Ch.31The Village’s Food Situation

In this medieval fantasy world where I’ve been reincarnated, there are four main crops that serve as staples for poor farmers:

Cabbage, turnips, beans, and rye.

These all share the common advantage of growing well and being easy to cultivate, but they have subtle flavors and low prices, making them rather unpopular among the landowning class.

Because of this, some lords stubbornly force their serfs and farmers to grow profitable wheat (since taxes and tenant fees are paid in grain) despite soil conditions better suited for those other crops (especially rye). This often results in absurd black comedy scenarios where entire communities starve to death.

“Are you… really sure about this, sir?”

The head of this farming family, who surely knows these facts, seems to be asking if I’m certain about letting them grow these crops, but…

“This is a frontier settlement, so what does it matter? We have enough grain to eat for now, and it’s worth trying something different anyway.”

“I see… Very well then.”

From my perspective, there was no reason to insist on wheat farming in our current situation, so I said this while thinking about the four crops I had recommended they grow.

First, cabbage. Even in modern society, it’s not considered a particularly delicious vegetable, and the same holds true in this world.

Even modern cabbage has been cultivated to be juicier and softer, so the unrefined cabbage of this era is naturally even less palatable.

Bitter, tough, and with a texture that’s more fibrous than crisp. It’s far from the crisp cabbage modern people imagine—it’s chewy with insufficient moisture, almost like chewing on tree leaves, but…

On the other hand, cabbage in this world grows well as long as it’s not the snowy winter, and can be harvested in just 60-80 days.

Moreover, by medieval standards, though it’s bitter and somewhat chewy, it’s perfectly edible in soups. In a pinch, it can even be fed to horses or cattle, which is why it naturally became a vegetable for the poor…

Turnips similarly hold a position as both a staple and side dish for poor farmers in this western continent.

They grow well in infertile soil without fertilizer, thrive in colder climates, and can be cultivated without irrigation channels.

With a relatively short growing period of 2-3 months and high yield, turnip soup and rye bread have become staples for ordinary farmers of this era.

Turnips in particular have less moisture than radishes but taste sweeter. Being relatives of cabbage, turnip leaves taste similar to cabbage.

Additionally, everything from the stem to the sprouts is edible, and none of it tastes particularly bad.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it tastes good—turnips are merely palatable enough to eat.

That’s why they’re typically treated as tasteless, cheap food eaten by the poor and farmers suffering from hunger, or as emergency crops planted during food shortages caused by natural disasters or abnormal weather.

Beans, recognized as a cheap protein source for farmers and the poor, are also quite commonly planted as both a vegetable and grain crop.

They’re typically planted between late spring and summer and harvested in early autumn (around September by Earth standards), with a growing period of about 100 days.

As the expression “as rare as beans in a drought” from my previous life suggests, they’re extremely vulnerable to drought and require constant watering. However, perhaps because they haven’t been fully bred yet, they’re quite adaptable and yield decent harvests if properly watered.

I’m not sure if the beans here are the same as Earth’s beans, but the beans I know have some kind of black bacteria living symbiotically in their roots that help restore soil fertility, so…

“Ah, if possible, could you plant beans in the area where we’ll grow wheat next year?”

“…Yes, understood.”

After giving these instructions to the head of the farming family, I wanted to discuss rye, which would likely become our immediate staple.

This grain, most famous for rye bread in my previous homeland, is a representative commoner’s staple. I don’t know about Earth’s rye, but in this world, rye originated from a crossbreed between wheat and weeds growing near wheat fields… as the librarian taught me.

Rather than being deliberately cultivated, it emerged naturally, making it resistant to pests and diseases. It grows better in slightly cooler temperatures and can even withstand winter, being less affected by temperature.

That doesn’t mean it can’t withstand summer heat or hot climates. Like similar plants, it’s quite drought-resistant and grows well without problems.

It even thrives in salty soil, allowing it to be grown in almost any environment, which is why it’s used as a staple by commoners and farmers.

Of course, as if paying the price for such remarkable vitality, its yield isn’t particularly impressive, but…

“How long would it take to start rye farming as quickly as possible?”

“Five days… and that’s an optimistic estimate. I think it would take at least one to two weeks.”

“That’s good. We have enough food for now, so expand the farmland as your family is able.”

“…Understood.”

“The scale can be small. What’s important is… the symbol of grain production in the village.”

Since grain production could be seen as a symbol of successful settlement, potentially easing the anxiety in villagers’ hearts…

I gently asked the head of the farming family to expand the farmland, and was about to rise from my seat to finally end the meeting when…

‘…Wait a moment.’

I paused as a good idea suddenly came to mind, and instead of concluding the meeting, I voiced this idea.

“Hunter Felix Jäger, I have a question for you.”

“…What is it?”

“I was wondering, would your work be easier if you had hunting dogs?”

In this era, hunting dogs—and even guard dogs—unlike modern pets, are truly practical animals that prevent theft and alert to intruders.

Of course, while dogs are considered emergency meat in both Eastern and Western cultures, properly trained hunting dogs are valued as military assets, making them far too valuable to simply slaughter for meat.

With senses far superior to humans, they can track down enemies and pursue prey in forests and rough terrain.

In a world where horse bloodlines are mixed with magical beasts to create war horses, dogs—which are even easier to breed selectively—wouldn’t be overlooked.

Naturally, these hunting dogs have been bred over time to become magical beasts rivaling wolves, but even without reaching that level, the importance of hunting dogs to hunters is undeniable.

“Of course, Lord Alzar. But I wonder what your intention is in asking…”

Seeing his expectant look, perhaps hoping I would ask my father to bring hunting dogs, I had to deliver a somewhat harsh reality.

“Unfortunately, I cannot ask my father to send hunting dogs. Rather, I’m suggesting we tame the feral dogs that are abundant in this area.”

“Feral dogs… is that possible?”

Feral dogs, presumed to be domesticated dogs gone wild, are commonly found in the western continent’s plains.

They’re smaller than wolves but still medium to large in size, and most importantly, their dormant wildness has been reawakened.

Despite their smaller size, they hunt in packs and can take down larger prey, even humans…

They’re essentially smaller wolves with mixed bloodlines rather than dogs, so an experienced hunter like him would naturally consider it impossible to tame such creatures.

However, there’s one thing even he hasn’t anticipated.

‘Animal Affinity’—the ability I acquired after defeating those goblin riders, the main reason I can demonstrate overwhelming force in perfect harmony with Gus… perhaps this could make training possible.

“Felix, there actually exists a method for training them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You might not understand since this is coming from a novice, but could you capture a few alive for me? If that’s not possible, just slaughtering them would be fine too.”

“In that case… I will follow your orders, Lord Alzar.”

When I spoke confidently and firmly, Hunter Felix Jäger seemed to sense something in my attitude and expressed his agreement…

“This concludes our meeting. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Having settled most of the decisions that needed to be made, I declared the meeting over and rose from my seat in the middle of the field.