This spring wild violets are popping up all over the garden. My daughter and I harvested as many flowers as we could and made Violet Simple Syrup (based on a recipe from Feasting at Home. Below is our spin on the recipe.

Recipe

  • First, make sure (1) you have correctly identified the plant in question and (2) that you are harvesting on land (with permission) that is not near a roadway (or where pets walks & do what they do) or in an area sprayed with chemicals
  • I use a bowl or a bucket and gather about two cups of violets (remember to leave some for pollinators)
  • Once home, remove everything except those lovely blue/purple petals (then give them a gentle rinse in cold water)
  • Heat about 1 cup of water until it is roughly the temperature of a nice bath (you do not want the water too hot)
  • Press the violet petals into the water and soak for about 4 or so hours (you can soak them longer to get more color/flavor)
  • Use a fine-mesh strainer or cotton gauze to seperate the violets from the water (which should be a lovely color now)
  • Heat the water to a low simmer in a bain-marie or in a sauté pot. Slowly dissolve 1 -2 cups sugar in the water. Do not use high heat or the color will fade. Once the sugar is incorporated remove from heat and let cool.
  • Once cooled, pour the syrup into a bottle (I like sanitizing and reusing the French lemonade bottles from Aldi) or a jar. Refrigerate for up to about 4 months.

My daughter made a super tart lemonade (she’s is prone to eating fresh lemons, her dentist does not recommend this). I mixed the lemonade with the violet simple syrup to make a fancy mocktail to have with breakfast. Adding lemon juice changes the color which can be a lot of fun for kids (of all ages). You can use the syrup to sweeten tea, in kombucha, in seltzer or tonic water, or however you choose.

I’m working on creating simple, grateful moments. Not to ignore the gravity of the situations around us, but to get through it. There is a lot to be grateful for and I’m doing my best to create and to share joy, and I want to acknowledge there’s also a fair amount of anger, sadness, worry, and overwhelm. Just keep swimming y’all (easier said than done I know).