Chapter 138: Locust Powder ( 2 )

Chapter 138: Locust Powder ( 2 ) Rou Jia Mo could be made without an oven, so she took out five Rou Jia Mo as breakfast. Besides this, she also made a pot of steamed eggs.

Just after she was done, Fu Chen’an entered the kitchen. Seeing a big basket full of steamed buns, he asked, "Wife, why did you make so many steamed buns?"

"Husband, when you go back to the barracks, bring these buns back. There are sweet and savory fillings. You can share them with your comrades and give some to the General. These buns can last for several days, so you can eat them slowly."

"Okay," Fu Chen’an nodded and glanced at the five big Rou Jia Mo on the plate. "Wife, what is it?" he asked.

"Oh, these are buns, but they are pan-fried instead of steamed. The fillings are pork with some seasonings," Yao Zhi explained casually. She omitted explaining that "some seasonings" meant a total of 14 types of spices and seasonings.

Thinking that it was similar to the meat steamed buns, he only nodded and said, "Wife, let’s just eat here. There are still some locusts outside."

Although they were not disgusted by the locusts themselves, the stench was unpleasant. So, it was better to stay in the kitchen rather than bring the food to the room, in case some locusts dirtied their food.

Yao Zhi had no objection, so the two of them sat on the low stools and had breakfast together.

Outside, the sun was no longer blocked by the locusts’ swarm, and sunlight finally illuminated the village.

The villagers came out one after another from their houses and started cleaning their yards. They swept the dead locusts and put them inside bamboo baskets, planning to burn them later.

After breakfast, Yao Zhi went to check the situation and saw many bamboo baskets filled with locusts. In the modern era, locusts could be eaten and used as fertilizer.

When this thought flashed in her mind, she recalled that she had read about a method to process locusts into fertilizer.

In fact, due to the high protein and nutrient content of these insects, they are increasingly being processed into organic fertilizer as a way to turn a destructive plague into a useful agricultural input in the modern era.

Even the waste produced by farmed locusts is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, making it an excellent organic fertilizer. It can enhance soil microbial communities and improve soil quality better than some chemical fertilizers.

Even though the locusts were stained by Sha Wu Hen powder, it didn’t affect the quality of the fertilizer. After all, the powder wouldn’t harm the soil and increase the quality instead.

Reaching this conclusion, Yao Zhi quickly went to the room to write down the method.

If she wanted the villagers to help her collect these locusts, she would need her husband’s help. To spread the knowledge about the locust powder, she would need the General’s help.

Actually, processing locusts into fertilizer was not hard. After they collected the locusts, they only needed to dry them and crush them into powder. This powder is rich in nutrients and can be applied to the soil.

As for how to dry the locusts, they could do it by sun-drying them or roasting them over the fire, which also helps reduce moisture for easier milling.

When the dried locusts were ground into a fine powder, it could be used directly or mixed with other organic waste, such as manure or vegetable scraps.

After she finished writing down the method, she recalled that she had made a blood meal before. Both were powder-type organic fertilizers.

She tried to recall if it was possible to mix both powders and use them together.

After a long time, she finally remembered that both of them complemented each other since blood meal focused on high nitrogen, while locust powder provided a broader, balanced nutrient base.

The combination of both powders could be used directly, but to prevent burning, it was better to mix them with other materials and ensure they were well incorporated into the soil.

While it provided benefits, the strong odor from blood meal might attract pets like dogs or raccoons, so they had to build fences to keep wild animals away.

Yao Zhi wrote down the cautions and the details on how to apply the fertilizers. Besides the method on how to make locust powder, she also wrote down the method on how to make blood meal.

There was too much pig blood being wasted every day. It was better to turn it into fertilizer and improve people’s lives. Perhaps, she would be able to earn more merit points this way.

Just after she finished writing down the method, Fu Chen’an entered the room and asked, "Wife, what are you doing?"

Yao Zhi was startled, but she quickly calmed down. She gestured for him to come closer and said, "Husband, I just remembered that in the book my Grandpa gave me before, there is a method on how to process the locusts into fertilizer."

The moment Fu Chen’an heard this, his eyes flashed with surprise. He took a seat beside his wife and asked, "Wife, what method?"

Yao Zhi handed the paper to him and explained, "It’s easy. We only need to dry the locusts and grind them into a fine powder. It could be used directly or mixed with manure, but we need to use it with caution since it could burn the crops if we are not careful."

Fu Chen’an looked at the beautiful handwriting, and at this moment, he was finally 100% sure that the soul inhabiting his wife’s body was a foreign soul.

Despite being born into a scholarly family, the real Yao Zhi only knew some words.

While her Grandpa valued and respected talent, he still held onto an old mindset. Women without value were virtuous.

So, he would only teach his granddaughter some words, enough for her not to be lied to, but far from enough to reach this level of knowledge and calligraphy.