Chapter 305 - Trying A Different Food For The First Time
On the outskirts of the greenhouse, Einar was reunited with his entire family, including his parents.
"Today is the day of the first harvest of tomato, corn and pumpkin.
After this harvest, we will plant peanut seeds and potatoes, so we will have all the most important crops of our tribe.
When my father-in-law Vilhelm arrived with the Irish slaves, I will start with the mass construction of numerous greenhouses.
Where only corn, pumpkin, tomato and peanut can be sown.
We will only sow the potatoes in the greenhouses for half a year until we have enough seeds to be able to start sowing in the coldest and hardest lands of the island.
It is food that grows fast and is resistant to cold, but under no circumstances can it be used as a principal food.
Since a single pest can destroy all crops. So it is too dangerous to just depend on potatoes.
I have seen how in the future a nation died when a plague spread through its lands and killed all the plants.
Since they had no other way to get food, they could only suffer in silence while millions of their citizens died.
It is always good to have a variety of foods, but come with me. I will show you the seeds that will feed our people in the future. "
After this Einar opened the greenhouse door and a heat could be felt throughout the place, so they quickly entered.
Upon entering, they could see some strange plants. The first one was a kind of small plant on the ground that had strange leaves and a yellow flower.
Whereas its fruit was a kind of elongated yellow thing.
The second was an elongated plant that had small red spheres with green hues.
Finally, the last plant was the largest of all. That plant had a long and thick stem, it also had large and thick leaves.
But what most caught his attention were the spikes at the top of the plant and the large things that hung at its sides.
Einar proudly walked to the first plant, which was the pumpkin plant.
"This plant is our pumpkin plant. In theory, we should be able to sow it in the island's land, but before we have seeds to spare, we cannot risk it.
It is a plant that is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A and C. This will be a good meal for any pregnant woman to replenish nutrients.
So Mother, Lisa and Juni, from today I will make you meals with pumpkin from this plant, pumpkin flowers are also consumed.
Now let's move on to the tomato. "
Einar, I walk towards one of the plants that had the tomatoes "These little red balls with a green hue are a tomato.
It is a fruit that is more similar to vegetables, so its use will be an auxiliary to flavor foods.
Like pumpkin, it is food that contains many nutrients.
Finally, let's move on to corn, the plant that has a value as high as wheat. "
Einar then walked towards a cornfield from where he took an cob, which he opened to reveal its yellow interior with purple grains.
"This is an cob, it can be eaten roasted or after going through a process called nixtamalization, since corn does not naturally contain an essential nutrient.
If someone only depends on corn to live, without doing the nixtamalization they will end up dying.
Although we will keep that process a secret because if someone steals the corn, they will pay with death for believing that it would be a good idea.
But as I like to say, it is better to try than just talk about the benefits of any plant. "
Einar, at that moment, made a sign of his hand and a group of guards brought a table and chairs for everyone to sit down.
As they sat down, they could see how the doors of the greenhouse were opened and a group of servants entered carrying trays with two plates.
The first was a kind of yellow tortilla that had melted cheese coming out of its sides and the second was a soup that was hot.
The servants left the meals on the tables, because of the delicious aroma, they all gulped some saliva.
Although they did not understand why there was a green ball that smelled of citrus still next to their plates.
Einar, seeing the faces of doubts around everything, just laughed and looked at them with affection "That green is lemon, a fruit that I could buy from Nelda at a high price but that I will start planting in permanent greenhouses.
The first thing we will try will be the Aztec soup, a soup that has pumpkin flower, chicken, cream, cheese, fried corn chips, pieces of corn and a broth made with tomato, onion, salt, pepper and garlic.
In this soup you will taste all the ingredients of this garden, to start squeeze your lemon on your soup in this way. "
Einar squeezed his lemon using a wooden lemon squeezer that he had made in his spare time.
Everyone seeing this used Einar's lemon squeezer and when everyone finished, they watched as Einar used a spoon to stir the broth.
They repeated this and after that they began to eat; it was at that moment that everyone was surprised by the taste of the strange colorful food on their plate.
Each spoonful was a bomb of flavors and textures as the fried corn chips were crunchy while the cheese was soft, but the flavor of the pumpkin flower and other ingredients made them eat without speaking.
It wasn't that they didn't want to talk, but the taste of the soup was so delicious that they just couldn't stop eating.
Elin, who had never tasted something so delicious, simply did not realize when she finished her soup, so she raised her head and looked at her son with some sadness.
Einar smiled and with a wave of his hand, the servants brought with them some ingredients and a pan of hot soup with which they served everyone another dish.
After this, they prepared it following the steps they had learned from Einar.
Everyone then ate their second servings of soup and when they finished, Einar had a squash blossom quesadilla.
"This beauty is called a quesadilla. It is made with a real corn tortilla, not the wheat tortilla with which burritos are made.
But always remember if it does not have cheese, it is a taco, if it has cheese, it is a quesadilla.
You just need to bite into this quesadilla and enjoy all the flavor. "
Einar bit into his quesadilla and some tears of happiness fell on his face. He never thought it would take him so long to taste a quesadilla.
The only regret was that there were no chili peppers, avocado and tomatillo among the seeds that Natukt brought, otherwise he would have loved to make a green sauce or, failing that, a red sauce.
Everyone following in Einar's footsteps tasted the quesadillas and were fascinated by the flavor they were tasting.