The blooming bright yellow flowers of the forsythia shrub is one of the first signs of spring, but not everyone knows that the blossoms are edible! Make this forsythia syrup with honey for a delicious spring treat.
A complete Ode à la Rose guide to cooking with violets, including preparation instructions and tips. Browse our violets recipes!
Did you know magnolias are edible? I love magnolias. They are such a large and beautiful flower, they were actually one of the first I learned how to make out of gum paste and were part of some award winning cakes of mine in high school. Well, it’s spring and that means trees and other plants start blooming and one of the first that comes out here in Missouri is magnolia! Back in California, there weren’t too many magnolia trees. I did have a neighbor around the corner from where I lived that h
The blooming bright yellow flowers of the forsythia shrub is one of the first signs of spring, but not everyone knows that the blossoms are edible! Make this forsythia syrup with honey for a delicious spring treat.
Hibiscus flower infused in sugar water, flavored with spice and lemon makes the gorgeous hibiscus syrup.
//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Lately I’ve spoken to several friends in the New England area and have been reminde…
Our backyard was overflowing with violets, so I thought I would try this awesome Violet Jelly recipe from Bakers Brigade. Of course I'd heard of Dandelion Jelly, but I hadn't seen a recipe for Violet Jelly before. I was really interested in the "magical color change" this food blogger spoke about. After collecting violets in a jar, you pour boiling water onto them. Then let the jar sit overnight to infuse and create a lovely sapphire blue "tea". When you strain out the flowers and add lemon juice, the dark blue tea turns purple. WOW! Just take a look at Bakers Brigade's cool color changing video or our time-lapse video. A post shared by Alison (@canning_crafts) on Apr 26, 2017 at 6:45am PDT Violet Jelly (makes approximately 4-half pint jars) 1 pint violet flowers (approx. 2 cups) 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 cups sugar (*see low sugar recipe note below) 3 oz. liquid pectin Collect a mason jar pint full of violet flowers. Pour boiling water into the jar of flowers. Gently press the violets to release any air bubbles. Cover the jar and keep out of the sun for 24 hours. By the next day, the violet “tea” will be sapphire blue. The next day, strain your violets through a colander lined with a coffee filter or paper towel. I also squeeze the flowers to release all the juices. You will need 2 cups of liquid, so you may need to add a little more water to the violet tea. Mix the tea and lemon juice in a large pot. At this point, you will see the dark blue tea turn purple. Oooooh aaahhhh. Magic! Bring the liquid to a boil and continue to boil for one minute. Add sugar and pectin, then bring to a hard boil one more minute. Turn the heat off and skim the top of the jelly if needed. Pour into sterilized mason jars. Makes approximately 4 half pints of jelly. Let cool and store in the fridge. Note: You could process the jars in a water bath to make them shelf stable, however, you would need to collect an awful lot of violets to make processing them worth it in my opinion. I’ve always just gotten enough violets for a few half pint jars at a time. Low-Sugar Recipe: Pomona's Pectin has a low-sugar Violet Jelly recipe. I recently tried this recipe and it tastes great! Pomona's pectin is a 2-part pectin that uses calcium water that allows you to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in jam and jelly recipes. Some Pomona's Pectin recipes reduce the sugar by 50% over a traditional recipe. So if you want to reduce sugar in pectin recipes, this is a good option. Our Cottage Chic Flower oval jar labels fit quilted canning jars, perfect for flower jelly! The resulting jelly is very sweet with a subtle floral taste. And the color is simply amazing! Who knew flowers could taste so good? If you have an abundance of these beautiful purple flowers in your yard, go pick them now! Violets are unlike dandelions, they won't last all season in your yard. Wild violets are typically found May through June in most areas (zones 3 through 9). Shop for Floral Canning Labels to decorate your jam & jelly jars. If you don't want to make jelly, you'll be happy to know there are plenty of other violet recipes to try. Violet Recipes: Sweet Violet Syrup Candied Violets Violet Sugar Violet Jam Violet Jelly Violet Muffins with Violet Sugar Violet Vinegar Violet Salad Violet Leaf Tea Violet Lemonade Recipe The process is pretty simple for violet lemonade. Spend hours collecting tiny violets in a mason jar, steep with hot water, strain out flowers, then add lemon juice. While it's back breaking collecting so many teeny-weeny flowers, it's worth it to witness the "magical" color change. After soaking the flowers overnight, the resulting liquid is a lovely sapphire blue. But once you add lemon juice to the strained solution, it turns purple. Ooooo aaaahhhh. Magic. I tested two batches