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🕑 Added 2025-05-10 04:18:30 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 193 - The Rancher’s Experience
Before really getting to work on the red-skinned radishes, Dante took Neblina back to the cabin.
The radishes had perfect appearance and weight, but their internal quality still had to be confirmed.
This variety can be consumed raw, and its testing is not complicated.
He picked two small red-skinned radishes.
After cleaning them, the surfaces of both radishes were spotless. They only needed to be lightly rinsed with drinking water before being carefully placed on the cutting board.
Dante took a small, sharp kitchen knife from the knife rack and began working.
He started by cutting off the roots and the top leaves of the two radishes, then selected the highest-quality radishes.
As the blade passed through the skin, there was a sharp “click” sound, and the incision revealed the delicate white pulp, which was shiny, smooth, and had a uniform texture.
Dante gently pressed with his fingertips and felt a slight depression, but the pulp immediately released water, indicating that the fruit had enough moisture and a firm texture.
He then cut a small piece and placed it in his mouth, chewing gently, and the crisp sound of “crunch, crunch” resonated in his ears.
The sweet juice with a hint of spice danced across his taste buds, causing him to nod with a proud smile.
“Yes, the quality is absolutely excellent!”
Next, Dante focused on the highest-quality red-skinned radishes, which had been sorted into other wooden boxes.
The color of this radish was darker, as if it had been sunburned. The sound of the knife falling was even sharper.
He looked down and saw that the cut surface was as smooth as porcelain, with even a slight shine.
He pressed it using the same technique, and this time, the firmness and elasticity of the flesh were noticeably better than the previous ones, even though he didn’t really understand much about the subject.
He cut another piece from this radish, and its performance surprised him.
The pulp was even crisper and more tender, bursting with sweet juice between his teeth, and the spicy sensation was perfectly balanced, leaving a refreshing aftertaste.
He looked up and smiled, already having the answer in his mind.
The quality of these red-skinned radishes was good enough to become an important trade item to revitalize a ranch’s economy.
Dante sliced two radishes into thin rounds, carefully placed them on a plate, and put them back into his inventory.
He planned to take them to the main house later and let his father and Geranls taste his “red skin treasure.”
Besides keeping some radishes for his own consumption, Dante planned to sell the rest at a low price. The last thing he needed was money. Selling them to ranchers or farmers would make his life much more prosperous.
The main obstacle was the lack of USDA organic certification.
Although the quality of the red-skinned radishes was unquestionable, without certification, consumers would inevitably have doubts and concerns about hormones, pesticides, and even genetically modified ingredients.
To obtain organic certification, the land must undergo a three-year conversion period.
This is not difficult... Most of the farmland on this ranch has already been certified. If Dante really wanted, he could expropriate this land.
What’s really complicated is the documentation required for certification.
The Department of Agriculture stipulates that farms and producers must maintain complete records, including land and animal management, seed sources, fertilizer use, harvest and sales records, and all operational records, for at least five years, so that they can be inspected by certification agencies at any time.
The seed origin meets the standards, and Dante uses organic seeds specially purchased through a farmer’s association.
There is no need to worry about fertilizer use.
Cow manure is perfectly legal as an organic fertilizer, but it must be composted at high temperatures or meet strict time interval requirements before use.
For root crops that are consumed directly, like radishes, there must be a minimum of 120 days between fertilization and harvest without composting.
But when Dante uses cow manure as fertilizer, it is very different from fertilizing with regular cow manure, and it’s hard for outsiders to find traces of its use, so there’s no need to consider this part of the problem.
The real difficulty lies in his harvest history.
The problem is that Dante’s method of operation is very different from conventional farming.
The growth cycle of his red-skinned radishes is more than half as short as usual. If this “abnormality” cannot be reasonably explained, the certification will definitely not be approved.
We can’t expect external inspectors to overlook abnormal situations that can be easily detected.
How can the harvest time for the same organic seeds be reduced by half by adding cow manure or even without fertilizer?
“Sir, report.”
“Not now, Crocodile.” Dante declined to receive a report and instead asked him to try his harvests.
“They are unparalleled.”
“Don’t give me praise just because I paid your checks. I don’t think it's that great.” Dante smiled, then took the tablet from Crocodile and asked, “Anything about the groups attacking us?”
“Pham is offering us a deal—information and how to attack them in exchange for immunity.”
“Does the police have it?” Dante guessed something about it.
“Maybe.”
Dante nodded and said, “Let’s set up a meeting, but it’ll be when he wants.”
“Understood, boss.”
