Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 151 - 150: Delicious Crispy Potatoes, An Astonishing Flavor!

Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Delicious Crispy Potatoes, An Astonishing Flavor!

The potatoes were successfully sold.

Just when Xu Yang was having a headache about how to sell them, everything seemed to be arranged.

First, the teachers from the Agricultural University analyzed the potatoes he had cultivated and produced an analysis report.

Then Xu Yang himself promoted them online, and people with expertise took notice.

After that, businessmen came to discuss cooperation.

Manager Zheng meant that he wanted to cooperate long-term; if Xu Yang continued to plant potatoes, he would want to purchase them.

His resort had a certain demand for advanced potatoes.

Interestingly, several other businesses in need of potatoes, belonging to the high-end market, contacted Xu Yang to inquire about buying them.

The root of all this was the report from Agricultural University.

There are always those who know the business.

The data from the analysis could explain a lot of things.

Xu Yang’s potatoes were indeed better than ordinary potatoes, not only looking better but also of higher quality.

Add to that the fact that they were rare colored potato varieties, and those in the high-end market would definitely like them.

This was just the beginning; people had yet to taste the flavor of the potatoes cooked by Xu Yang.

After tasting them, that would be another surprise.

There are many varieties of potatoes.

Some potatoes turn soft and mushy when cooked, are especially fragrant, and make everything stewed with them delicious and tender.

Others feel somewhat hard, as if they were not properly cooked.

The big truck stopped inside the pasture, and each bag of potatoes was first weighed and recorded, then loaded onto the truck.

The staff from the resort watched along with Xu Yang and a few others.

The weight of each bag of potatoes was recorded.

"We’re already over 40,000 jin, and at least one-fifth hasn’t been loaded yet. The yield per acre of this five-acre field is too high!"

Employee Ma Wen was very surprised.

Wearing a pair of glasses and with somewhat dark skin, Ma Wen, after all, had two years of experience in farm production, so he understood a bit about the yield per acre of some agricultural products.

A regular potato field has a yield of 3,000 to 5,000 jin per acre, while a finely cultivated potato field can yield up to 8,000 jin per acre.

This is because the potatoes absorb more nutrients, grow larger, and are more densely packed, leading to a higher output weight.

The workers continued to carry the potatoes to the scale for weighing, accompanied by the farm staff.

Each bag’s weight was recorded.

When the last bag of potatoes was loaded onto the truck, the total weight was 52,000 jin.

It was more than they had expected, with the yield per acre exceeding 10,000 jin.

The employees were amazed.

Xu Yang didn’t find it surprising.

"It’s all about science now, many greenhouses can yield up to 13,000 jin of potatoes per acre."

"My yield of 10,000 jin per acre is not a lot," Xu Yang said.

"I planted too little; I have quite a lot of land, only planted five acres."

"Mainly because I was thinking the direct planting revenue wouldn’t be high, so I didn’t plant more."

Selling five acres of potatoes earned him 52,000 yuan..

The cost was just the use of tractors, fertilizer, etc., so the net profit was just over 40,000 yuan, not quite 50,000.

At this time, Ma Wen spoke again:

"Farmer, I know that greenhouse potato cultivation requires a significant investment."

"They use a single-row, single-ridge planting model, high density, with specialized ridging, high-potassium fertilizers, wood ash, etc."

"The costs are not small."

"Only when the yield per acre exceeds ten thousand is there a profit to be made."

"However, some areas have high unit prices; one jin of greenhouse potatoes can go for 1.3 or even 1.4 yuan, and they can make money that way."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yang immediately perked up.

"How much? 1.3 to 1.4 yuan? Such a high unit price?"

"Our standard price here is only 0.7 yuan, and in Xinjiang, it has dropped to 0.45 or 0.5 yuan."

"There’s actually a price of 1.3 yuan elsewhere," Xu Yang exclaimed.

This too is a geographical advantage.

Some places don’t produce potatoes, so they build greenhouses to grow and sell them locally, naturally fetching a higher price.

In remote places like the Northeast and Inner Mongolia, the transport costs for potatoes are high, which when spread over the cost, results in a lower unit price for farmers.

"Still, I’m quite satisfied with this price; next year, I can indeed plant more potatoes."

"Our potatoes are of good quality."

"Tonight, we’ll make potato and green bean stew," said Xu Yang.

"Farmer, let’s not have the green bean stew, can we change it up? I’ve had enough of it recently and it’s given me a bit of a psychological shadow," Wang Wu suggested from the side.

"Okay, let’s make potato and rib stew instead; the ribs mixed with rice are delicious."

"Everyone has worked hard these past few days; I’ll buy more groceries later and add an extra meal at noon," Xu Yang agreed.

The truck loaded with potatoes drove away.

Previously, Zheng Youcai had given a deposit of 40,000 yuan, saying that he would settle the final payment after weighing.

Soon after, Zheng Youcai had his finance department transfer 13,000 yuan into Xu Yang’s bank account.

The potatoes were all sold.

It went smoothly.

Xu Yang initially worried that Zheng Youcai might be a swindler.

Swindlers are too common, with various consignment agents and intermediaries essentially swindling money or potatoes.

