Going Nuts Over Nuts
1358 Words
"By Golly...these are monkey nuts or also affectionately called groundnuts or peanuts...! You ladies are sure resourceful but I wonder if these nuts grow all season. What do you think?"
Old Kayla was ecstatic when she came over and recognised the leaves as well as the legumes that were stuck on the roots of the plants. Not only it was a handful but the ladies seemed to have 'shaved' the whole area of the monkey nuts till none was left of it in the forest yonder.
"Yes, Old Kayla. We managed to procure about 12 hemp sacks each weighing about 40 pounds filled with the plants and its nuts. This monkey nuts could be harvested once every 4 months but with the help of Penelope, it would be able to harvest once the plant grows to a height of 3 feet."
"This plant won't grow if there's frost on the ground but it's sure going to be an all year round sturdy and hardy little plant. How about if we strip the nuts off from the roots and we could wash and steamed them later on for consumption?"
"The plant grows from its seeds so the only useful part would be the nuts. Fret not Old Kayla, we will reserve about 2 sacks of nuts for the next harvest. We would plan where we would be growing them in the next season."
Old Kayla pondered and decided to let the herbalists and gatherers plan on their own this time. Besides our laws of the land allows autonomous work between anyone who wishes to improve on the lives of the community as a whole.
"Then it settles then. Let me gather up the rest and get them to work as soon as possible. As for the ones to be sown, it would be handed to you once the seeds were airdried then."
With that, the group of herbalist and gatherers began to strip the monkey nuts from its roots and set them aside. These monkey nuts could be consumed roasted, steamed, boiled or as it is.
Author's Note:
In modern times you could have even made peanut butter from it with different textures according to your taste by using a blender after the nuts had been roasted and deskinned, of course. *wink*
The work was done in an efficient manner and within a short time, 2 hemp sacks filled with raw monkey nuts were handed to Old Kayla where she would be planning on the next harvest of those monkey nuts.
Of course, the monkey nuts need to be deshelled first and dried naturally. The seeds would be sown about a foot underground after the land had been flooded. Once the plant was about 3 feet high within a period of 4 to 5 months, it's ready for harvest.
Besides with Penelope's assistance, the growth for these plants would hasten for sure just like the rest of the crops as if it is in a "cheat mode'. But hey, who's complaining right? As long as there's no shortage of anything, everyone would be deemed as being happy and contented in town...!
Old Kayla happily set the two hemp sacks filled with monkey nuts back to her stash area. Since there wasn't much sun before spring, she decided to store these nuts for later.
As for the current ones that the herbalist and gatherers had removed from the main plants, the monkey nuts were carefully cleaned at the River Bank and basket steamers were brought out and set aside next to the food preparation area within the courtyard.
The kids gathered around and were curious when they discovered the monkey nuts and began to pick those loose ones from the hemp sacks and helped themselves.
The children squatted comfortably around near the hemp sacks and were biting the shells to get to the nuts within after they wiped off the traces of soil and sand away from the shell.
From the looks of it — those children sure looked like monkeys...! Hahaha...
Very soon, heaps of monkey nuts were stacked on a single steamer basket and were set to steam for some time. Salt was added inside the steaming water to slowly let it be soaked along with the monkey nuts they were steamed atop.
Every time the kid was uncovered by the ladies manning several of the basket steamers, the children can't help but clap their hands every time the waft of steam escaped from the top.
The whitish shells of the monkey nuts turned to a lighter brown and then darker brown after some hours. Besides, the steamed monkey nuts would expand due to the steaming process as the children gathered around with bowls in their hands as they waited for the distribution of the monkey nuts.
Very soon, the young and old enjoyed a small bowlful of steamed monkey nuts during their afternoon tea break. The steamed monkey nuts were rather sweet and saltish to taste and it was something that everyone relished for some time.
As usual, the steamed shells were set aside as it could be made into feed for the pigs and was handled by Crystal and several of her helpers. The steamed shells were brought to be crushed and then sent to the Gracehaven's Finest Bakery where it was made into horse bread and fed to Donkey, the pigs and the goats.
As horses have a more sensitive stomach, they were not given those filled with steamed shells but rather fed with high fibre brown bread instead.
I was busily munching away the steamed monkey nuts when I saw Old Kayla appearing from the small grains storage barn and motioned to her to come over.
"Old Kayla, what do you think of these monkey nuts? How much land you require to plan for the plantation for these nuts in the future?"
"Oh... I have decided that I would need at least 30 feet by 30 feet for a small plantation or 60 feet by 60 feet plot of land. Besides I had a chat with Hereford that she would be turning these monkey nuts into a kind of paste that would be used as a filling. I was intrigued and I think it's a rather good idea. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Of course, old Kayla. Anything that's good for the community would be good for us as well. Let's start with a single plot of 60 feet by 60 feet plot of land. I am sure Penelope could turn to turn the harvest from 4 months to about a week if she helps us out."
"Hehehe. That's what I was thinking too, Your Majesty. Oh yes, by the way, I just wish to update that Isabela is doing fine at the infirmary and she's a fast learner too."
"Oh... That's great to hear from you old Kayla. You may proceed with the remaining tasks at hand then. I suppose the wicker basket production team am for making the Standing Icebox should be ready by this evening I reckon?"
"Should be, Your Majesty. Would you require me to summon Gwen over to give the report to you instead?"
"It's alright Old Kayla. I would just saunter I've since I could still make use of my own two feet. Besides a little exercise would do no harm to me, right? Hehehe..."
"Oh alright, then Your Majesty. I would attend to my other duties then." old Kayla bowed slightly before she left and heads to the food preparation area within the courtyard to assist the ladies to prepare dinner.
As I walked off from my seating area and walked towards the weaver basket production area, I was intercepted by Old Mann who had been looking for an opportunity to discuss something with me as he tugged the sleeves of his wife as the duo hurried along.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty... Do you have a minute or two to spare as I would like to speak my mind?"
I stopped in my tracks as the couple bowed low and seemed to be on the wary of not offending me when they stopped me without warning.
- Writer
