Arrangements (Gardening,Cooking)

by **Elem Bree** on March 23rd, 2012, 5:34 am

Spring, Day 37, AV 512

Elem had only succeeded in bringing his purchases in and setting them around the cottage in a haphazard fashion. It had been quite a bit of goods and he had returned to the Infirmary, morning classes the next day begging him to sleep in the Dormitory. Having been to his classes, he had returned home to find the place a cluttered mess, buckets and pots and jars and all manner of thing scattered about. He pulled a chair into the center of the room, turning it backward and sitting, perusing the small space. His mind was arranging the room in several ways in order to maximize space as well as sunlight for his plants.

The increasing rationing in the City also made staying in the Dormitory a good idea, considering it was the primary place to find rations delivered in a timely fashion. He had hoped with his new purchases that he could supplement the rations with some of his own food. He had little clue on how to cook, but he suspected that he had all the tools he would need to learn.

Standing from the chair, Elem walked over and picked the two buckets up, heading out to the nearest well. After a short wait, he fished up two buckets worth of water and brought the sloshing, uneven baggage back, setting them down near the hearth. The kindling and fuel was less than to be desired, but he suspected he had a few attempts before he would have to purchase more wood. Probably wouldn't with the dwindling funds left from his shopping extravaganza. He worked the flint and steel until a spark caught the kindling, kneeling to blow into it until a soft flame appeared. Soon the pieces of wood would go in as well, heating the stone hearth.

He looked at the chain hanging above the hearth, the pot that once hung above it long gone. Retrieving one of his purchased pots, he fiddled with until he got it to hang, then took it down and repeated the process until he was satisfied that it was secure and would hold the weight of water. Soon one of the buckets was carefully emptied into the pot, his hand slightly singed when he steadied it, amazed with the speed that the pot heated up. He concentrated to Rak'keli to soothe the burn and make it all but vanish, remaining a bit red at most.

by **Elem Bree** on April 24th, 2012, 3:21 am

As water boiled and churned in the pot, Elem took the time to begin placing the quills, inks and papers at his desk, sliding his chair up to it to further make it seem more grandiose. Looking around the quiet cottage, it seemed that his hopes were the grandiose thing, but he had them. Time was something he either had too little of or too much of. This being one of the latter, he hoped to make the space more functional for his labors. Securing the shelf set as close to the wall as he could by scooting it and tapping at it, he began slowly and carefully placing the glass jars, mortar and pestle and flasks on the shelves.

The floor was beginning to return as things were moved around. Stepping into the corner to a tomato plant he had been growing from seed packets, he checked around the leaves of the plant. It had been staked firmly into its pot, with the stalk tied with small pieces of string to make the vine climb. He fished free three small tomatoes, each still a bit green but mostly orange and red. Fingering them and smelling the robust scent of life, he returned to the pots. The second pot was next to the boiling pot. Elem placed the three fruits next to the pot and poured fresh cold water from the well into the empty iron container. He thought about what to do next, but wasn't sure how to proceed.

He needed to put the tomatoes in the boiling water for a brief time and then put them in the cold water, so he could peel them. But how to hold the tomatoes? He sucked at his teeth and wandered the cottage, his eyes scanning for anything he could use as an improvisation.

by **Elem Bree** on April 26th, 2012, 4:07 am

Coming up empty, he settled with poking through the bundle of kindling he had left. Finding two pieces of wood that seemed easy enough to grip, he pinched the first tomato gently with the two pieces, slowly minding his grip and the fruit's balance as he lowered it into the water. The heat from the boiling water was evident on his hands as the tomato remained immersed. He could feel the pressure of the kindling releasing as the skin softened. Lifting the tomato slowly with his improvised tools, he gingerly let it hover above the cold water before dropping it in. Putting the sticks down, he reached into the water and plucked the tomato out, rolling it between his fingers.

His only knife being the one he used to eat with, Elem carefully worked around the core of the tomato until he pulled it free, then slowly cutting into the skin and peeling it. He knew he would want to keep the seeds, so he scooped them until they were mostly out, his eyes moving to the growing number of pots in one corner. His lips sucked at his teeth absentmindedly as he pondered what he would do about a proper garden. Returning to his current labor, he let the scoops of innards and seeds sit out on the table as he held the tomato, pushing the knife through and away from him, uneven slices being lopped off. Looking at the drooping orange piece, he popped it into his mouth, savoring the juicy remnants of his effort.

"Now I have something to add to my greens. Lovely."

by **Echelon** on April 29th, 2012, 9:49 pm

Adventurer's Loot

A Gift
Experience is it's own reward.

Elem's Loot :

(I commend your idea to work on gardening this season. It's a great idea for supplementing food rations.) - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, please PM me.