Purple and White Garden Violets
There are many types of other flowers referred to as violets (Gilloflowers/Wall Flowers, Dame’s Violets, Marians Violets), but according to Gerarde, this type is more fragrant and visually appealing,
He says that their beauty, variety of color, and exquisite form should remind a man of honesty, comlieness, and all kinds of virtues. He says this is important because it would be unseemly and just “downright filthy” for a man not to have such virtues in mind and have a wife who would look upon and handle fair and beautiful things, and who frequents fair and beautiful places. My translation is rough, but who could argue with such logic? Certainly not I! [John Gerarde, The Herball, 1597]
So, I decided that for my first project I'm going to create violet syrup from these delicate, wild beauties. Violets are one flowering plant which was easily accessible, identifiable, and readily available to me right now.
Also, I have found reference to where making a violet syrup in this manner is Period. This excerpt is taken from by
The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes (1597) by John Gerarde: Page 702.
I have picked about 4 cups of white and purple violet blossoms. (Depending on soil and light the flowers may be from deep purple or blue to pinkish or even yellow whitish.) To make a syrup, at first I consulted the “Making Herbal Remedies” guide I compiled, which I have summarized below for the procedures that would be used here:
Syrups
Sweetness disguises unpalatable herbs, especially good for children; honey and unrefined sugar are effective preservatives too and provide the additional benefit of having a soothing action. A great vehicle for cough mixtures and for sore throat relief.
Pour an infusion or decoction into a pan. Add honey or sugar. Gently heat, stirring constantly until all honey or sugar has dissolved and mixture has syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and cool. Pour cooled syrup into sterilized glass jars with a funnel. Seal, store in dark place. Don't use screw-topped bottles as they may explode; instead, use cork-stoppered jars.
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So from this I have devised that a syrup is made by combining an infusion or decoction with other ingredients. This means I'd need to make either an infusion or a decoction. However a decoction is best used for more stubborn things like roots, bark, twigs, and berries, whereas an infusion is a way to process the aerial parts of a plant, which these flowers are, so an infusion it is.
Infusion
A simple way to prepare the more delicate aerial parts of plants, especially leaves and flowers.
Place herb in strainer. Fill cup with freshly boiled water. Put strainer in cup, cover, and leave for 5-10 minutes before removing strainer. Drink hot or cold.
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2 tsp fresh herb to 1 cup of water makes 1 dose.
Actually, instead of the basic medicinal syrup, I decided to take it a step further and use a recipe for Violet Syrup as a culinary product. Here is the link I basically used for the recipe, though this is replicated widely:
It calls for the juice of 1 lemon plus 6 cups of sugar when using 4 cups of water with 4 cups of violets.
Before putting in the flowers, though, of course I rinsed them first to ensure no undesired add-ins made it into my infusion! Dirt, other plant leaves, and tiny insects may hitch a ride onto your plants. The evidence of them is left behind in the bowl, as you can see after you’ve washed the flowers sufficiently.
From the Guide: "Place herb in strainer. Fill cup with freshly boiled water. Put strainer in cup, cover, and leave for 5-10 minutes before removing strainer. Drink hot or cold."
From the Recipe: “Place violet petal in a deep bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Weigh down with a heavy dish to keep them submerged. Place the bowl in a draft-free place at room temperature for 24 hours.“
Next, I stuffed my washed flowers into tea strainers, boiled the water, and dropped it all into the bowl.
I covered the bowl and left it, as it says, overnight.
Here is the result of the infusion. As you can see, the very essence of the flowers appears to have drained right into the water:
It smells rather plant-ish at this point....
Now, to turn this infusion into a syrup.
From the medicinal Guide: "Pour an infusion or decoction into a pan. Add honey or sugar. Gently heat, stirring constantly until all honey or sugar has dissolved and mixture has syrupy consistency. Remove from heat and cool. Pour cooled syrup into sterilized glass jars with a funnel. Seal, store in dark place. Don't use screw-topped bottles as they may explode - instead use cork stoppered jars."
