Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 268: Chapter 189: Joy of the Harvest, Rematch with the Mangrove Forest

At Lin Chen’s command, the three of them spread out into the chili pepper patch. Every time they raised their hands, a large handful of red and green peppers was tossed into their bamboo baskets.

The peppers came in all different shapes. Some were hooked, some were spiral-shaped, and others were relatively straight.

Each chili plant was laden with heavy fruit. They harvested as much as ten kilograms of peppers from the most productive single plants, while even the lesser ones yielded five or six kilograms.

’Such a high yield... This probably isn’t a wild variety. Maybe someone left it here.’

His knowledge of chili peppers told him that a year-old plant typically produced around one to two kilograms of fruit. While yields were higher in tropical regions with more sunlight, even a wild variety wouldn’t produce this much from a single plant.

Only varieties selectively bred with modern agricultural technology could achieve such a massive yield.

’If someone left these chili seeds behind, whether on purpose or by accident, it means there must be residual traces of human activity nearby.’

’But it’s been several years. The odds of finding any traces are slim.’

He kept this to himself, continuing to pick peppers without a change in expression.

’Chili peppers keep pretty well. As long as they don’t get wet, they’ll definitely last for a week or two.’

’They could also be dried for storage—made into whole dried chilies, crushed chili flakes, or chili powder, each with a different flavor.’

’I don’t want to make another trip out here anytime soon, so I’d better pick as many as I can and take them back now.’

The chili patch was spread out irregularly, and as they worked, the three of them drifted farther and farther apart.

Grinning, Erica picked a few plump red peppers. She held them up to her nose and sniffed. Aside from the fresh scent of the peppers, she couldn’t smell any heat.

’I wonder what new dish Lin will make with these peppers and some seafood. I can’t wait...’

Lost in her daydream, she moved to the next chili plant and instinctively bent down to pick more peppers from its branches.

Just then, a large patch of green leaves growing near the roots of the plant caught her eye.

At first, she thought they were just more chili leaves, but she quickly noticed their shape was distinctly different, and they weren’t nearly as tall.

A closer look revealed that they were basil leaves!

"Lin! Why are there basil leaves growing under the chili plant? Doesn’t it get spicy for them?"

Her expertise was as a wilderness guide, identifying common plants and animals, but chili peppers weren’t something that grew in the cold climate of North America. When it came to this plant, she was completely in the dark. Totally clueless, she plucked a handful of the leaves and waved them as she shouted over to Lin Chen.

"Basil leaves?"

Lin Chen paused for a moment, quickly searching his memory for relevant information before shouting back, "Chili peppers can be intercropped with many types of plants to make full use of land resources and increase yield, including legumes, leafy greens, and herbs. Basil is an herb."

"When you intercrop basil and chili peppers, the basil’s unique aroma repels pests, reducing infestations by over 60%. It can also increase the capsaicin content in the chili peppers by 15 to 20 percent. They’re one of the best companion plants."

"Oh, so that’s why..."

Erica nodded, the realization dawning on her. Not far away, a thoughtful Andre also bent down again to scan the area around the roots of the chili plants.

Sure enough, he soon spotted basil leaves, along with some plants that looked a bit like bean pods.

"Lin, I found some strange bean-like plants over here! Come see if we can eat them."

"Don’t bother. We can’t eat them," Lin Chen replied without looking up.

"Edible beans are varieties humans have cultivated for thousands of years. To ensure their survival, wild beans evolve toxins to stop animals, insects, and birds from eating them to extinction."

What he didn’t say was that even if these were domesticated beans left by humans, they’ve had so much time to grow and evolve that they’ve likely reverted to an inedible or at least foul-tasting variety. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived this long.

But if he mentioned that, Andre and Erica were smart enough to quickly realize it might point to traces of human activity.

This was a no-item competition, but because of Panama’s unique geography, its wild forests were very likely to contain human traces.

Finding some scrap metal or something similar would be a game-changer for their survival—a critical blind box, in a way.

And if he could help it, he had no intention of letting anyone else get a piece of the pie.

"Why don’t you two look for some root vegetables nearby? We should split up to maximize our efforts."

"OK."

"No problem."

Andre and Erica didn’t think much of it. They’d been picking peppers for over ten minutes and their backs were starting to ache, so they were happy for the chance to stand up and stretch.

Watching the two of them head off in different directions, Lin Chen blinked, then immediately straightened up and walked toward the center of the chili patch.

’When the fruit from the very first chili plant fell, it would have most likely dropped in a circle around the base. That means the center of the patch is probably where that first plant grew.’

’But since the patch is an irregular shape, I’ll have to look closer to identify the exact starting point.’

’One thing is certain, though: the first chili plant had to be the oldest and the hardiest.’

’Even if the original plant was long dead, the second and third generations would have followed the same pattern, allowing me to trace my way back.’

Soon, in an area slightly to the right of the patch’s center—near where Erica had just been picking—he found a large, particularly lush cluster of chili plants.