Little little mouse

Stardew Valley:

Farmer definitely wasn’t joking when he said he “couldn’t even walk past all those kegs,” because holy crap… Shane really had to watch his step to avoid tripping over all those wooden kegs that were everywhere. Beer, mead, ale — all of this will always bring in income if done right. Shane definitely spent half his monthly salary at the Saloon on beer. The chicken man doesn’t mind Farmer’s gifts, hehe; although he’s already being careful with the booze and trying not to drink so often. But yeah, he thinks it’s cool that Farmer has found his niche and is making millions.

Ah, that scent of cinnamon and cloves from the oak keg, those notes of fresh citrus and expensive spices from faraway lands wafting through the air…. After hearing about Farmer’s “kegs empire,” Elliott imagined a leisurely stroll through the cellar, tasting fine wines and lost in reverie. But in reality, Farmer has to run around with a bunch of starfruits to quickly stuff it into all the kegs before the end of the day. Although the writer is right: at certain moments, Farmer can allow himself to enjoy the fruits of his labor. And why shouldn’t he and Elliott open a bottle of iridium-quality wine right now?

Well, Harvey now understood where Farmer got his seemingly endless supply of hot coffee for him almost every day. The doctor had clearly lost count somewhere around two hundred while trying to count all of Farmer’s kegs, which were constantly processing all those coffee beans. Still, the caring doctor in Harvey comes out on top, so he gently warns his friend not to overdo it on caffeine if Farmer plans to consume his own product. Harvey himself shouldn’t drink coffee every day (and there’s already no room left in the cupboards for all the mugs he’s been give.)

It sounds like a lot of work and a very time-consuming task, in Sebastian’s honest opinion. Of course, he already knew that being a farmer is by no means easy, but with that many barrels, Sebby wonders how Farmer still has time to go into town, chat with him and others, or do anything else besides filling wine or coffee kegs. On the other hand, it’s incredibly profitable. Anyone who doesn’t want alcohol (which Sebastian can’t stand either) will buy coffee from Farmer (Sebastian will definitely order two or three cups from his friend.)

293,… 294,… Ugh, Sam lost count…. And the musician hadn’t even reached a tenth of Farmer’s kegs yet. There are so many of them that it’s actually pretty hard for Sammy to walk through without bumping into the wooden kegs. So what exactly is Sam’s friend brewing? That bitter beer or wine, which older folks seem to love for some reason? Coffee and tea, which Sebastian raved about so much? Or something else? Uhh… vinegar??? Is vinegar, like, more expensive than wine these days? Alright, Farmer knows best...

Alex was one of the first to see Farmer’s impressive numbers of wine kegs with his own eyes, because Farmer paid Alex very well to help him move some of the kegs into the shads. Each one weighs 50 kg, and those are the empty ones — the full ones are a whole other story. Those were definitely some tough physical exercises... Impressive, the athlete admits, and his friend will soon be sitting on a pile of gold, right? Hey, did Farmer ever think about trying to make protein shakes in those kegs? Why is Alex asking? Eh, just curious.

Penny has rather mixed feelings about this. Of course, she’s genuinely happy that her friend’s farm is thriving and producing goods that Farmer shares with the other residents, but the topic of alcohol, specifically… is a sore spot for her. At the very least, such a generous gift from him ends up in the hands of her mother, who has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and then anger, and then… well. Maybe Penny will gently suggest something else? No judgment, it's just— Oh, kegs mainly for a coffee? Yeah, that's a good choice too!

Had Leah heard that Farmer had gotten serious about winemaking? Oh yes, she’d definitely heard, and just the mention of it made her hands start to ache a little. It just so happened that Farmer wanted to paint his kegs with woodwork designs, so he asked his neighbor to do it for a fee. Leah happily agreed, but there were a lot of keg. A whole lot. Her whole body ached from a couple days of hard work, but an artist was pleased with the result, plus the generous payment for the job, and Farmer treated his friend to wine, cheese, and other goods from his farm.

He-he! Haley had always wanted to go on a tour of a winery, and the young woman didn’t even have to go far, just looking at Farmer’s kegs “empire.” Although she has to admit, looking at all those endless kegs wasn’t all that intriguing, especially the ones where beer and ale were fermenting (“Eww, bitter…”), but it was still interesting experience, and the wine tasting with a cheese platter was a wonderful finale. Haley took over 100 photos of just the kegs alone, so she could later post them on social media and show her followers where she’d been.

