The plot that Zoe tended was about 15 by 15 feet. It doesn’t sound that big, but there was so much growing there. Genna arrived right after me, and we found Zoe with her hands in the dirt already. Actually, she was stirring some soil in a big wooden bin in the corner of the plot with a small hoe. It was funny seeing my friend, who was usually the epitome of neatness and crisp white tennis clothing, working in the dirt. It suited her, though. It occurred to me that maybe her neatness had less to do with her and more to do with what her parents expected. Was the real Zoe the one with dirt under her fingernails?
“Hey, Zo, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Hey! I’m working on our compost bin. See, you add all your leftover food garbage, and we have these special worms that turn it into rich soil. It’s really good for the plants.”
“Cool,” Genna said appreciatively.
“Louisa has one too,” I said. “You can put used tea leaves in compost bins!”
“That’s totally true. And coffee grounds. Let me show you our green beans.” Zoe grinned. “They’re ripe. And delicious.” A trellis rose along the southern border of the plot. It was indeed chock full of beans. Zoe pulled off a few and handed them to us.
Genna and I popped the beans into our mouths. They were tasty. Almost like candy, they were so sweet.
“Zo …,” Gen began. I could tell she was going to say something important, because she sounded very serious. “I’m sorry about how I acted at tea the other day.”
Zoe hugged Genna. “I just want you to be healthy.”
“I know. I want that too. And it doesn’t matter about Cecily anyway. I talked to James on the phone last night, and he says he doesn’t even want to be friends with her anymore because she’s, like, a total diva.”
We all laughed. Genna popped some more beans into her mouth.
“Actually, I feel kind of bad for her,” Gen said thoughtfully. “It’s no fun being hungry. And I bet she doesn’t have friends like I do.”
“Aw, Genna. You’re making me all verklempt.” Zoe fanned her face and I laughed.
“I’m going to make us veggie sushi for tea later,” I said. “Let’s pick what we want in it!”
Zoe pulled a carrot out of the ground. Genna chose a ripe tomato and a cucumber. I cut some cilantro. We put the vegetables and fresh herbs in Zoe’s bag. Then we helped her weed and water all of the plants. The sun was so bright you could practically feel their leaves growing. I was definitely going to come out and help Zoe more often. I loved Louisa’s flower garden too, but standing in the middle of this sort of plot and getting to snack while you worked was really cool. I inspected the raspberry patch and popped a few berries into my mouth. Mmm!
I thought about food and how it could be pretty complicated. It was something you could share with friends and family, something you could love and even grow yourself. But I also knew that for many people, food could cause a lot of stress. If you ate too much of the wrong kinds, it could also cause bad health. The cookies and cream scones were awesome, but I wanted my next scone to be delicious and also nutritious.
I also hoped that Genna wouldn’t try any more extreme diets. I needed all the taste testers I could get! I thought about Zach’s little visit and frowned.
“I think Zach has been spying on my scone baking and giving my secrets to the competition,” I said as we were packing up.
“Zach?” Zoe said, surprised. “He would,” Genna said at the exact same time.
“Yeah.”
“He must be punished,” Zoe said. All three of us nodded and headed for the Leaf.
4 Ways to Punish Zach for Being a Scone Spy and General Pain in the Neck
1. Hide his bike.
2. Take a picture of him drinking tea with his pinky extended and put it on the Internet.
3. Tell his Ultimate Frisbee team he has a contagious rash from swimming in the lake.
“Ew!” I said. “Genna, how come you always come up with the meanest ones? Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“It’s just a talent of mine,” she said with a giggle. “You should hear some of the things understudies plot to do to the leads of plays to get onstage.”
“Annie,” Zoe said mischievously, “you better hope Zach doesn’t actually have a rash from algae. You hang out with him more than anyone.”
“I do not!” I cried. “And I’m definitely not going to let him into the Leaf from now on.”
