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Getting transported to a magical world had a lot of advantages. Suddenly being able to use magic was one of them. But it also had a lot of problems. A lack of supermarkets was a big one there. And even bigger problem was no refrigeration, and an oddly low amount of preserved foods. Ryan could not deal with the first two, but he could at least work on the third.
He was looking at this world’s version of a grape, called a havel. It looked like the berry he knew, but was yellow. But it did taste good, and would work as a nice proof of concept. He closed his eyes and focused. He felt the water in the small fruit and held his hands out to it. Slowly, the water oozed out of the fruit’s skin, leaving it a shriveled husk, and a small ball of water floating above his hands.
“What in the world is that?”
Ryan was almost startled enough to let his magical hold slip, but he regained control quickly enough to stop anything bad from happening. He turned to look at the speaker. She was a young woman that, on Earth, would be considered one of the most beautiful women alive. Here, she was simply above average in terms of looks (which was something Ryan personally considered one of the best features of this new world).
“Geeze, Kali, don’t do that.” Ryan said.
“Sorry, didn’t see you were using magic.” Kali said sheepishly. “Anyway, what are you doing, and what is that thing?”
“This is a havel that had its water removed.”
She recoiled in shock. “Why would you do that? Why would you even think about doing that?”
“Simple. It’ll last a lot longer like this. And I’m going to be using it for something. See, back on my world, they had something called trail mix. It’s a mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruits of different kinds. It’s easy to store, lasts a long time, and is packed with nutrition, so it gives a lot of energy when you eat it. I’m planning on making some.”
“Your world is so strange.” Kali said. She came further into the room and eyed the dried fruit. “I mean, who would even think to dry up some fruit? Can you even eat it like this?”
“Sure. It’s the same fruit, just smaller. Here, watch.” He shifted the water, putting it into a nearby cup. Then he popped the dried havel into his mouth. It was tangy and sweet, perfect for what he needed it for.
Kali looked like she was worried he would keel over at any moment. She only relaxed when it became clear nothing was happening to him.
“Do you want to try one?” He asked.
“I…maybe.” She said. Ryan took another fruit from the small pile he had set up and dried one out, handing it his companion. She slowly ate it. Her eyes widened. “It…it tastes like a havel, but stronger. How is that possible?”
“All the water is taken away, leaving all the stuff that gives it flavor behind. So you’re getting all the taste and none of the filler.”
“And this will happen with every fruit?”
“Maybe not in the exact same way, but pretty much, yeah. Want to help out now?”
“Sure. What should I do?”
“Get a bunch of fruits, nuts and edible seeds. Start cutting the fruits up into small chunks, then remove the water from them. We’ll either roast or bake the nuts and seeds later. Then once everything’s done, we mix them all together and store them to eat later.”
“And this, what did you call it, trail mix? It’ll last a long time?”
“Weeks, maybe even longer.”
“Amazing. And can you do that with other foods?”
“Most things, sure. Although the method does differ depending on what you’re making. Like, some things are better for pickling than drying.”
“What’s pickling?”
“Have a seat, my friend. The world of preserved foods is vast and deep, and if you want to learn about it, then we have much to talk about.”
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Trail mix isn't terribly interesting by itself, is it? So I made it a fantasy in the hopes of making things more interesting. Not sure if it worked or not...
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