Chapter 26: Cherry wine (1)
TL: Hanguk
After graduation, other students might be able to sleep in and take it easy, but not me. For farmers, lazing around after the sun is up is simply not something that can happen.
Even so, today I took it a little easy, because there was somewhere I needed to go, and I could leave at a relaxed pace from late morning.
“Man... my eyes feel green.”
All I could see were vast rice paddies and orchards spread out wide... I had entered that famous Sacramento Valley.
The Sacramento area where Jacob’s farm was located is one of America’s representative large-scale agricultural regions. It is so enormous that it’s larger than North Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province combined.
The region’s signature crop is rice, and they mainly harvest California-grown short-grain rice (mostly Calrose). When cooked, it has a chewy, sticky texture, so it suits Korean tastes quite well and is used mostly by Korean immigrant communities and Korean restaurants. Our family was the same; if we hadn’t had that rice, we might have ended up importing rice from Korea.
But just because Sacramento, a representative breadbasket region, produces short-grain rice, you shouldn’t think America’s main rice variety is short-grain. About 75% is the fluffy long-grain (indica) variety, and short-grain accounts for only about 25%.
After moving for about two hours, I finally arrived at the destination, and the moment I stopped the car, the distinctive scent of wet rice straw stung the tip of my nose.
And I could see Jacob, with his huge build, running toward me with his arms wide open as if he were meeting a family separated by war.
“Brian!”
“You’ll make me go deaf.”
"This is my home, Riverbend Rice Farm."
“Nice. Your family was rich too, huh?”
"Haha, I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it's a place I'm proud of."
He spread both arms toward the endless rice paddies, looking proud, and I felt he had every reason to be. No one could help but feel proud if those paddies were theirs.
“So what’s the problem?”
“Ah, that’s...”
Just as Jacob, with an awkward expression, was about to say something, a woman with blond hair tied low came out of the house at the entrance and walked over.
“Mom! This is Brian!”
The woman, who looked very different from Jacob, hurried over and spoke.
“So you’re Brian. Call me Aunt Maggie. My kid praised you so much, I really wanted to see you.”
"Jacob praised me?"
“He did. He said you’re a genius at farming, and that you gave him lots of hints here and there, so it helped us a lot.”
“Haha... yes... I only told him methods that everyone uses.”
In truth, I had never told Jacob any pre-regression knowledge like the biochar compound fertilizer I used on our farm or the air-nitrogen packs. I had only told him knowledge that was well known enough to be in a textbook.
“Still, it helped a great deal. We didn't know any of it.”
"I see..."
I could understand it well enough. In both Korea and the US, older people are generally stubborn, and because they prioritize their own experience, they don’t readily accept scientific theory or new technology.
“Anyway, thank you for coming all the way here to help today. And Jacob said it’s all thanks to you that he’s going to UC Davis with you.”
“No, it’s because Jacob worked hard. And he also worked hard helping out at Chloe’s farm.”
Jacob, who earned significant credit through various volunteer activities, was accepted to UC Davis along with me, Armando, and Chloe. Setting aside others, I think Jacob's acceptance was helped not only by his volunteer work but also by the background of running such a large farm.
“Do you want to eat first? I didn’t know what Asians would like, so I prepared mostly meat for now.”
"No, it's okay. Let me take a look at the situation first."
“Is that so? Then... since Alberto is over there, it’ll be better if you go with him.”
Far away, I could see a person standing on the ridge between the paddies, looking like a dot.
“Is he the farm manager?”
“That’s right.”
“What about Jacob’s father?”
For a moment, her pupils trembled, and flustered, she looked at Jacob. Then Jacob said as if it were nothing.
“Dad isn’t feeling well.”
"Ah... I see? Sorry... Got it. Do you have any rubber boots? Get me a pair."
"Yeah, just a moment."
When I let it pass as if it were nothing, Jacob smiled again, got rubber boots for me, and then followed along behind me. When Aunt Maggie went back into the house, Jacob rubbed the bridge of his nose and spoke.
"Dad's health started declining last year. So now I have to take over the farm."
“So that’s why you matured?”
“... Yeah. I used to live like an idiot. And the reason I said nasty things to you back then was because those stupid habits from how I lived back then still hadn’t changed.”
Jacob nodded easily, looking like he was genuinely reflecting on his past.
“If you reflect and change, then that’s enough. As long as you didn’t do something truly terrible...”
Just then, the farm manager named Alberto, who had seen us coming, approached.
“Jacob, you’re here. Is this kid Brian?”
“Yes, that’s right. Nice to meet you.”
I shook hands with the farm manager named Alberto and observed him closely. His tanned, weathered skin, wrinkled face, and the somehow rough aura about him gave the impression of someone who had been farming for a long time.
“I really hope your friend can help.”
“He’ll definitely find the answer.”
Alberto looked unconvinced, and Jacob was full of confidence. It was pretty embarrassing for them to act like that with me right in front of them.
“Where is it?”
“Right here.”
He pointed to the paddy right in front of us.
“Hm...”
Looking closely at the paddy along his chin gesture, the green reflected on the water’s surface wasn’t even. One row still had its healthy sheen, while the next row over had a faint brown seeping in from the leaf tips. The farther out it went, the more the leaves twisted, and the new shoots curled up like overturned fingernails.
“Did you spray chemicals recently, by any chance?”
Alberto flinched, then answered in a slightly softened voice.
“A week ago?”
“Why?”
“Because the weeds spread... so, um, I sprayed what the store recommended. Ever since then, it’s been like that.”