of violet lemonade. For the first batch, I filled a pint mason jar HALF full of flowers. The second batch had a mason jar packed FULL of violets which resulted in a much darker navy blue color. I used one large fresh squeezed lemon and added several tablespoons of raw sugar. But wait, the color change is NOT magic. It's SCIENCE! You all know I like science. So WHY does the liquid change from blue to purple? It’s a basic acid/base chemical reaction. The anthocyanins (color pigments) in the violets (the base) are reacting to the lower pH from the lemon juice (the acid). oooooo SCIENCE! Violets have always been seen to have medicinal and even mystical properties. In the 10th century tome “Macer’s Herbal”, violets are noted to be powerful to combat “wykked sperytis”. 👻 Part of the mysticism surrounding them comes from their extract turning from dark purple to magenta when combined with lemon juice. Witness the magical & scientific color changing video below. Mwahahaha. Violet Lemonade Ice Cubes Recipe: When life gives you violet lemonade, you should make violet lemonade ice cubes! These tri-colored ice cubes are like a beautiful watercolor painting. It just takes a little patience to make the cubes because you have to freeze them in steps. You’ll need equal parts of blue violet water tincture and violet lemonade. To Make the Violet Lemonade: Add boiling water to a mason jar full of violet flowers. For the darkest blue water, steep overnight in refrigerator. Strain flowers from the blue violet water. Divide the blue violet water into two separate mason jars. Add lemon juice to ONE of the blue mason jars. The blue water will magically turn purple. Watch our color changing video. Oooooh Ahhhhh. Optional: Add a little sugar to the lemonade mix. To Make the Violet Lemonade Ice Cubes: Freeze violet flowers in ice cube trays with a small amount of water, about 1/4 inch. Make sure they are completely frozen before moving on to step 2. Remove ice cube tray from freezer and add about 1/4 inch of violet lemonade. Put in freezer until completely frozen again. Remove tray from freezer and add about 1/4 inch of blue violet water. Put in freezer until completely frozen again. Once the cubes are fully frozen, add them to violet lemonade, water, or other beverages. Violet Infused Vinegar Recipes I tested three different violet infused vinegars. For each, I filled a mason jar half full of violets. Then I filled each jar with a different vinegar. I used plain white vinegar, white rice vinegar, and a white wine vinegar. I added a piece of parchment paper under my metal rings so the vinegar didn't react with the metal. I then stored the jars in a cool dark place for a week. After a week or two, strain the violets from the vinegar. Each vinegar turned a lovely pinkish color from the violets. I'll make salad dressings with these colorful vinegars later this spring. Wild Violet Lemon Cookie Recipe Our Wild Violet Flower Lemon cookies are a real head turner! They are also a fun project for kids to help make. If you have an abundance of wild violet flowers in your yard, give this fun and healthy recipe a try. It will wow your friends and keep your kids busy in the yard. Read our blog post to get the Wild Violet Lemon Cookie recipe. Violet Salad You don't need a "fancy" recipe to eat violets. Besides eating them in jelly, cookies, or vinegar, you can eat the fresh in salads. Fix up any basic salad by topping it off with a sprinkle of fresh violets and a sweet vinaigrette. Nutritional Benefits of Wild Violets: So why eat violets? Well, they have fantastic health benefits much like dandelions. According to The Herbal Academy, violets have been used to treat: coughing and bronchitis colds and sore throats cystitis rheumatic complaints, reduce inflammation eczema psoriasis acne cradle cap for babies and even cancer! Violets have ample Vitamin C and A as well as other vitamins and minerals. Violet leaves are also sold as a supplement. Harvesting Wild Violets: There are 40-50 violet species in the US according to The Herbal Academy. Here's another handy website to help identify violet species. The medicinal properties of most wild violet species are interchangeable. They are NOT to be confused with the African Violet houseplant which will make you sick if eaten. Wild violets are typically found May through June in most areas (zones 3 through 9). Much like foraging for other edibles, be sure to harvest in areas free of pesticides. Avoid flowers in yards where pets may go to the bathroom as well. Harvest flowers and use fresh soon after picking or dry for later use. Our Cottage Chic Flower canning labels look great on any flower jam or jelly jars! Want to know more about eating flowers! Read our Using Dandelions as Food & Medicine blog post. Sign up for our newsletter to get more gardening tips, product updates, & a 10% off coupon on your first order of canning labels in our shop. Follow our Foraged Food & Wild Edibles Recipes Pinterest Board Have you ever made Violet Jelly or other flower recipes? If so, we'd love to hear about your foraging & cooking experiences in the comments blow.
