Earning money is an important part of game progression for Stardew Valley. Players need to turn a profit in order to afford new buildings for their farms, or to purchase livestock. However, earning a profit when running a virtual farm usually requires investments which can require not just saving money, but also different crafting materials. However, there is an item in Stardew Valley that players can farm that costs them almost nothing, and turns a solid profit.
While setting up a pig farm in Stardew Valley to get truffles, or building a large number of Crystalariums to farm diamonds, seems like a good way to earn a lot of money, both of these methods can be lengthy and expensive. Players will need a deluxe barn to own pigs, which cost 16,000g each from Marnie's Ranch. Crystalariums require gold bards, iridium bars, and batteries to be crafted, making them expensive in material costs.
However, there is a way for players to get around the steep costs of certain farming methods. According to research by fans on Reddit, Stardew Valley's Ancient Seed is the key to earning a large sum of money for very little startup cost. Players will only need a handful of kegs to start making money. Having the greenhouse unlocked, as well as the third house upgrade, can increase profits and make the process easier, but it isn't required. Once the player has given the Ancient Seed artifact (which they can find by digging, fishing, or in an Artifact Trove) to Gunther at the museum, they will get a pack of Ancient Fruit Seeds to plant. It is important that players plant the seeds in spring to get the most out of their first plant if they do not already have the greenhouse.
Stardew Valley's Ancient Seed Is The Most Profitable Item
Once Stardew Valley players start getting fruit from their Ancient Fruit plant, they will want to use the Seed Maker to create a good number of seeds to plant in the greenhouse or outside, so that players can get fruit from spring through to fall. After a reserve of seeds are built up, players can start putting the Ancient Fruit into kegs to make Ancient Fruit Wine. Ancient Fruit have a base worth between 550g-1100g. When turned into wine, the price jumps to between 1650g-2475g. If the player has access to the casks in the basement of their house that come free with the third upgrade, they can make iridium quality Ancient Fruit wine, which nets 3,300g per bottle.
Because the player doesn't need the greenhouse or the home upgrade to start making the wine, the only up-front cost to start making money from Ancient Fruit wine is the materials for kegs, and a seed maker if they want more than one plant. Creating an Ancient Fruit wine business in Stardew Valley is an excellent way to make a good profit for minimal cost. For Stardew Valley fans who want a good source of income for minimal effort and starting price, keeping a few Ancient Fruit plants and a couple of kegs on hand could be a good investment to consider.
Source: Reddit