“But jam doesn’t last long, does it?”
Martha’s point is valid.
Without sugar or honey, jam doesn’t keep well.
“Hmm, that’s true, but what if we use purification magic on the finished products and jars? Purification magic is a type of life magic, so many people can use it, right?”
Why not use convenient magic if we have it?
“I see. If we use purification magic during production and store the products in magic bags, we can prevent spoilage.”
Burton nodded in agreement.
Exactly.
I nodded emphatically, feeling quite pleased with myself.
“Yeah. To make sure it’s consumed quickly, we can use small jars. The price might go up a bit, but we can market it as a limited edition for wealthy customers. Even without magic bags for storage, if the servants can use purification magic, they can purify the jars each time they’re opened.”
Human preservatives!
“If it’s Radberry jam, we can sell it to the nobles.”
Martha seemed enthusiastic about it.
“Not just Radberries, but maybe we should try making it with other fruits too? We can start harvesting blueberries soon! Let’s have Jeff make some trial batches.”
We can eat the trial batches ourselves!
There won’t be any waste!
Haha!
Immediately, Burton took this idea to Father.
He readily agreed, considering it could become a village industry.
First, we need to discuss this with the village farmers and the women’s association.
The full-scale operation will probably start next year.
Even if we start with just the initial seedlings and fields, eventually we’ll need to produce Radberries ourselves to make it meaningful.
We could renovate some vacant shops into a jam workshop.
Father will likely consider that.
If we get the Radberry seeds and jam making on track, it will become a splendid industry.
The villagers must create their own specialty products.
We’ll only assist them and make sure they pay their taxes properly.
Hmm, hmm. The plan is perfect!
Actually, I think making sugar from sugar beets would be quick, but that might attract attention from the royal family.
Even if we’re called pioneering local lords, this land ultimately belongs to the kingdom, so it could be taken away mercilessly at any time.
It’s best not to attract attention.
If our domain or I were targeted, it would be troublesome, so keep the sugar and pepper thing a secret!
If we had sugar maples, we might be able to harvest maple syrup….
Since they grow in cold climates, maybe we could plant them in the future.
But I can do that when I grow up.
I’m still small, so there’s no need to rush.
In late July, Grandfather came back!
Grandfather was full of energy, but everyone else looked completely drained.
As soon as Ren arrived, he collapsed at the entrance.
I don’t know how hard he worked, but all the magic bags he took were packed with monster materials.
Maybe he couldn’t come back until they were full?
Ren seems to have learned how to dismantle properly.
Thanks to that, he said he can dismantle it on his own now.
Amazing, huh? I’d faint if it were me.
Could he eat it before that?
Yeah, since he’s slow to run away, right on the head, crunch, crunch….
It’s getting sad.
Well, good job, Ren.
Well done~
Here, enjoy plenty of delicious fruits and vegetables.
As I requested, Grandfather collected Moonlight Grass and Claire Grass!
Thank you, Grandfather!
Since these two herbs have specific growth conditions, it seems impossible to cultivate them in the village, but I can grow plenty in my botanical garden!
Skill and the spirits, please take care of them!
Kyle, huh?
Since he’s not in our sight, he doesn’t matter!