Violet Oxymel

Sweet violets are in full swing here on the farm! So far, I have made sweet violet tea, attempted to make sweet violet syrup, and have made two types of violet blossom vinegar. The success with the projects has varied somewhat; the sweet violet tea was surprisingly beautiful, and the vinegars are flavorful and visually stunning, but the syrup accidentally crystalized so I will have to revisit that project later.

The blossoms of purple violets do wonderful things when added to water or vinegar. Here's what they look like in hot water (on the left) and white vinegar (on the right):




I think that the violet infusion would be a lovely menu item for a brunch or tea party (everyone should have tea parties, don't laugh!), and the white vinegar would be very nice for salad dressings or maybe even pickled eggs. Pink like beets, but floral instead of earthy? Yes, please.





But I think the real gem of my violet experiments thus far is Violet Oxymel.

Oxymel is a complicated word for a simple concept: vinegar + honey = oxymel. As a general rule, oxymels are soothing for coughs and sore throats, and a lovely digestive tonic before or after a meal.  They can either be enjoyed by the spoonful without dilution (deliciously sweet and sour), or stirred into a glass of warm or cold water. By infusing the vinegar with different herbs, a rather lively assortment of oxymels can be created. In this case, I used apple cider vinegar, violet blossoms, and local honey.

To make the infused vinegar, use a 1:1 ratio of violets and vinegar. In this case, I used a cup of each. After allowing the blossoms to steep in the vinegar for a week, strain the vinegar through a fine mesh sieve to remove the flowers. The apple cider vinegar won't display as much of a shocking color change, but it definitely takes on a reddish hue.

The ratio of honey to infused vinegar is up to you, but a quarter cup of honey for every cup of vinegar is a good place to start. More honey can always be added if you would prefer that it be sweeter.

Stir the honey into the vinegar. It will usually take a minute or two for the ingredients to mix, so don't worry if the honey seems to clump together at the bottom.

Once the honey has dissolved completely into the vinegar, the oxymel is ready to use!  As a beverage, violet oxymel is especially refreshing  over ice, but tt makes a nice flavored water at room temperature, too. 
  

Other Tips for making Violet Oxymel:

• Use a layer of parchment paper under the lid if you are infusing the violets and vinegar in a canning jar. The vinegar will have a reaction with the metal in the lids and could drip nasty black oxidation into the infusing vinegar. Not tasty! Glass containers with non-reactive lids are definitely better if you have them. 
• Pick violets around noon on a dry, sunny day. The fragrance of the flowers will be at its strongest under these conditions.
• Don't feel bad about picking all the blossoms you need. The purple flowers are just for show- they almost never set seeds! Violets grow a second set of tiny, green flowers in the fall that set seed prolifically. The violets will usually respond to harvesting by producing a second crop of purple flowers, so there will be plenty more in a few days anyway.   
• Use just the blossoms- you don't need the stems. 

Historical Background of Viola odorata

Sweet Violet, Viola odorata, is native to Europe but is very common through out much of the united states. It often grows in lawns and along woodland edges, although it can be hard to spot at first because of its small size. Violet has several properties that merit consideration for household use, especially because it is found so widely in backyards and vacant lots.

There are several culinary uses for Viola odorata. First, the above ground parts are edible. The young leaves can be used as a salad green or lightly steamed much like spinach, while the flowers can be candied, enjoyed as a fragrant tea, or used as a beautiful addition to salads. Violet syrup, also made from the blossoms, is a unique flavoring for desserts and beverages. 

Beyond culinary uses, violet has a historical reputation for being expectorant, ant-inflammatory, diuretic, and alterative.The underground portions of violet should be used with caution if at all, as they have a reputation for being a a very strong purgative and emetic. The leaves and flowers, however, are gentle and mild enough that they were commonly given to children. As a children's herb, Violet was often used to encourage regular bowel movements or to soothe fevers.

Dandelion Jelly

Spring greens are in full swing here on the farmstead. We enjoyed chickweed salads last week, and the purple dead nettle is blooming everywhere. The dandelions have been tempting me for the last few days, and after thinking it over I began entertaining the idea of dandelion flower jelly.
 
There are other recipes for dandelion jelly floating around the interwebs, but I worked this one out because it uses a homemade pectin stock, which is pretty cool. The recipe is based on the Tea Jelly recipe in Canning for a New Generation, by Lianna Krissoff. It uses homemade fruit pectin made from granny smith apples.

For the sake of brevity, I will cut right to the recipe, and save a treatise on preparing the flowers for another post. Just know in advance that you need to separate the flower petals from the small green leaves on the back side of the flower. It's tedious, but not quite as bad as it sounds.

 This is a pretty simple recipe. The last time I made jams and jellies was when I was nine or ten and  "helping" my mom. Mostly by getting underfoot. So I was delighted that this went as well as it did and came together so easily.

The taste of the finished jelly reminds me of honey. I think the light apple flavor of the stock goes really well in this case. It isn't overpowering and it adds a nice dimension to the jelly.

Ingredients: 

2 or 3 cups fresh dandelion petals
2 1/4 cups boiling water
3 cups of homemade green apple pectin
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (strained)
3 1/4 cups sugar

Makes 3 half pint jars, and can be water bath canned.

Have sterilized jars, lids, and rings ready to go.

To make the jelly:

Put the petals into a heat proof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Cover the bowl with a plate and steep for ten minutes, or until the petals have lost most of their color.

Pour the dandelion petal brew through a strainer into a six to eight quart pan. Add the green apple pectin, lemon juice and sugar to the petal water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't boil over and make a mess.

Cook until the temp reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit (use a candy thermometer to check).

Ladle into sterilized jars, lid up, and water bath process for five minutes. Also, enjoy the jelly left in the bottom of the pot that the ladle couldn't get- bread or crackers not required, but a large serving spoon is recommended because the pot will probably still be very hot. :) 

Mmm! Dandelion Jelly!