Description
The expanded orchard features improved infrastructure throughout. Permanent harvesting platforms built around several of the tallest trees allow workers to reach high branches safely without relying entirely on hooked poles. These platforms are constructed from lashed driftwood timbers and woven pandanus, designed to sway with the trees during strong winds rather than fight against them. Rope ladders and carved footholds enable quick climbing, and woven baskets on pulleys allow harvested fruit to be lowered gently to ground level. The platforms also serve as observation posts where keepers can survey the entire orchard and spot problems early.
A substantial processing facility now handles the orchard's increased production. This structure features multiple work areas for different breadfruit preparations. One section handles fresh fruit destined for immediate consumption, where workers sort by size and ripeness before transport to settlement kitchens. Another area specializes in breadfruit preservation, with large drying racks where thin-sliced fruit is sun-cured into shelf-stable chips and slabs. A fermentation corner processes cooked breadfruit into preserved paste, working in coordination with the settlement's Fermentation Hut. A grinding station equipped with stone mills transforms dried breadfruit into fine flour that can be mixed with water to create dough for flatbreads and other preparations.
The orchard includes a nursery where new trees are propagated from root cuttings and air layering, ensuring a continuous supply of replacement trees and allowing expansion as the settlement grows. Young trees are carefully tended until large enough to transplant into the main orchard or to be gifted to other settlements as diplomatic gestures. The nursery also serves as an experimental station where keepers attempt to cultivate breadfruit varieties from distant regions, working to adapt them to the coastal environment and discover new flavors and characteristics. Several promising hybrids have emerged from these experiments, though they require years of testing before being planted in the main production areas.
Supporting the expanded orchard is a dedicated composting system where leaf litter, damaged fruits, and kitchen scraps are transformed into rich organic fertilizer that is spread around tree bases annually. This fertility management has noticeably increased fruit size and production even beyond what Goodberry's magic provides. A rainwater collection system with large cisterns ensures trees receive adequate water during dry spells without taxing the settlement's main water supply. The orchard has become a pleasant park-like environment where residents enjoy walking in the shade, children play among the massive trees, and the constant presence of ripe fruit provides a sense of abundance and security.
Benefits
The Expanded Breadfruit Orchard generates an additional 3 Prestige. The orchard produces twice as much breadfruit monthly across multiple varieties, generating an additional 150 gold per month from sales. The orchard produces 600 pounds of breadfruit flour monthly, which stores indefinitely and provides versatile baking ingredients, selling for another 100 gold monthly.