The question now was how to fix the bitterness of my potion. If I didn’t change the taste, no one would ever be able to drink it, which would defeat the entire purpose. The thought of bitter flavors brought vegetables to mind. Those were all sort of bitter, right? Following that logic, I decided to visit the kitchen. There I found Bob, the head chef.
“Hi, Bob. I’d like to ask you something,” I said.
“Oh? What is it, Miss Daisy?” He wiped his hands on his apron, looking down at me curiously.
I explained how my potion had turned out bitter after crushing and chopping up the ingredients. Since that made me think of vegetables, I wondered if he might have some idea what to do about it.
“Oh, I see,” he said. “Well, those sorts of leafy greens tend to have a strong astringent taste. That’s why you shouldn’t just chop or grind them alone.”
I nodded eagerly and took out my notebook to write everything down.
“You can rub the leaves with salt or blanch them briefly in hot water after salting them. That helps to reduce their bitterness. If you do blanch them, make sure to cool them in water afterward. Oh, and don’t overboil them!”
Don’t overboil them. I made sure to write that down.
“That helps a lot, Bob! Thank you!” I said and hurried off to ask Mother for permission to try the new method.
“Running isn’t ladylike,” she gently scolded.
I quickly apologized, then explained that I needed salt to try reducing the bitterness of the potion and a strainer in case blanching was necessary. Mother called for Elly and asked her to fetch some salt from the storeroom along with a spare strainer from the kitchen.
Kate carried the salt and strainer for me as we headed to the laboratory.
“You probably can’t manage blanching on your own yet, Miss Daisy, so I’ll take care of it. Just watch me closely.” She smiled as she spoke, and I was grateful for the offer.
My parents had decided that Kate would be the only one to oversee and assist me during my experiments. She was also the only other person who knew about my Appraisal ability.
“I only need to salt the bitter herbs, right?” I realized, so I took a small bite of both types and grimaced at the taste. “They’re slightly different, but they’re both bitter.” I knew it wasn’t proper, but I spat out the chewed-up herbs into the garbage.
“In that case, let’s try doing both,” Kate suggested and I nodded.
I prepared the leaves by rubbing them with salt and then rinsing them, while Kate did the same but also blanched hers briefly before cooling them. Once prepped, we thoroughly dried the leaves and finely chopped them.
First, I tested the herbs that had only been rubbed with salt. I measured the proper amounts of healing and magical herbs into a beaker of water. Then, I placed the beaker onto the magic heating device and began to warm it. Small bubbles started to form along the inner surface of the glass.
Potion
Quality: Normal (-2)
Status: The active ingredients are diluted.
Well, I expected that. A while later, the bubbles grew larger.
Potion
Quality: Normal (-1)
Status: The active ingredients are slightly diluted.
I still wasn’t there yet.
The liquid began to froth gently soon afterward. Just to be safe, I stirred it lightly with a glass rod.
Potion
Quality: Normal
Status: The active ingredients are fully extracted. Somewhat bitter.
Yay! It was much less bitter than before!
I strained the slightly bitter potion through a cloth and poured it into a bottle. Next, I tested the salt-rubbed, blanched leaves. Again, I put the healing and magical herbs into a beaker of water at the correct ratio and placed it on the magic burner. Small bubbles formed inside the glass.
Potion
Quality: Normal (-2)
Status: The active ingredients are diluted.
So far, the results were the same. After a little while, the bubbles grew larger.
Potion
Quality: Normal (-1)
Status: The active ingredients are slightly diluted.
As time passed, the liquid occasionally let out small bubbling sounds. I stirred it gently again.
Potion
Quality: Normal
Status: The active ingredients are fully extracted. Somewhat sweet.