Trouble in Berrydise (flashback)

[Lusa]

30th of Summer, 511 AV Lusa had been waiting all year for this day. Today was the day when Lusa's mother gave her two sacks to sling over her small shoulders, and sent her to the sunny patch of forest near their den to collect the tiny, sweet wild strawberries that grew there. Lusa had had to control herself for days in order to let the berries ripen to their full potential. Her mother had already taught her to make a delicious tea from the leaves, which not only tasted good, but had medicinal uses. It could be used to treat stomachaches and diarrhea, and helped prevent colds. Lusa's mother also told her that the tea was especially good for nursing mothers, because it increased the amount of milk they produced. Cooking (and eating the results) had always been Lusa's favorite pastime, though she didn't get to do it as often as she liked. As a family of Kelvics, Lusa and her parents often spent days or even weeks at a time in animal form, when cooked food wasn't necessary. In fact, Lusa's parents were both carnivores, and only cooked in human form when game had been scarce. Lusa, however, as an herbivore, had much more to eat in the forest and usually just cooked for pleasure. As she left the den, Lusa breathed in the scent of the forest. everything looked so pretty today, in the dappled sunlight. Adjusting the two cloth sacks slung around her torso, she indulged herself for a moment by digging her bare toes into the cool soil. Giggling at the pleasant sensation, she began making her way to the sunny clearing nearby.

[Lusa]

As she came into the clearing, Lusa accidentally stepped on a strawberry. It was an unpleasant, squishy sensation and Lusa yelped loudly. She'd have to be more careful. None of the sweet berries should be wasted! Kneeling down, she began plucking the ripe strawberries from their stems. She had to do it carefully, to avoid bursting the berries with the pressure of her fingers. She was hard pressed not to just pop every single one into her mouth. She steeled herself and decided to only eat one out of every ten berries she picked. Placing one in her mouth, she crushed it between her teeth, letting the tart and sweet juice roll around in her mouth. Humming contentedly, she continued her work. She was pleasantly surprised to find some dandelions growing among the strawberry patch. They were a particular favorite of hers! Fritters, tea, greens...so many things could be made from them. She collected them alongside the berries. It was several hours later when she stood and wiped her brow, smearing it with juice from her sticky hands. Her lips and fingers were stained red with fragrant juice. Slinging her now heavy bags over her shoulders, she decided to sprint back to the den! If there was anything that came close to her love of food, it was running. Lusa adored the feeling of flying through the forest, her feet barely touching the ground. So she arrived home sweaty and exhilarated, and her mother shook her head bemusedly.

[Lusa]

Bringing her plunder into the den, Lusa went to the cooking fire and dumped the strawberries into several large wooden bowls. She had convinced her mother to let her make the strawberry jam all by herself this time. So, she began collecting all the ingredients she would need from around her home. She grabbed a lemon, which had come from her mother's last trip to the market in nearby Sunberth, where Lusa wasn't allowed to go yet. She grabbed her sweetener, which she had made by crushing sweetgrass and drying the sugary water that came from it. She would use it to supplement the small amount of honey she had managed to collect. Returning to her work station, Lusa set a pot above the fire to heat, and took out her small cooking knife. She began chopping the lemon into large chunks, peel and all. It would help the jam thicken. Her mother had been diligently crushing the berries for Lusa while she had been gathering ingredients, and Lusa added them to the pot along with the sweetener, honey, and lemon chunks. Stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon, it seemed like hours to Lusa before it began to boil. As the jam began bubbling, the entire den filled with the summery scent of berries and lemon. Lusa let it continue at a rolling boil for a while more, until she deemed it finished. Ladling the hot mixture into jars that her mother had been heating, Lusa now placed the lids on the top. The heat would cause the jars to seal tight, sucking all the air out and preserving the jam for hard times ahead.

[Lusa]

It had taken hours for the hot jars to cool, and it seemed like hours to Lusa, who was more than eager to crack one open to sample the fruits of her labor. She sliced a thick piece of bread from a soft loaf to spread the preserved strawberries upon. Her mother handed her a cooled jar. Lusa began removing the lid, closing her eyes in anticipation. But she was to be disappointed. The jam had not set, and was runny. Lusa despaired, ready to cry over her failure. Who wanted liquid strawberry jam? She looked at her mother's if the world itself was ending. Lusa's mother sighed at her daughter's dramatics. Smiling, she took the jar from Lusa and led her to the roughly carved wooden breadbox on a shelf. Taking from the box a small sweetcake, she placed it on a plate and poked a hole in the top of it with her elegant finger. Lusa saw then what her mother was doing! The sweetcake eagerly soaked up the jam. Lusa took it and broke it open. The fluffy inside was now a lovely pink! Her mother was so smart! Lusa had been ready to throw the preserves away. And so, Lusa learned from her wise mother a lesson about jam, and failure.

[Archelon]

Thread Award "..." And the Results!!!!: Lusa : SkillName 1-5 How/why? Cooking 3 Herbalism 1 Observation 1 Bodybuilding 1 Running 1 Lores: The making of Jam Baking uses of strawberry jam... even when it's runny. Dandelions and tea. Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Cute thread .