A strawberry-rhubarb cordial brings springtime sweetness to this cognac cocktail from Aaron DeFeo at Little Rituals in Phoenix, Arizona.
This spring I vowed I was going to make use of the happy little flower that I grew up thinking was the enemy. I use this dandelion flower syrup on waffles!
Did you know magnolias are edible? I love magnolias. They are such a large and beautiful flower, they were actually one of the first I learned how to make out of gum paste and were part of some award winning cakes of mine in high school. Well, it’s spring and that means trees and other plants start blooming and one of the first that comes out here in Missouri is magnolia! Back in California, there weren’t too many magnolia trees. I did have a neighbor around the corner from where I lived that h
Learn how to identify and harvest violets and make a beautiful violet syrup.
This heavenly scented wisteria flower syrup recipe makes the ultimate non-alcoholic drink, also great drizzled over fruits and ice-cream… Click for recipe.
Siro Hoa Mộc Lan.
The first edible flower which I've used in the kitchen in this year was lilac. The lilac is rather delicate because it can easily become bit...
Violet Simple Syrup! Perfect in cocktails ( like a Violet infused French 75) or mocktails. Think Mothers Day, Bridal Showers or Weddings. Romantic, floral & feminine. The possibilities are endless!
This Magnolia flower syrup recipe is beautiful, sensual and delicious. Pure ecstasy to make you feel exquisite… Read more!
Originally cordials were made from wild fruits or leaves and flowers, boiled with honey, and later alcohol was added to the mixture to preserve the syrup. These alcoholic drinks were medicinal. Today the recipes do not contain alcohol anymore, and honey has been replaced by sugar. Also called squash, cordial is…
Our backyard was overflowing with violets, so I thought I would try this awesome Violet Jelly recipe from Bakers Brigade. Of course I'd heard of Dandelion Jelly, but I hadn't seen a recipe for Violet Jelly before. I was really interested in the "magical color change" this food blogger spoke about. After collecting violets in a jar, you pour boiling water onto them. Then let the jar sit overnight to infuse and create a lovely sapphire blue "tea". When you strain out the flowers and add lemon juice, the dark blue tea turns purple. WOW! Just take a look at Bakers Brigade's cool color changing video or our time-lapse video. A post shared by Alison (@canning_crafts) on Apr 26, 2017 at 6:45am PDT Violet Jelly (makes approximately 4-half pint jars) 1 pint violet flowers (approx. 2 cups) 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 cups sugar (*see low sugar recipe note below) 3 oz. liquid pectin Collect a mason jar pint full of violet flowers. Pour boiling water into the jar of flowers. Gently press the violets to release any air bubbles. Cover the jar and keep out of the sun for 24 hours. By the next day, the violet “tea” will be sapphire blue. The next day, strain your violets through a colander lined with a coffee filter or paper towel. I also squeeze the flowers to release all the juices. You will need 2 cups of liquid, so you may need to add a little more water to the violet tea. Mix the tea and lemon juice in a large pot. At this point, you will see the dark blue tea turn purple. Oooooh aaahhhh. Magic! Bring the liquid to a boil and continue to boil for one minute. Add sugar and pectin, then bring to a hard boil one more minute. Turn the heat off and skim the top of the jelly if needed. Pour into sterilized mason jars. Makes approximately 4 half pints of jelly. Let cool and store in the fridge. Note: You could process the jars in a water bath to make them shelf stable, however, you would need to collect an awful lot of violets to make processing them worth it in my opinion. I’ve always just gotten enough violets for a few half pint jars at a time. Low-Sugar Recipe: Pomona's Pectin has a low-sugar Violet Jelly recipe. I recently tried this recipe and it tastes great! Pomona's pectin is a 2-part pectin that uses calcium water that allows you to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in jam and jelly recipes. Some Pomona's Pectin recipes reduce the sugar by 50% over a traditional recipe. So if you want to reduce sugar in pectin recipes, this is a good option. Our Cottage Chic Flower oval jar labels fit quilted canning jars, perfect for flower jelly! The resulting jelly is very sweet with a subtle floral taste. And the color is simply amazing! Who knew flowers could taste so good? If you have an abundance of these beautiful purple flowers in your yard, go