I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 65 Oil Extraction
Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it has moved from May to July.

Luc went to the monastery several times and donated paper several times. He kept a count of the amount each time, but he still had not donated ten sheets.

Of course, it wasn't like he didn't get any benefit at all. During many conversations, Luc hinted that he was a down-and-out nobleman, but Brother Pierre remained noncommittal, neither admitting nor objecting.

This is a good sign.

It has been a full year since Luke came to the valley. From having no place to stand to having basic living security, his progress can be said to be very fast. Today, it is another harvest season.

The rapeseed is ripe!

Luc has been waiting for this day since he retrieved the rapeseed from the monastery. Among the daily necessities of life, the most lacking thing for Luc now is oil.

Not only is animal-made fat expensive, but there aren't that many animals to make it, so it's far inferior to rapeseed oil.

Calling Ryan Robert, Luke decided to lead the team to harvest rapeseed himself.

As a crop planted in the same batch, the oats were the first to mature, and they formed ears and drooped their heads in about fifty days. With the help of Robert's family, the oats were processed very quickly. Moreover, they did not need to be ground into flour, so they were quickly bagged and stored.

Most oats are used as horse feed, with only a small amount left for human consumption.

Luc is a glutton, or rather, he eats a very limited variety of food. Every time there is a new crop, he can't help but want to try it.

That night, Luc melted the cheese, poured it into the oatmeal, made a bowl of oatmeal milk, and had a delicious meal.

In addition, Luc also tries to change the way he eats fish.

Roast, fry, boil, steam
It's a pity that there are not many seasoning ingredients, only one wild garlic.

However, Luke plans not to eat any of the rapeseed now and use it all to extract oil.

Mature rapeseed looks a bit like tall dead grass, with thin stalks slightly green.

Instructing Robert and his wife to harvest the rapeseed in front, Luc and Ryan pushed the wheelbarrow to bundle the full rapeseed and transported it to the open space in front of the cabin.

He skillfully took out the flail and started beating it, then continued with the old routine of sifting the chaff and picking out the broken pieces, drying them and washing them, and finally put the fallen round rapeseed into bags, ready for stir-frying.

However, Luc didn't have an iron pan, so stir-frying the rapeseed was a problem.

In the end, Luc could only choose the most stupid method, using pottery for part of it and stone for part of it. Although the progress would be slow, it was better than using raw rapeseed to extract oil.

Rapeseed oil production is low, and even less can be produced by squeezing it raw.

In order to fry the rapeseed faster, for the next period of time, everyone in the forest did nothing else and devoted themselves to the task of frying the seeds.

The unique rich nutty aroma of roasted rapeseed fills the air, making you want to take a bite.

It took about three days to ripen all the rapeseed, but the real highlight was just beginning.

The roasted rapeseed was transported to the mill and crushed one by one. By the way, Robert and his wife learned how to use the water mill, so that Luc would not have to do it himself in the future. Of course, supervision was indispensable, because Robert had stolen fish in the old territory, and his old illness might relapse during grinding.

Luc filled a wooden barrel with the rapeseed powder that had turned into black sand, lit a fire and began to boil it.

Steaming is a crucial step in the oil extraction process, as it allows the oil to be separated better. The flames jump wildly, and the heat gradually transfers to the inside of the barrel. The rapeseed meal slowly becomes hot and emits a richer aroma.

After about an hour of steaming, Luc felt it was time, so he carefully opened the lid of the wooden barrel with a leather wrap. A wave of heat and fragrance immediately hit him. Luc stirred it with a wooden spatula and found that the rapeseed meal had become soft and sticky. He nodded, saying that this was the best state for oil extraction.

"It smells so good, Master~"

Ryan sniffed and swallowed.

"It's good to be fragrant. The more fragrant it is, the more fragrant the oil you'll extract will be. By the way, how's the wooden stake I asked you to build for the oil press?"

"Don't worry, sir, it's already been built!"

At this time, the only way to extract oil is by purely physical squeezing. The wooden pile that Luke asked Ryan to build is actually a device built with bricks and wood to accommodate rapeseed. Then a gap is left at the bottom, and several sturdy wooden piles are raised horizontally on the side. By using manpower and frequently hitting the wooden piles with stones, oil droplets can be squeezed out of the rapeseed.

Luc divided the steamed rapeseed meal into several portions, wrapped each portion in thatch, packed it up, and then compacted it with his hands and a wooden shovel to make it into round cakes.

Stuff these round cakes into the oil pressing wooden stake one by one, and finally close the wooden board to start the oil pressing!
This process requires a lot of patience and physical strength. Luc called Robert and asked him and Ryan to take turns swinging the stone together.

In order to better exert their strength, the two men tied up the stones, each holding one side, and smashed them hard against the wooden stakes.

The sounds of "bang bang bang" echoed in the mountains and forests, and the sound of drops of oil slowly falling seemed insignificant.

However, under the oil-pressing stake, the wooden basin containing oil tells the story of the birth of vegetable oil.

The two men were sweating profusely and took several breaks. After a full day, all the rapeseed cakes were finally squeezed.

Luc picked up the wooden basin filled with oil. Although the color was still turbid, it would automatically settle and remove some of the debris after a few days of standing still.

The golden oil made Luc very satisfied.

However, for Robert's efforts, Luc could not reward him with precious rapeseed oil. Instead, he took out the ill-fitting linen and called Robert over:
"This is a reward for your clothes. Give it to Miller. Miller's clothes can be saved and knitted into new clothes together with Julie's. When winter comes, I will find a way to get you warm clothes."

"Thank you, sir!"

Robert took it with surprise. His whole family had been sold to Luc as slaves. In a sense, their status was even lower than that of serfs, and all their belongings needed Luc's reward.

After a few days, several pottery vessels full of oil were placed in the deepest part of the second floor of the wooden house, and the lids were closed to prevent spillage, leaving only a small jar of regular oil in front of the fireplace.

With rapeseed oil, the feeling of fullness of many foods increases exponentially in an instant, and having oil in the stomach is the same as having no oil at all.

"It's busy again recently. We have to harvest barley in a few days, and then plant wheat and rye."

"Grapes, wild leeks, apples, parsnips, and mushrooms all need to be picked. Dry them in the sun before eating them. You can soak them in water and eat them again in winter."

"By the way, Ryan, I heard that a while ago, when you went to the other side to look at the grapes, you found bear footprints far away?"

Ryan was concentrating on eating bread with butter. The butter was made while making cheese, and it was not a lot. Luke specially spread it on him today as a reward for the good harvest.

Hearing the question, Ryan said seriously: "Yes, sir, there are bear footprints, but it is on the other side and should not pose a threat to us."

Luc rubbed his temples and said, "That may not be the case."

(End of this chapter)