Seattle: HummingBird Juice Bar and Cafe in Ballard: Kale Nicoise

I don't seek out organic food or products, but when I find something I'm interested in and it's organic, it's a bonus.  I was exploring the shops on NW Market Street in Ballard when I came across the HummingBird Juice Joint, an organic juice bar and cafe (2242 NW Market Street, Ballard, WA).

I had already spotted Cupcake Royale bakery on the same side of the street, so I thought that starting my shopping trip with a virtuous lunch would be smart.  When I looked at the menu, I knew immediately what I was having. Kale Nicoise salad.

You can see the beautiful greens, nicoise olives, sunflower seeds, cold boiled potato slices, fresh tomato, capers, blanched green beans and a "beet-kissed hard boiled egg," all dressed in a light herb dressing.  It was delicious and I felt that in the days to come, my hair would be shiny, my eyes bright and my conversation sparkling. Surely this was the kind of food I was supposed to be consuming.

Then I went to the bakery... 

Seattle: Remedy Tea House in Capitol Hill

I had the chance to visit Remedy Tea, a really great spot to have a restorative cup of tea as my favorite English author would say.  Remember how much I love Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers? It's about time to reread it...

I love having tea. I love offering someone a cup of tea.  I even have a tea station (this is it at Christmas) in my dining room. So after many recommendations, I couldn't wait to visit Remedy Tea in Capitol Hill.

They offer over 150 organic teas to buy and brew at home or enjoy in their bright and happy tea room.  The entire selection is displayed in test tubes along the entry wall and patrons are welcome to open and smell each tea as part of their selection process. So smart - I think people forget how closely scent and taste relate.

The shop was very active at 1 o'clock on an overcast Wednesday.  Business people with laptops, two mothers taking time to catch up with their babies in tow, a mother-daughter duo.  Everyone deciding that things would be better with a pot of tea in front of them. Nice!

Leelanau Peninsula: Light of Day Organic Tea Farm

When I heard that Leelanau County had an organic tea farm (the only one in Michigan), I knew right away that I wanted to visit.  Light of Day Organic Teas is just 8 miles West of Traverse City and is an easy drive from the cottage.  

Dan and I drove over on a steamy ninety-degree afternoon and ran into the owner, Angela Macke tending (and watering!) the plants, flowers and herbs that she grows for her organic teas.  On this large and breezy farm, there is a gazebo, yurt, hoop house (that's where the tea grows) and many many garden beds full of flowers.

Angela, a self-proclaimed tea-evangelist, told us about the tea bar inside the retail store and encouraged us to stay for a tea tasting ($6), if we had the time. A tea tasting was exactly what I was hoping for. At the time, four customers were in the middle of a tasting, so we had a few minutes to wander around before our tea tasting would begin.  

Angela invited us to explore her biodynamic farm and told us that we were welcome to relax and lay down on a bench in the yurt. The yurt is where Angela holds her tea classes and seems to be the spiritual center of the farm.

Now, I have never been offered a chance to lay down in a yurt, so I took her up on it.  Angela said that it is a quiet restorative space and that every once in a while she loves to take a moment to lay down and reflect.  I can attest that it is a great space.

Our guide for the tea tasting was Rosemarie - she is a treasure! She has an incredible working knowledge of the Light of Day teas and their biodynamic farming practices.  The tasting included an explanation of tea leaves, preparation, tea and wellness, along with a sampling of hot and cold teas.  

When I returned with a friend this week, I was a bit disappointed to learn that the tasting format had changed to a less formal instruction.  I can understand that the change was necessary.  At the height of the season, it would be very hard to give a 2-4-person instruction and tasting, while new customers entered the store continually needing customer service and sales help.  I feel lucky that we were able to hear Rosemarie give her whole spiel uninterrupted - she's a born teacher.  If you see her in the shop, ask her questions!   

On my first visit I bought a tin of Strawberry Ice (White Tea buds and leaves, Strawberry, Chamomile) and All Heart (Green Tea, Pink Rosebuds, Montmorency Cherry).  I like them both!

If you are interested in learning more about Light of Day Organic Teas, I encourage you to visit the farm (and their website!).  Also, watch the YouTube video they have posted in their "Press" section of their website.  You can see Angela explain her philosophy and get an overview of her tea farm.  It's wonderful.  If you have a chance to visit this interesting tea farm, do it!