Nodding, I asked right away.
“Do you have any records? Like the date, the product name, the dilution ratio, things like that.”
“Nothing like that.”
“Then you have some left over from what you used back then, right?”
“That... yeah, I do.”
“Let me see it.”
“Fine. Wait here.”
He ran toward the storage area, and I went into the paddy with my rubber boots on. Then I placed a leaf on my palm, turned my back to the sunlight, and changed the angle as I looked at it. The leaf tips had traces of being dried brown, the middle of the leaf had faded yellow, and the newly grown leaves weren’t unfolding normally and were twisted. On top of that, the veins that should have run straight were visibly bent in a zigzag.
"It's because of the chemicals."
Jacob, who had already been expecting it to some extent from the moment I told him to bring the previously used chemical, asked anxiously.
“Th... then is it ruined?”
"Ruined? Who said anything about ruined."
I flicked the leaf off my hand with a few taps and gave a bitter smile.
"Rather than ruined... you're being scolded? Something like that?"
“I’m getting scolded by the rice plants? Why? Should I have gone fully organic like Chloe’s?”
“Chloe’s farm wasn’t completely organic. It was only when we were dealing with aphids that we did it organically... and it’s not like organic is the only good option. When you need to use chemicals, you have to use them. The problem is you have to use them properly, and when you don’t, you get scolded like this.”
“Ah...”
Just then, far in the distance, I could see Mr. Alberto running over carrying several containers.
“Don’t run! Let’s go. I’ve seen the condition, so there’s no need to stay here any longer.”
"Huh? Okay."
I walked toward Mr. Alberto, and soon I was able to meet him.
“This is all that’s left.”
Seeing the chemical containers he held out, I nodded.
“It’s 2,4-D (2,4-D: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), huh? For weed control, it seems like you bought the right thing, but for now, let’s go inside and take a look.”
Maybe my identifying its use with just a quick glance gave him confidence, because Alberto followed behind me without any complaints.
After going into the storage shed and looking over the containers he had brought, I opened the diluted pesticide container rather than the 2,4-D concentrate, stuck in a wooden stick, and stirred it around. Then, tilting my head, I asked.
“What’s the dilution ratio for this?”
“That? Uh... roughly 12 to 13 gallons per 1 pint?”
“Mmm... so that’s why.”
When I straightened up, Jacob asked.
“Was the dilution ratio wrong?”
“Yeah. You mixed it way too strong. You should’ve added 20 to 30% more water... and it was pretty hot on the day you sprayed, right?”
“H-how did you know that?”
To Alberto, who looked greatly shocked, I said while looking at the weather outside.
“If you spray it during high temperatures, the stomata(the tiny pores on plant leaves and young stems) open up and the plant absorbs too much of the chemical. With 2,4-D mixed too strong and the weather being hot too, the plants got hit hard.”
“Then what do we do? Is there a way?”
“Of course there is. I told you, it’s not ruined.”
“Really? Haah... that’s a relief.”
Jacob, who had been extremely worried, finally got his smile back. At that, Alberto hurriedly asked.
“Then what do we do now?”
“First, drain all the water. Filling it with clean water comes first.”
“O-okay. Got it.”
Mr. Alberto rushed out of the storage shed. Since this happened because he applied the chemical too heavily, he seemed even more frantic. I immediately said to Jacob.
“Write it down.”
“Ah, wait a second!”
As Jacob pulled out a notebook and pen, I said,
“When new clean water comes in, adjust the pH to 6 to 6.5. The acidity of the paddy water is directly tied to the rice plant’s ability to absorb nutrients.”
“Got it.”
“In this case, you used the chemical at a high concentration in high heat, so the rice plants overabsorbed it and that caused the problem. So during the recovery period, it’s important to bring it to neutral. So if it’s too acidic, use lime or a silicate fertilizer, and if it’s too alkaline, you have to use sulfur or organic matter.”
“Okay.”
“After you’ve adjusted the acidity, use a silicate fertilizer to strengthen the rice plants’ cell walls and help the damaged parts recover quickly. But if the pH is 7 or higher, reduce the silicate fertilizer and give a foliar nutrient spray instead. Then it’ll recover again.”
“Is that it?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
After organizing everything in his notebook, Jacob suddenly hugged me tightly.
“Uh, uh?”
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
“...... I get it, so can you let go?”
“Haha... I really mean it, thanks.”
“I said I get it.”
At that moment, I suddenly got a call from Chloe. When I answered, Chloe’s clear voice came through so loudly it felt like it would burst my eardrums.
“Kyaaaah!”
“What is it! What happened?”
“I won! I won! I got the rightful claim to the cherry farm!”
As if she couldn’t contain her joy, she screamed like a maniac. I had never heard Chloe sound this happy until now.
“...... Congratulations.”
“I’m so happy. I didn’t know it would make me this happy that I can keep raising those kids...”
Chloe even started to sniffle.
“Calm down, calm down...”
Maybe she heard the annoyance in my voice, because Chloe’s expression hardened.
“Hmph! So I’m the only one who’s happy?”
“It’s not like I’m the one getting the farm. Anyway, congratulations.”
“Fine. Dad invited you. He admitted your farming methods helped a lot, and he wants to show his gratitude.”
“... Do I really have to?”
“You have to come get the cherries, don’t you!”
“Ah, okay.”
And so I was invited to Chloe’s cherry farm once again. And now it was time to use the tank again, the one that had become an empty container after selling all the vinegar.
*****
Note:
Image of rice damaged by pesticides.