Genna and Zoe both laughed at me. I blushed and jabbed them both with my elbows as we walked. They squealed and jumped away. The next item on the list was my idea.
4. Refuse to give him any more free, delicious food at the Leaf.
Dear readers,
Today we have a special treat. My BFF Zoe has been volunteering at a community garden all summer, and she’s helping me learn about when certain fruits and vegetables reach their peak ripeness so they’ll be extra delicious when you bake or cook with them.
You’ll notice the offerings at your farmer’s market change as the summer goes on. Which seasonal fruit or veggie would you like to see me bake with next??
Zoe’s Seasonal Produce List of Yumminess
May: basil, asparagus, sugar snap peas
June: cherries, melons, apricots, spinach, blueberries
July: corn, peaches, strawberries, beets, green beans, raspberries
August: tomatoes, grapes, zucchini, watermelon
September: apples, pears, wild mushrooms, cranberries
<3 Annie
July 30 8:32 a.m.
Chapter Twelve
I expect I shall feel better after tea.
—P. G. WODEHOUSE, CARRY ON, JEEVES
If you ever have boy trouble, I recommend having tea with your friends. It’s the perfect thing to do, because it’s fun and it requires a little planning. The planning takes your mind off the boy, and the actual tea is so pleasant, you’ll practically forget you ever even met him. Even if he is spying on you to make sure you don’t get to go to London. Which, if you ask me, has got to be the worst possible thing a person could do to you.
Anyway, after Genna and Zoe and I arrived at the Leaf, I got busy planning our tea. Zoe disappeared into the bathroom and came out looking immaculate. She must carry a hairbrush in her bag, because her hair was smoother than silk. Okay, so maybe she really did enjoy being clean.
“Louisa, can I use your sushi kit?”
“Of course, darling.” She finished blending up a matcha green tea shake with soy milk for Mr. Kopinski and tapped her finger against her chin. “If I can remember where I hid it last time,” she said with a smile. “Hello, girls.”
“Hi, Louisa,” Genna and Zoe said in unison. “I like this music,” Genna said. “What is it?”
“Thank you, dear. It’s Billie Holiday,” Louisa said. She’d recently purchased a record player at a garage sale and we had it set up in one corner of the shop. She said it was just like one she’d had as a girl. I’d never used one before, but I was getting good at carefully placing the needle down on the albums. I really liked the rich, scratchy sound of some of Louisa’s ancient records. It made the shop feel even more lush and inviting.
My grandmother disappeared into the back for a moment in a waft of scarves and tinkling jewelry and returned with the kit, which had a special bamboo rolling mat. Louisa spent so much time at her shop that even though sushi wasn’t on the menu, she kept a rice steamer here for her own personal use. She also always kept nori around. Nori is paper-thin green seaweed. It sounds kind of strange, but it tastes really good. It forms the outside of the roll and holds everything together. I got the rice started and pulled out a cutting board to cut up the vegetables into perfect long pieces for my rolls.
“Can I check and see where SteepingLeafScone.com is in the contest rankings?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah!” Genna said. “Let’s!”
“Sure,” I said. “You can use the computer in back. It takes a while, but when you open up the Web browser, I have the rankings set as
my home page so it will come right up.”
“Cool.” They both walked back there as I finished my slicing. This was only the second time I’d made sushi, so I wanted Louisa to stay nearby. She’s the one who taught me how to do it, of course. My mom says sushi is too much work. And my dad says he prefers his food cooked. Beth loves it, though.
“It looks like everyone is simpatico again,” Louisa said. She sipped the leftovers from the matcha shake she’d just made.
“I think so,” I said with a smile. “Thank goodness. That mean blog commenter is back, so I’m going to really need Gen and Zo to help us win the contest.”
“What did the commenter say?” Louisa asked, mystified. She never used the Internet for anything other than e-mailing her friends in different cities.