pick them now! Violets are unlike dandelions, they won't last all season in your yard. Wild violets are typically found May through June in most areas (zones 3 through 9). Shop for Floral Canning Labels to decorate your jam & jelly jars. If you don't want to make jelly, you'll be happy to know there are plenty of other violet recipes to try. Violet Recipes: Sweet Violet Syrup Candied Violets Violet Sugar Violet Jam Violet Jelly Violet Muffins with Violet Sugar Violet Vinegar Violet Salad Violet Leaf Tea Violet Lemonade Recipe The process is pretty simple for violet lemonade. Spend hours collecting tiny violets in a mason jar, steep with hot water, strain out flowers, then add lemon juice. While it's back breaking collecting so many teeny-weeny flowers, it's worth it to witness the "magical" color change. After soaking the flowers overnight, the resulting liquid is a lovely sapphire blue. But once you add lemon juice to the strained solution, it turns purple. Ooooo aaaahhhh. Magic. I tested two batches of violet lemonade. For the first batch, I filled a pint mason jar HALF full of flowers. The second batch had a mason jar packed FULL of violets which resulted in a much darker navy blue color. I used one large fresh squeezed lemon and added several tablespoons of raw sugar. But wait, the color change is NOT magic. It's SCIENCE! You all know I like science. So WHY does the liquid change from blue to purple? It’s a basic acid/base chemical reaction. The anthocyanins (color pigments) in the violets (the base) are reacting to the lower pH from the lemon juice (the acid). oooooo SCIENCE! Violets have always been seen to have medicinal and even mystical properties. In the 10th century tome “Macer’s Herbal”, violets are noted to be powerful to combat “wykked sperytis”. 👻 Part of the mysticism surrounding them comes from their extract turning from dark purple to magenta when combined with lemon juice. Witness the magical & scientific color changing video below. Mwahahaha. Violet Lemonade Ice Cubes Recipe: When life gives you violet lemonade, you should make violet lemonade ice cubes! These tri-colored ice cubes are like a beautiful watercolor painting. It just takes a little patience to make the cubes because you have to freeze them in steps. You’ll need equal parts of blue violet water tincture and violet lemonade. To Make the Violet Lemonade: Add boiling water to a mason jar full of violet flowers. For the darkest blue water, steep overnight in refrigerator. Strain flowers from the blue violet water. Divide the blue violet water into two separate mason jars. Add lemon juice to ONE of the blue mason jars. The blue water will magically turn purple. Watch our color changing video. Oooooh Ahhhhh. Optional: Add a little sugar to the lemonade mix. To Make the Violet Lemonade Ice Cubes: Freeze violet flowers in ice cube trays with a small amount of water, about 1/4 inch. Make sure they are completely frozen before moving on to step 2. Remove ice cube tray from freezer and add about 1/4 inch of violet lemonade. Put in freezer until completely frozen again. Remove tray from freezer and add about 1/4 inch of blue violet water. Put in freezer until completely frozen again. Once the cubes are fully frozen, add them to violet lemonade, water, or other beverages. Violet Infused Vinegar Recipes I tested three different violet infused vinegars. For each, I filled a mason jar half full of violets. Then I filled each jar with a different vinegar. I used plain white vinegar, white rice vinegar, and a white wine vinegar. I added a piece of parchment paper under my metal rings so the vinegar didn't react with the metal. I then stored the jars in a cool dark place for a week. After a week or two, strain the violets from the vinegar. Each vinegar turned a lovely pinkish color from the violets. I'll make salad dressings with these colorful vinegars later this spring. Wild Violet Lemon Cookie Recipe Our Wild Violet Flower Lemon cookies are a real head turner! They are also a fun project for kids to help make. If you have an abundance of wild violet flowers in your yard, give this fun and healthy recipe a try. It will wow your friends and keep your kids busy in the yard. Read our blog post to get the Wild Violet Lemon Cookie recipe. Violet Salad You don't need a "fancy" recipe to eat violets. Besides eating them in jelly, cookies, or vinegar, you can eat the fresh in salads. Fix up any basic salad by topping it off with a sprinkle of fresh violets and a sweet vinaigrette. Nutritional Benefits of Wild Violets: So why eat violets? Well, they have fantastic health benefits much like