still diggin' on violets

I've been going out to the yard and picking up all sorts of "weeds" to make lunch or dinner with lately. At first, I was just out of lettuce, but now I turn to the yard first and fridge second. Dandelion, chickweed, purple deadnettle--and my favorite--violet leaves.

I finally got around to making that violet syrup, too. I picked as many violet blossoms as I thought made sense in the yard, which didn't seem to add up to much in the mason jar. I wonder why they seem to only grow in our yard, but neither of our neighbors'? I poured boiling water over the blossoms and let them sit in the closed jar for two days, even though only 24 hours were suggested (I had to go out of town). Afterwards, I strained the liquid through a cheesecloth, combined it with what I deemed to be an equal part of local honey from the food co-op, and simmered it for over a half hour. It smelled fantastic, and made about 12 oz.

Violets

I think violets catch your eye because they want you to use them. They want to to stop, and gasp, and think "isn't that pretty." Then they want you to think "...what if I nibbled on one?" Honestly, violets are like those little candies in the store that appeal to children--tiny, bite-size, brightly colored, cute as hell, and just plain full of good cheer.

Unlike most children's candies, violets are packed with minerals and vitamins, like A and C. They are somewhat mucilaginous, and have been said to do wonders for breast health. Violets are alteratives (blood purifiers), and seem to stimulate the lymphatic system, getting stagnant systems going and clearing things out. It is a cooling herb, and said to have a reductive effect on some tumors and cancers. Also known as heartsease or viola, I should have put some in Clara's birthday tea blend to celebrate her love of stringed instruments! With it's heart-shaped leaves, maybe the "heartsease" moniker has to do with its attributes as a heart tonic--even more fitting for Clara, because she is often like a heart tonic to me as well.

Herbalist Jim McDonald has mentioned violets as bitters containing saponins, which are kind of like plant aspirin. It makes sense, then, that violets would reduce pain and headaches.

But what do I want to do with this wild violet bounty? One website suggested a violet syrup, so I found a few pages with instructions on this process. There appear to be two main approaches: one with sugar, and one using honey. The honey syrup seems to be particular useful for treating coughs. The site below lists both, and includes some good tips from experience.

http://eco-chick.com/2010/04/5667/herbs-of-spring-make-your-own-violet-syrup/


Resources:
http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3e.htm
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Violets.html
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/violasoro.html