He searched the internet for that resort and understood why Zheng Youcai was so keen on potatoes before confirming he could be trusted.

It turned out that the resort had a very popular dish called fried potatoes, also known as crispy potatoes.

The method was to cut the potatoes into pieces, boil them, then coat them with flour and fry them in oil. The fried potato pieces were then mixed with cumin, chili powder, toasted sesame seeds, pepper, chicken essence, and MSG for flavor.

Finally, they would add chopped hot peppers and cilantro.

A delicious crispy potato dish was ready.

The resort became famous for this dish and was very popular with people.

After Xu Yang learned of this news and confirmed Zheng Youcai was trustworthy, he completed the transaction with him.

For Xu Yang, having this channel made planting potatoes much more convenient for the following year.

He was confident in the quality of his potatoes and was certain that the cooperation for the second year would not be an issue.

Xu Yang kept several bags of potatoes at the farm; they could be stored for a long time and still tasted good, so it was definitely a good idea to keep more.

There were enough potatoes to last the farm through the winter.

The potatoes Xu Yang planted were quickly transported to the resort.

Upon arrival, the potatoes were unloaded from the truck and stored in a cold room.

The logistics manager tore open a sack and took out a few potatoes.

"Are there red and purple ones too?"

Seeing the variety of colors among the potatoes in the sack, the manager expressed surprise.

"Can these taste good?"

He had never seen such potatoes before.

However, he was very experienced and carefully examined the potatoes’ appearance.

The shape of the potatoes was quite good, fairly round, and they had fewer eyes, which indeed made them top-quality.

They looked like good potatoes on the outside, but it was unknown how they would taste.

So, the logistics manager had the snack chef take two sacks of potatoes to try them out.

Soon, the oil in the wok was heated up.

A crinkle-cut knife sliced the potatoes into crinkle-cut chunks.

After blanching and boiling until done, they were fried in oil, and seasoning was applied.

The delicious crispy potatoes were successfully cooked.

One after another, the potatoes were fried to a golden crisp on the outside, glistening with oil and coated with chili powder, black pepper, sesame seeds, and garnished with cilantro and chili peppers.

Just looking at them was enough to whet one’s appetite.

"These potatoes are good, very solid, clearly high-quality stuff," praised one of the chefs making crispy potatoes.

Hearing his praise, the logistics manager was also pleased.

He picked up a piece of potato to taste.

When the potato hit his tongue, flavors of chili, black pepper, cilantro, and sesame mixed with the saliva, stimulating his taste buds.

Then he gently chewed, feeling the potato’s crisp outer crust crackling with "crunch, crunch" sounds.

After crunching through the outer crust, he bit into the soft interior of the potato.

The interior was soft and the seasonings penetrated it easily.

The texture was quite pleasing.

"Hm? This potato has a really nice texture!"

"Not to mention the crispy exterior, but the inside is softer and more flavorful than before."

"It feels tastier than before!"

The logistics manager’s face lit up with excitement.

The chef took a bite too.

The flavor and cooking method of the crispy potatoes they made were standardized through training, and they were very familiar with the taste.

But this time, they could feel a difference from the past.

This potato had a better texture and was more enjoyable to eat.

"Indeed, you’re right, the potatoes we got this time are really good."

"The difference is quite noticeable!"

"These potatoes are of high quality!"

The chef also praised sincerely.

Just as Zheng Youcai happened to come over to check on things, he chatted with the logistics manager and the chefs and learned about the high quality of these potatoes.

"I had a friend of mine at the institute look at the analysis report for this batch of potatoes, and these potatoes are better than any on the market."

"That’s why I was in such a hurry to fly over and place an order yesterday."

"I was afraid someone else would snatch them up."

"Now is the era of technology, and the quality of goods can be analyzed. Just looking at the data, you can tell these potatoes are very good."

"With the potato supply problem solved, you guys really need to do a good job with the crispy potatoes," Zheng Youcai instructed them.

"Don’t worry, Manager, we guarantee there will be no problems."

"These potatoes are much better than the last batch we received," the chef quickly promised.

With one issue resolved, Zheng Youcai hardly felt it was significant, as he had many problems to solve every day.

Later, he contacted Xu Yang through WeChat, exchanged some pleasantries about the delightful cooperation, and expressed a desire to continue the partnership next year, even wanting to increase the purchase volume.

Xu Yang responded that they would discuss it next year, indicating there should be no problem with cooperation.

He didn’t agree right away because potato prices vary, and he could always sell his potatoes at a high price.

Inside the farm.

Potato stew with ribs was ready.

Chunks of potatoes simmered in a boiling meat broth inside a big iron pot, while the ribs had turned a deep brown, exuding a continuous tempting fragrance.

At mealtime, drizzling the meat broth over rice, mixing it in, and taking a bite was an incredibly satisfying experience.

The employees gathered together, waiting to start the meal.

Two dogs, enticed by the smell, sat at the kitchen door waiting to be fed.

Having finished one task, everyone was very happy.

They could relax a little for a while.

In a week or two, the strawberries and dragon fruit in half of the greenhouse would also ripen.

There weren’t many planted, but the key was the attempt.

It was a chance to see how the market would respond.

And to plan the next step.