From the culinary Recipe: “Pour violets and liquid into colander, squeezing out juice from the violets; discard the violets. Place sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan and boil into a very thick syrup, near the candy stage. Add violet water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil 10 minutes or until thickened. Pour into sterile bottles. Allow to cool, then seal and refrigerate.”
However, you should not press the violets hard; just shake them enough to extract the liquid without crushing force.
Here is the boiling sugar water, with a good splash of lemon juice added. (You can vary the amount of lemon to change the color as you desire.)
Next, the violet water goes in and the mixture boils for a bit longer. It changes color a bit when it hits the lemon juice...
After it has simmered for about 10 minutes, it’s time to pour it up into jars.
There. Isn't that pretty? And it smells and tastes so good! The lemon juice does something to activate its delicious flavor, evidentially. You can can it to preserve it for longer; it will keep for about a week refrigerated as-is. Using honey instead of sugar can prolong the preservation since honey naturally preserves.
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Uses for Violet Syrup
Culinary:
Serve with ice water or club soda for a tasty beverage.
Violet syrup can be used in cocktails, such as:
- Violet Martini [1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce violet syrup, 2 ounces cranberry juice]
- - Violet Kir [made with violet syrup and white wine] (Substitute champagne for white wine for Kir Royale)
- - Non-alcoholic version: sparkling cider.
Drizzle over a scoop of ice cream. (Add candied violets to the top!)
You can use it as a replacement for any flavored syrup in any dessert.
Even a teaspoon stirred into tea is a treat.
For violet jelly, gather a fully-packed quart of dry-open blossoms. Pour boiling water over them and let the infusion sit for one to twelve hours (the longer period if you plan to strain out the flowers). Add the juice of one lemon, and blue violet turns toward rose-red. Use this infusion and follow any standard jelly recipe provided with commercial pectin. Add two to four cups of sugar, depending on your taste. Bring to a boil, add pectin, boil further, jar, and seal. Many recipes for violet jelly call for you to strain the flowers from the infusion, but then you will miss the pleasure of flowers floating on your breakfast muffin. If your jelly doesn’t jell, you still have rich violet syrup, which can be used on cakes and waffles, ice cream, yogurt, and in herbal teas.
For candied violets, pick flowers with the stems attached. Beat an egg white lightly, just until it froths. Dip each flower in egg white, then dip it in a bowl of extra-fine granulated sugar. You might want to use a small paintbrush for touch-ups. It is important to get every bit of the flower coated in sugar to preserve it. Let the coated flowers dry on wax paper—it may take a few days—then store them between layers of wax paper in a tight tin or plastic container in the refrigerator or freezer. Many use candied violets for special cake decorations, and there must be many other uses for these floral delicacies.
Medicinal:
This is good for respiratory ailments associated with congestion, coughing, and sore throat.
The suggested dosage for a child’s cough or slight constipation is 1-2 tsps given at bedtime.
Additional interesting uses for the plant:
Tea: Steep ¼ cup dried or fresh herb in 1 cup of water for 10 min. stain, flavor to taste. Take in ½ cup doses twice a day.
Large doses of the root contain an alkaloid called violine which is emetic (causing vomiting). A decoction made from the root (dry herb) is used as a laxative. Tea made from the entire plant is used to treat digestive disorders and new research has detected the presence of a glycoside of salicylic acid (natural aspirin) which substantiates its use for centuries as a medicinal remedy for headache, body pains and as a sedative.
Used externally the fresh crushed leaves reduce swelling and soothe irritations. As a bath additive the fresh crushed flowers are soothing to the skin and the aroma is very relaxing.
Folklore
The Ancient Greeks considered the Violet a symbol of fertility and love, they used it in love potions. Pliny recommended that a garland of them be worn about the head to ward off headaches and dizzy spells.
Their use in medicine, food and cosmetics dates back at least 2500 years.
Medicinally, it is an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, laxative, and may also be anti-tumor. Food-wise, violet leaves are used in puddings, jellies and salads. The blossoms can also be added to salads, or candied (sugar-coated) and used as a garnish for desserts. But their most popular use through the ages is probably “Violet Blossom Syrup,” which can be poured over ice cream, etc., or used as a base for iced drinks.
