Wild Violets
After the snow cleared this spring and the ground starting turning green, I started noticing weeds in the yard. There’s an area behind our fence that doesn’t have grass and was overcome with weeds after a few weeks of rain. One day I walked out our back gate and noticed purple flowers started popping out the top of the plants. They were so pretty and were growing abundantly back there. I had remembered reading that the flowers were edible and often served on salads so I searched online for more information.
Little did I know then that these flowers would ignite our inner foragers. After searching a few websites and learning how to identify these plants, I confirmed that these were common blue violets and the scientific name is viola sororia. At this point, I was even more drawn to the flower since it’s scientific name was so close to our last name.
A patch of common blue violets.
To be honest though, I was pretty nervous about eating a random plant grown in the wild… it’s one thing to eat something you grew in your own garden, but I never saw someone bend down, pick a weed from the ground, and eat it. I just didn’t have any experience with foraging. So I continued my research and figured I’d start small with a couple leaves in a salad. And I was completely fine.
After I got over my silly nervousness, I carried on with my online research. My search led me to tons of recipes for not only the flower but the large dark green leaves too. Pesto, jelly, popsicles, cookies, tea - there was so much! This indigenous plant is extremely versitle and even more impressive is that it may have some powerful health benefits. It’s an herbaceous plant and is thought to help ease headaches and symptoms of colds and coughs.
I ended up collecting a few cups of flowers and made a violet lemonade which I later froze into popsicles. To make, you first have to make a tea with the flowers. First, rinse the flowers then add to a pot with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer until the flowers lose their color. Once it’s cooled, filter through a cheesecloth into a jar. The tea will be a muted blue color. Juice a couple lemons and add the lemon juice to your tea - and watch the acid from the lemons turn the blue tea into a beautiful pink color! I added a little bit of honey to sweeten the drink. Add ice and enjoy!
Making a tea from the violet flowers.
Violet lemonade with a few blueberries for garnish
The next night before dusk, I ventured into the woods next door in search of more violets. There’s a little path into the woods from the sidewalk so I made sure no one was around and I walked in. Ok, we’re relatively new to the neighborhood and I don’t need anyone thinking I’m the local weirdo creeping around in the woods at night. Well as it turns out, it was prime walking time for our neighbors. I was so excited to find a huge patch of violets that I grabbed an overflowing handful of flowers then walked out right in front of a couple walking their baby. Ha! So I avoided eye contact and rushed back to my front door which is great because if they didn’t recognize me now they’ll know where I live. But the good news was I found a new source for violets!
The next morning, I went back to the woods to gather a huge bowl full of flowers and leaves. Of course I ran into another couple and their baby and awkwardly tried to explain why I was crouching between trees with a bowl full of flowers. Oy. They were nice about it and seemed somewhat surprised in the fact that the wild violet has a wide array of culinary uses. It’s probably easier to embrace the role as the local weirdo, foraging through local woods and open fields.
This time, I collected enough flowers for two recipes and decided to try a violet-blueberry apple cider vinegar shrub as well as violet jelly!
Getting ready to muddle the violet flowers and blueberries before soaking in apple cider vinegar.
Violet flowers and blueberries infusing in apple cider vinegar
Pretty pink violet jelly
Finally, I decided to make a pesto with the violet greens. If you’re interested in making a violet leaf pesto, you can follow our carrot top pesto recipe and swap out the carrot greens with violet leaves.
I had a few leaves and flowers leftover and decided to dry them in my dehydrator for tea since I also read the violet plant can help with digestion.
Violet leaf pesto, coming right up.
The sad part is violets don’t flower year-round - at least where we live. However, the greens should stick around all summer so if you’re lucky enough to find a patch, you can enjoy the greens in pesto, salad, and more!