Violets inform me that Spring isd finally here and I can eat good agan as all kinds of wild edibles are coming up. Just across the street is a yard full of lovely blue bird foot Violets. I enjoyed collecting them as I staked out my house waiting for the Post Man to give him a letter. The lovely Birds Foot Violets can be eaten, AFRICAN VIOLETS SHOULD NOT BE EARTEN. ONLY BLUE BIRDS FOOT VIOLETS AND THE BLUE WHITE ON, CAN BNE EAR CAN BE EATEN AND USED AS A GREAT HEADACHE CURE. nOT ONLY IS IT A GREAT HEADACHJE CURE BUT IT WILL CURE GREAT HESADACHES. I once filled a canteen full o0f diluted violet syrup because it tasted refreshin and went for a hike on a very hot day in a forest preserve. I got thirsty and drank alot of it and soon discovered I had a great headache. Remembering that it cures headaches and it is a sedative I went home and took a nap. When I* woke up I felt great and relaxed as if I had never had a headache and just dreamed it. USE ONLY 2 TABLESPOONS VIOLET SYRUP FOR HEADACHES. If you eat too much Violet Jelly, Candy, etc. You may get a headache ... I slept mine off after all it does cure headaches..
COLLECTING VIOLETS
Take a Jar that you will use for steeping the Violets to collect the Violets. I do not collect them in Plastic. To collect them is very easy as Violts grow very close together sometimnes seeming like a field of violets scarttered among the gtrass .... Simply spread your fingers and put a violet flower or two between each one and pull upward removing several Violet flowers from their stems at a time. If a stem decides to hang onto a violet and has a tough time letting go of the violet flower remove and return the stem to the Earth.Euell Gibbons says, "The flowers are produced out of sheer exerberance so TAKE ALL THE FLOWERS YOU WANT FOR THE MORE YOU PICK THE MORE THE PLANT WILL GIVE". The flowers do not produce seeds. The seeds are actually hiding under the plant and com from inconspicuous petal less blooms. Still I try to leave it looking nice by not takeing all the flowers anyway. Violets are good to look at too.
Fill the jar with Violet flowers pressing and packing them ino it until you cannot get more in it and then put on it's cap. I mean put the cap on the jar..
VIOLET EXTRACT
POUR BOILING WATER OVER THE VIOLETS UNTIUL TO THE RIM LIKE WHEN MAKING TEA. HMMM VIOLET TEA. PUT IT IN WINDOW AND LET SET 24 OURS OR SO
ut it in a window and let set about 24 hours or so. STREIN Useing a fine screen like used for sprouting. I made mine from a screen window strain the Violet extract into a measuring cup and then pour it into a pan. Use the back of a spoon to compress the Violet pulp to remove what liquid extract is still left over. Make sure hands are real clean and remove violets/violet pulp from container and squeeze what juice/extract is still in it into pan. YOU HAVE VIOLET EXRACT. Take the violet pulp thats left and return to the Earth in thanksgiving.
TO MAKE VIOLET SYRUP ~<-@ IN A PAN PUT 1 Cup Violet extract The Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice concentrarte
Norte This is to make the Violet extracrt pretty mix in carefullt like A Chemest. It will go from blue to purple to reddish depnnf on the amount of lemon juice.
1 CUP SUGAR BRING to a low boil. Stirring clockwise to add positive energy.When it comes to a rolling boil pour the mixture into a steraized glass container and cover. Put it in the window abit so you can enjoy it's pretty Violet color. You can use this to make Jelly.
Violet extract changes color on contact with acid like lemon juice. Violet extract turns blue to reddish. When you add an alkali like baking soda it turns green to yellow. Another use for Violets THE VIOLET TEST To test the pH of a liquid and the acidity of your soil like on a PBS challange show.
Violet Jelly
In a pot put 2 cups of Violet Syrup. Add1 2 - 4 Tbs. Lemon Juicedepending on color you want. Stirring clockwise add 1 1/4 oz. / 49g package of Fruit Pectin. Bring 2 a boil and add 4 Cups baking sugar.Boil till starts to jell and pour intoi steralized golasses or jars andseal. Pour boiling water over jars. Then one day bring back Spring. VIOLET JELLO
Stirr 1 Cup Boiling Water into the Gelatin mix. You can use Lemon or Berry Blue colored) flavored. Add 1 Cup Violet Syrup instead of cold water and Violets. refrigerate till firm. TO MAKE VIOLET CANDY To the above Add 1 Tablespoon of Unflavored Gelatin before pouing the 1 Cup of Boiling water over the Geletin. Then continue The Violet Journey hmmm sounds almost like the name of a song and after refrigerating it cube and serve. Violet flowers can be candied, used for decoration or used fresh for brightening salads.
You can make VIOLET LEAF GREENS by Putting 4 Tbs. Butter, and 2 tbs. Salt (This replaces Bacon drippings) Add 2 cups chopped Violet leaves and stir clockwise. Hmmmm sounds like DIRTY RICE WITH VIOLETS. Lets see into a Frosting Container with lid break 2 eggs and 1/2 cup shreaded cheese. Shake it all up eal good.
Mix into Violet leaves in pan, and fr together at low heat 12 minutes until done. Toss a cup of Violet flowers on top of it and serve. Think I'll pick some more Violet leaves and flowers to cook a batch now.
When you eat the Violet Jellys, Candies, etc ... bring back the memories when you and perhaps some friends had fun picking violets in a field of them. On May Day the guys made baskets out of Candy Cups with Pipe Clean Handles and collected Violets. Then we put Violet Flowers, Violet Leaves and Dandelion Flowers in the basketr with hard candy hearts with sayings on them (a store in town still carried them after Valentines Day), and then took it to a girl we liked and she was oblogated to kiss us. One for you.
I just remembered I once found some Violet Cough Drops.
VIOLET LINKS AND RECIPES ~<-@
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/631/19688
http://www.americanvioletsociety.org/Cooking_N_Decorating/ViolaChef_01.htm
http://www.lauraperry.com/ggviolets.htm
http://www.recepiesource.com/side_dishes/condiments01/rec0112.html
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Crystallized%20violets
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Crytallized%20flowers
http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/candy/06/rec0653.html
http://www.freerecipesource.org/Dessert/Frozen/IceCream/violet-ice-cream-recipe-bscr.htm
http://www.recepiesource.com/dessert/frozen-desserts/violet-ice-cream.html
http://www.uktvfood.co.uk/index.cfm/UKTVFoodpreview/recipes.recepieitem/ID/4008.sthm
http://www.uktvfood.co.uk/index.cfm/chef/chef_ID/43.shhm
Medicinal Uses Of Violets
http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbVioletMed.htm
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