Emily understands that Farmer's work is a passion for him, a very good source of income, and the products from his kegs can definitely be considered the best and always in demand (Gas ordered cases of wine from Farmer just a week ago), it’s just… the blue-haired young woman’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of all the felled trees, homes for various birds, squirrels, and other local wildlife. Even the trees that Farmer had personally planted to avoid harming the local environment were already home to local wildlife, and all had been cleared to make the kegs. Although the local forest is rich in other good nesting spots, so maybe things aren't as bad as Emily first thought.

The story about the thousand kegs that Farmer uses to brew wine and coffee certainly piqued Maru’s curiosity. These kegs are generally intended for fermenting alcoholic beverages, but her father said that barrels of this specific design are versatile and can also be used to make non-alcoholic beverages or other products useful for the household and cooking, such as vinegar. Although the inventor doesn’t know who would need so many bottles of vinegar, Farmer knows best how to run his business. He worked hard for a long time and has earned the fruits of his labor.

Kegs in the barns, kegs in the barns and coops, kegs in the house… Abigail also saw kegs crafted by Farmer outside his farm, which left her baffled — wondering where those heavy barrels of mead had come from in the middle of the quarry. And her friend really meant that they would focus on the kegs and devote all their time to this line of work. And it’s actually a profitable business. Even her father is talking about Farmer’s products and thinking about starting to make some kegs himself. Abigail isn’t all that super excited about it, but she’ll be happy for Farmer.

Stardew Valley Expanded:

Magnus knew about Farmer’s impressive “kegs empire” even without Farmer mentioning it to him. First of all, his friend was, after all, a farmer who reeked of fermented fruit and fine wood from a mile away, so the old wizard had a pretty good idea of what they were up to. Second, Magnus and Farmer had previously had a minor, um, conflict regarding the felling of a bunch of trees in Cindersap Forest. Of course, it’s great that Farmer is happy with his work, but Rasmodius simply asks them under no circumstances to cut down the old sacred trees to expand his “empire.”

Ah, that fine aged wine, which Lance considered even better than Blue Moon… Farmer has perfected his talent and skills to the absolute, crafting so many kegs and making wine. Naturally, the gallant adventurer has heard about it — many in the Castle Village community talk about it, to tell the truth. Because where else can you find wine made from the Ancient Fruit, or mead made from honey collected by bees from a magical flower? Although in Castle Village all of Farmer’s goods come through middlemen and are sold at a fabulous price, Lance has the opportunity to purchase his friend’s goods directly.

When Victor went to Farmer’s place to pick up his mother’s wine order and take a look at his friend’s kegs, he expected Farmer to show him his small cellar, where all the bottles of wine, mead, and ale were stored, and that he’d be back in about 30 minutes. But the spaghetti lover ended up spending half a day just walking through all those sheds filled with hundreds of kegs, each containing a different kind of alcohol. Victor hadn’t expected Farmer to have made so many barrels in such a short time. But he’s genuinely happy for his friend’s success, and the wine is wonderful!

These kegs really are versatile and handy, aren’t they? Sophia knows this all too well; just look at her winemaking and her special Blue Moon wine — it brings in a huge profit. That said, she can only make wine by following the instructions in her late parents’ journals, so she’s genuinely amazed that Farmer can ferment other types of alcohol in those kegs, tea and coffee, and even vinegar (eww...) By the way, his coffee is delicious! Sophia always gratefully accepts a cup of the hot beverage whenever Farmer stops by to visit her.

So, did Farmer actually take Olivia’s advice to devote himself to winemaking? Or did he have this plan all along? In any case, that’s not really important; what matters is that her friend has found his calling and is stocking the shelves of stores and restaurants with his wonderful wine, which comes in all sorts of flavors and bouquets. The former Joja accountant isn’t far behind either, being the first to purchase bottles of iridium-quality wine for her personal collection, with the goal of tasting everything her talented and hardworking friend has created.

Scarlett has already learned some of the ins and outs of winemaking from her best friend Sophia, and she fully understands that creating a single wine keg requires a considerable amount of good wood, resin, and other materials, as well as skill and patience. So the fact that all six of Farmer’s barns were packed with hundreds of such kegs made her eyes widen in surprise. Now that’s craftsmanship! Scarlett also hoped her friend hadn’t had to cut down half the forest here to make all those kegs…