“She—or he, I really have no idea—knows that our secret ingredient is tea.” I started slicing my vegetables more vehemently, and Louisa gently took the knife away from me and calmly continued the task herself. I wiped my hands clean and began pulling out some small square plates for us to use.
“Hmm. That’s too bad.” Louisa didn’t sound nearly angry enough for my taste. But then again, she never sounded angry.
“Yes. It is too bad. I think we have a spy. I’m going to have to quit baking when customers are around. Especially Zach Anderson.” I checked the rice and pulled some soy sauce out of the little refrigerator.
I could tell Louisa was about to protest, but fortunately, she was interrupted by Genna and Zoe, who bounced out of the back room with big smiles on their faces.
“Good news! SteepingLeafScone.com has lots of new followers since yesterday,” Zoe said.
“Seventy-five, to be exact,” Genna chimed in. “You’re up to thirteenth place. Not bad for one day!”
I grinned. Seventy-five new followers? Wow! I guess all of the e-mailing and fliers had worked. I knew my blog wasn’t nearly as fancy as some of the others, but I also knew that lots of Madisonians loved the Steeping Leaf and were supporting us now. Yay!
“Wait. What about SweetCakes?” I asked in a low voice. “Are they still in fourth?”
Louisa interrupted. “Don’t worry about SweetCakes, Teashop Girls. SweetCakes is on one path, and we are on another. What is our path?” I smiled a bit ruefully. Louisa always liked to bring a little Zen into the discussion when I’d prefer to be anything but.
“Our path is delicious!” Zoe said, taking the bait.
“Righteous!” Genna added with a fist pump.
“Our path goes to London,” I finished up. All of us high-fived.
Veggie Sushi
Ingredients
4 cups water
2 cups short-grain white rice
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1/2 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 package of pre-toasted nori sheets
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste
Bring the water to a boil and add the rice. Lower to a simmer and let cook for about 35 minutes. Peel and cut the cucumber and avocado up into small strips; set aside. Mix the vinegar and brown sugar together and add to the rice once it is finished. Let the rice mixture cool.
Lay out a nori sheet on a clean surface or bamboo mat. Put a clump of rice the size of a small apple in the center of the sheet and use your hand to press the rice to the edges of the sheet so it covers the whole thing. It works best if you keep your hands moist while you’re doing this. Next, place a row of sliced cucumber and avocado pieces in the center of the sheet and firmly roll the nori into a tight roll. Slice the roll into 6 pieces. Repeat with all nori sheets. Makes 4 to 5 rolls.
Serve the sushi pieces with soy sauce and wasabi paste.
July 30 2:06 p.m.
Chapter Thirteen
I shouldn’t think even millionaires could eat anything nicer than new bread and real butter and honey for tea.
—DODIE SMITH
After we finished our late afternoon sushi tea party, Genna noticed that Louisa was rewriting the Steeping Leaf food menu. We were keeping our classics like cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, but Louisa was adding some more healthy offerings as well. One of the new items would be a small wheat berry salad with green apples, raisins, almonds, and cinnamon.
“What’s a wheat berry?” Genna asked as she helped me dry our tea dishes. Zoe had to leave for a tennis lesson, but Gen stayed behind to help us close up the shop for the day.
“It’s a whole wheat kernel,” Louisa explained. “They’re very tasty … kind of chewy and full of fiber.”
“Interesting. Do you think I could maybe go to the grocery store with you sometime?” Genna asked.
“Of course, dear. But I don’t really go to the grocery store that often. I go to the co-op and to the farmer’s market, and to the smaller stores.”
“That’s okay. I just want to learn more about your birdseed.” Genna grinned. Louisa ruffled her hair, which was piled on her head and arranged in an interesting pattern of bobby pins.
I thought about what Louisa had said regarding adding foods instead of taking them away when you were trying to “lighten up,” as she said. I’d always kind of dismissed her wheat berries and other unfamiliar things as “Louisa’s weird health food,” but now I wanted to know more too. I’d have to, if I was going to come up with a scone recipe that was both award-winning and healthy.
