The fellow said that a pound of sesame seeds squeezed 5 taels of oil, no one dared to partner with him, and explored the story behind the sesame oil!
Preface. Sesame seeds, a crop commonly used for oil extraction or to make delicacies, have a special meaning for us mountain people. Among our group of more than 20 villagers, several families grow sesame seeds, and the yield is relatively high. One family harvested more than 200 catties of sesame seeds, another family harvested more than 100 catties of sesame seeds, and several households produced between a dozen catties and dozens of catties. Although this crop is not very useful in the countryside, we usually choose to sell it to oil mills in the city. Recently, with the drying of sesame seeds, peanuts and tea seeds, the city's oil mills have begun to concentrate on oil extraction. So, the villagers who grow sesame seeds began to prepare to squeeze sesame oil. However, we have all heard that last year, an old town managed to squeeze six catties of sesame oil by pressing sesame oil. What's the story behind these staggering figures?
Traditional uses of sesame oil extraction.
Sesame seeds have a relatively limited use in rural areas, mainly for oil extraction or to make delicacies with mochi. However, for mountain people like us, the importance of sesame seeds cannot be underestimated. Oil extraction is the main utilization of sesame seeds. Therefore, during the oil extraction season, we send the sun-dried sesame seeds to the oil mill in the town. Some families have low sesame production and do not meet the minimum requirements of the oil mill, so they have to work with other families to extract oil according to the number of sesame seeds. In the process of extracting oil together, we heard that there was an old villager who could squeeze six taels of sesame oil from one pound of sesame seeds last year, which was so amazing that no one else dared to squeeze sesame oil with him.
The mystery of olive oil production.
Why was this veteran able to squeeze such a high amount of oil?Some people speculate that it may be last year's drought, and the sesame seeds are particularly full and the water content is very low, so the oil yield has increased. There is also the possibility that the old man remembered the cat incorrectly, or that the oil mill was undercharging for sesame seeds, which is common in rural areas. For example, a pound of sesame seeds charges 1 yuan, some people plant 20 catties, and some people plant 23 catties, but the boss basically only charges 20 catties and does not charge 23 catties. After all, the old man is in his seventies, and it is understandable that he sometimes remembers wrong. As a result, our doubts about the oil yield of sesame oil are even greater.
The choice and reason for oil extraction in the county.
Although the villagers are skeptical of the villagers' claims of high-yield oil, this year the producers in our village chose to go to the county seat to extract oil. This is because the oil mills in the county charge less, and if the sesame production is high, it is cheaper to go to the county seat to extract oil than to go to the city, even taking into account the round-trip travel expenses. However, all producers expressed the same opinion, a pound of sesame seeds can only squeeze out about 5 taels of oil at most, which is not as good as the 6 taels of sesame oil that the old people often say. This deepened everyone's suspicion of the high oil yield mentioned by the old man.
First of all, the extraction rate of sesame oil is determined by several factors, including the sesame variety, growing environment, harvest time, etc. Therefore, different sesame seeds will have different oil extraction rates.
Secondly, we have no way of knowing whether the veteran's high oil yield is conclusive. Maybe it was the drought last year, and the sesame seeds he planted were particularly good, maybe he remembered the wrong catties, or maybe there was a problem with the fees of the oil mill. In short, how to solve this mystery, perhaps only the parties concerned can give the answer.
Finally, we hope that everyone will maintain an objective and rational attitude towards the facts, and not be easily swayed by certain remarks. In practice, we should choose the most suitable oil extraction method for ourselves based on the specific situation and personal experience. After all, with every attempt, there are new discoveries and gains.
In short, the cultivation of sesame seeds and the extraction of sesame oil are one of the unique economic activities of our mountain villages. Although there are all kinds of confusion and doubts in the process, it is a true portrayal of our lives. Through sharing and exchange, we can better understand and develop our rural economy, and inherit and carry forward our local culture. Therefore, no matter how much oil can be squeezed out of a pound of sesame seeds, we must maintain our love and spirit of exploration for this traditional craft, and inject new vitality and impetus into rural development.