Violet Syrup
Our yard is absolutely full of violets this year. This has never happened in the past 6 years we've lived here so I decided to take advantage of the situation and try my hand at making violet syrup.
It started with a lot of violets.
[caption id="attachment_4299" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
Big bowl of violets[/caption]
This is only a fraction of the violets that are out there!
Next, I poured boiling water over the violets and let them sit for about 36 hours.
Finally, I made up a bunch of syrups using different sweeteners, just to see which I liked best. The recipe I found called for 1 part violet water to 1 part sweetener. Bring to boil and then remove. Add in a splash of lemon juice to change up the color (gorgeous and so cool to watch!).
From left to right: Unsweetened violet water, sucanat, honey, maple, white sugar, and erythritol.
They all turned out beautifully, aside from the sucanat which is too dark to show the lovely lavender color of the violet water.
The floral flavor really comes through and it's SO pretty to look at! I'm making this an annual tradition. Although next time I won't bother with anything other than syrup and honey.
As is, the recipe makes up mixtures that are perfect for mixing into drinks. If you want a thicker, pour-over-your-pancakes type syrup, then just reduce it down a bit more to make it thicker. In the future, I'll probably keep the honey thinner and the maple syrup thicker.
In researching all this, I came to find that the real nutrition is in the leaves themselves. I picked a small bowl and plan to pick a few more. I'll dry them and then add them to our vitamin tea.
It started with a lot of violets.
[caption id="attachment_4299" align="aligncenter" width="225"]
Big bowl of violets[/caption]This is only a fraction of the violets that are out there!
Next, I poured boiling water over the violets and let them sit for about 36 hours.
Finally, I made up a bunch of syrups using different sweeteners, just to see which I liked best. The recipe I found called for 1 part violet water to 1 part sweetener. Bring to boil and then remove. Add in a splash of lemon juice to change up the color (gorgeous and so cool to watch!).
From left to right: Unsweetened violet water, sucanat, honey, maple, white sugar, and erythritol.
They all turned out beautifully, aside from the sucanat which is too dark to show the lovely lavender color of the violet water.
The floral flavor really comes through and it's SO pretty to look at! I'm making this an annual tradition. Although next time I won't bother with anything other than syrup and honey.
As is, the recipe makes up mixtures that are perfect for mixing into drinks. If you want a thicker, pour-over-your-pancakes type syrup, then just reduce it down a bit more to make it thicker. In the future, I'll probably keep the honey thinner and the maple syrup thicker.
In researching all this, I came to find that the real nutrition is in the leaves themselves. I picked a small bowl and plan to pick a few more. I'll dry them and then add them to our vitamin tea.
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