dandelions. According to The Herbal Academy, violets have been used to treat: coughing and bronchitis colds and sore throats cystitis rheumatic complaints, reduce inflammation eczema psoriasis acne cradle cap for babies and even cancer! Violets have ample Vitamin C and A as well as other vitamins and minerals. Violet leaves are also sold as a supplement. Harvesting Wild Violets: There are 40-50 violet species in the US according to The Herbal Academy. Here's another handy website to help identify violet species. The medicinal properties of most wild violet species are interchangeable. They are NOT to be confused with the African Violet houseplant which will make you sick if eaten. Wild violets are typically found May through June in most areas (zones 3 through 9). Much like foraging for other edibles, be sure to harvest in areas free of pesticides. Avoid flowers in yards where pets may go to the bathroom as well. Harvest flowers and use fresh soon after picking or dry for later use. Our Cottage Chic Flower canning labels look great on any flower jam or jelly jars! Want to know more about eating flowers! Read our Using Dandelions as Food & Medicine blog post. Sign up for our newsletter to get more gardening tips, product updates, & a 10% off coupon on your first order of canning labels in our shop. Follow our Foraged Food & Wild Edibles Recipes Pinterest Board Have you ever made Violet Jelly or other flower recipes? If so, we'd love to hear about your foraging & cooking experiences in the comments blow.
The blooming bright yellow flowers of the forsythia shrub is one of the first signs of spring, but not everyone knows that the blossoms are edible! Make this forsythia syrup with honey for a delicious spring treat.
This dark blue homemade simple syrup made with dried butterfly pea flowers. A deliciously sweet and floral way to add color to drinks.
Homemade honeysuckle syrup with its light, sweet flavor, is so easy to make! It can be used in several ways such as on foods and to sweeten herbal preparations. Here's a simple recipe to get you started. Try it today!
Violet syrup! Ah, the magic of a pure purple liquid that comes from mama nature. I couldn’t resist making up a batch for myself before all of my violets disappeared for the season. But I admit — I was intimidated by the idea of making violet syrup without using refined sugar — most of the recipes I’
The magical combination of fragrant elderflowers and fresh strawberries make this cordial/syrup extra special. Serve with sparkling water, soda water or lemonade, or for a very special occasion, serve with champagne for a champagne cocktail which is bound to wow any party or large gathering.
Live Lovely Photography
Get the recipe for an easy and delicious homemade elderflower syrup and very pretty elderflower-rose petals ice cubes. See more photos here.
If you love old fashioned candy, why not try making some yourself. These candymaking secrets, recipes and techniques come straight from the original antique candy cookbooks, back in the days when every neighborhood had its own candy store, and taffy...
Inside: This article is about the benefits of forsythia and how to use the early spring blossoms to make a golden herbal syrup for fun or for health! There are a few beautiful harbingers of Spring, but the sunny yellow blossoms of the forsythia are one of my favorites! When those happy blooms sta
A home-version of the classic French salmon with sorrel sauce. Any fatty fish is great here, or it can be used to sauce chicken, pork, or dumplings.
Grow flowers and eat them, too. Dutch model Kristel van Valkenhoef makes fanciful candy with botanical ingredients. Check out her Botanic Bakery.
Learn how to cook your Christmas tree with this guide on making pine syrup from Food Network Magazine.
A traditional Scandinavian foraging recipe, made with fresh dandelions and green apples.
Since yesterday summer has finally arrived here in Berlin! It´s 22°C each day this week and I think during the weekend it´s supposed to get even warmer. Yay! Perfect timing that we share this easy and delicious lilac syrup recipe with you guys. As we already told you in the last post we are totally in love with lilacs.
Violet syrup is simple to make and adds a beautiful pop of color to spring drinks. Grab a basket, pick some violets, and let's make a batch!
Looking for a beautiful, delicious edible weed to use straight from your yard this Spring? Learn how to harvest and prepare grape hyacinth simple syrup...
Browse all of our recipes! Hundreds of healthy, seasonal, whole-food recipes your whole family will love. Vegan & Mediterranean diet options!