“Can I come too?” I asked.
“Yes, dear. Why don’t we lock up a bit early and take a little field trip right now?” Genna and I nodded eagerly. When the shop was all clean, the sign pulled in, and the doors secure, we hopped into my grandmother’s old truck and headed for the store.
When we were there, Louisa explained that she’d load up the cart with her normal staples. If we didn’t recognize something, we should just ask and we could try it later.
Genna and I started not recognizing things right away.
“What’s that?” Gen asked when Louisa put a smooth, fat yellow tube in the cart.
“Polenta,” she replied. “It’s boiled cornmeal. Very good with shitaki mushrooms and a little olive oil and Parmesan.”
“Are you a vegetarian?” Genna asked.
“No, but I don’t eat much meat. I have some maybe once or twice per week. Usually fish. If you’re interested in becoming one, though, I have some books you can read. It is very important to become educated about protein and getting enough iron and B vitamins if you decide to skip meat.”
“Okay.” Genna sounded impressed. We continued to follow Louisa around the store as she added lots of vegetables to her cart. Fortunately, we recognized most of them. Some of the mushrooms she picked out looked a bit odd, but at least we could see that they were mushrooms. She led us to an aisle with big clear plastic bins and used the scoop to place steel-cut oats and quinoa in paper bags. Louisa explained to Genna that quinoa was once cultivated by the Incas in South America and that it was especially good for you because it had a lot of protein.
“I like to cook a batch on Sundays for the rest of the week,” Louisa said. “Depending on what I have around, I might add in some feta cheese or some tomatoes. It’s also really good with nuts and basil. Then, you can just eat a little at a time when you feel like having a snack.”
“Yum, that sounds good,” Genna said. “You have to admit, though, that it looks like birdseed too.”
“A lot of my favorite foods do!” Louisa said with a satisfied laugh. We ventured to the aisle with Asian foods, and Louisa bought rice noodles for soup and jars of curry paste for stir-fry. “You know, Genna, the Steeping Leaf has always prided itself on offering its customers delec-table cakes and sweets. I don’t always eat birdseed … I eat treats, too. I use real butter. But I think as long as you have those wonderful things a little at a time, it’s fine.”
“That makes sense.” Genna looked very thoughtful. I hoped that she’d take Louisa’s example to heart … and maybe even educate her mom as well.
>
We were almost ready to go, but I hadn’t chosen any ingredients yet for my next scone. I was completely out of ideas, just when I needed to impress dozens of new blog followers.
“I want to buy some new scone ingredients,” I said, “but I don’t know what to get. I want to make something healthy, but also so good that people will want to eat a half a dozen in one sitting.”
“Well, let’s start with whole wheat pastry flour,” Louisa suggested. “That way, even if you put heavy cream in it, it’ll at least have some fiber.”
We headed for the baking aisle and Louisa added her favorite brand of whole wheat flour to the cart.
“I know that the competition knows the secret ingredient is tea,” Genna said thoughtfully. “But they don’t know what kind of tea, and they don’t know what we’re doing with it. What if we used brewed tea for the recipe instead of tea leaves, and soaked the fruit in it first. Like, currants soaked in a delicious black vanilla tea or something?”
“Wow. I love that idea.” I grinned at Genna.
I zipped from aisle to aisle, picking out special ingredients for what was destined to become my masterpiece.
Extra-Healthy Tea Smoothie
This smoothie makes for a great breakfast or snack!
Ingredients
1 cup pomegranate-flavored black tea
1/3 cup organic whey (The acai-flavored whey from Tera’s Whey in Reedsburg, WI, is awesome!)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on low for 1 minute. Then, increase the speed and blend on high for 1 minute. Makes 2 delicious smoothies.
July 30 4:31 p.m.
The Secret Ingredient Page 7