I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 104 Busy Months and a Simple Irrigation System (25)

The outline of the wooden castle was there, but the interior was not yet complete: the partitions on the second and third floors had not been built, the stairs had not been erected, there was too little furniture, and the rooms had not been planned. In short, it would take at least a month before people could live in it.

However, the construction of the wooden fort suddenly slowed down.

Because the peas are ripe!
Luc got up early in the morning, drank a bowl of oatmeal, and immediately rushed to the farmland.

Among the crops planted during the autumn harvest, the first to ripen are actually turnips.

When he was knighted at Coopersburg, Old Eck led his men to harvest an acre of turnips.

The turnip yield from just one acre almost surpassed the total harvest from searching the forest for months. At that moment, Old Eck, like Ryan, was completely captivated by this miraculous event.
Turnips are similar to radishes, but have different textures and flavors, and are very popular with Old Eck and his people.

Turnips were the only juicy vegetables that were not dried in the winter.

The freshest and tenderest part naturally went to Luc.

Luc divided the turnip into two parts, stored half in the cellar, and peeled and sliced ​​the other half, pickled it with coarse salt for a while, and then soaked it in apple cider vinegar. After a while, a jar of simple pickles was born!

After all, sour and salty are the only two flavors that Luc can taste now.

Kimchi, once looked down upon, has become a delicacy with a refreshing taste.

Knowing that the peas were ripe, Luc decisively gave up the construction of the wooden fort. To put it bluntly, the wooden fort was just icing on the cake. Apart from providing a better living environment, it had basically no major function.

But food is different.

Even any one of them is of great significance to the manor today.

On the easternmost side of the strip field, six rows of emerald green pea pods hang under the stems and leaves. The once shriveled pods are now swollen and round. When the breeze blows, the green leaves tremble, but the pods remain motionless.

"What a good harvest!" Luc smiled.

Old Eike nodded frequently.

Unlike turnips, peas can be eaten as a staple food!
Henry originally ventured into the mountains with only a bag of peas.

This meant that, in addition to rye and wheat, everyone had another source of food! Of course, when necessary, such as in years of disaster, oats and barley could also serve as dry food.

But the benefits of peas don't stop there.

The pea stalks can be chopped and spread on the ground and then turned over with a plow to increase the fertility of the field.

However, it should be noted that consuming a large amount of peas will cause stomach discomfort, commonly known as bloating, so only one acre of peas is planted and they are usually eaten as a side dish.

An acre of peas wasn't enough for Luc to do himself, so Old Eike happily took the lead in harvesting.

The sickles were even swung by the people in Ward Village, leaving afterimages.

Luc took the opportunity to observe the rye and wheat on the side. Seeing the good growth of the real staple food, he felt very relieved. In another month, the rye would be ripe.

Farmland is always a big deal, and almost everyone comes to the pea fields, scrambling to process the peas.

Peas are generally better peeled by hand, but due to the large yield, a flail was used as a last resort, which broke the peas into pieces and even crushed some.

Cleaning, air drying, a series of processes, no need for Luc to say much, experienced farmers like Old Eike can do it easily.

The peas have been harvested, but the farm work in the fields has not stopped. The rye is about to mature, and now it has reached one of its most critical growth stages - the filling period!

Last year's rye field was only one-fifth of an acre, and Luc was able to keep the soil moist by watering it manually.

But at this moment there were nearly six acres of rye.

Fortunately, the overall area is still not too large, so Luc's solution is also very simple:
A hollowed-out semicircular wooden bar was built on the north, south, and middle of each of the nearly forty furrows, perched atop a slightly elevated mound, enclosing the entire field. Most of this had been built during the initial reclamation phase; the only new construction was the branch pipes that ran through the furrows. Luc was incredibly thankful he'd built the drum wheel earlier.

Open the valve, the drum wheel at the slope flow gradually rotates, and the gurgling river water flows from high to low along three pipes to the fields.

In the semicircular wooden path on the north, hollow branch pipes inserted in the side rows begin to drain water to the south, while the semicircular wooden path on the south drains water to the north, and the middle naturally drains in both directions.

There is a ridge with four branches. The cool river water slowly seeps into the soil, then slowly flows over the mud and moves forward, eventually merging with the river water on the opposite side. The water level gradually rises until it approaches the rice seedlings.

This pipeline has another advantage. Because the three main channels are made up of several tree trunks, any link can be blocked at any time to allow the river water to irrigate in layers.

For example, now, at the westernmost wheat field, Luc has blocked the wood with stones, and only a small amount of river water can pass through the gap and flow into the wheat field.

If you don't want to water harvested fields, such as turnips and peas, simply seal the branch pipes.

Time passed quickly as we continuously built houses, transplanted apples, harvested peas in spring, and irrigated farmland. In the blink of an eye, a month and a half passed, and it was late April.

Boom boom boom!
Inside the wooden castle, Luc stood on the wooden ladder and knocked on the floor on the third floor of the castle.

"Ryan, pass on another piece of wood!"

"Okay sir!"

Ryan called Jill, and the two of them worked together to move the wooden board into the air. Luc reached out to take it and held it under the floor.

Ryan looked carefully at the shape of the floor. A large gap was left in the north to build a chimney and a roof. The floor was much stronger than the original second-floor compartment. Thicker wooden boards and more beams supported a stronger load-bearing capacity.

The northern part of the floor left a space for the fireplace and a gap for the stairs. Luc stepped on the wooden stairs, squinting his eyes. After a while, he wiped the sweat from his head, exhaled a breath, and smiled:

"The floor is finally nailed down."

"Ryan, go up and try it out to see if it's strong!"

"Okay sir!"

Ryan said nothing as he climbed up to the third floor deftly along another wooden ladder. He first stepped carefully, and when he saw that there was nothing wrong, he stepped on it completely. After walking for a while, he began to jump and jump, but apart from the jumping sound that reached his eardrums, there was nothing wrong with the floor.

Seeing this, Luke nodded, called Ryan down, put away the wooden ladder and returned to his temporary residence for dinner.

At this moment, Mary suddenly rushed in from outside:
"Sir! Are you here?"

Luc stopped and looked at the anxious Mary with a slightly frown.

He ran in with a panicked look on his face late at night. Did something happen?

"What's wrong? Speak slowly."

"Mr. Sheep, the ewe is about to give birth!" Mary said breathlessly.

"Oh?"

The birth of livestock is indeed a big event for farmers. Luc counted on his fingers and found that the ewe had been pregnant for five months and it was time for her to give birth.

"Well done, Mary! You've been taking care of the ewes all this time. When the lambs are born, come get five eggs from me."

The pheasant flock has already expanded further, and Luc now has three times as many eggs as last year.

"Sir, I may not be able to get any eggs."

Mary lowered her head, "Sir, the ewe is having a difficult birth!"

(End of this chapter)