Wild Violet Syrup, or The Actual Nectar of the Gods

So a week ago, I was overjoyed and utterly ecstatic to pick up my best friend/ soul-twin, Evie, from Asheville and then keep her for a week. It had been a few months since I'd seen her, but as it always goes between true friends, it felt as though no time had passed at all. We sang, we danced, we drank, we laughed, and of course, we cooked. 

A few days before she arrived, I had read a blog post about making Wild Violet Syrup. I was intrigued and wanted to try it ASAP of course, but was disappointed to find that we had no violets in our yard. So, I filed the post away for future reference and sighed, my stomach craving floral goodness more and more with each passing moment.

So, with no violets and one best friend, I set out to have an amazing week. On the second day of her visit, we were doing some work outside, picking up sticks and making wreaths and such, when--to my disbelief and delight--we stumbled upon a humongous patch of beautiful dark purple Viola odorata and white and purple Viola sororia. Violets! Tons of them! All over our lower yard! I was amazed!

I sent Evie up to the house for a large mug and began gathering the magical little buds into my shirt as quickly and as diligently as possible. About half an hour later, we'd nearly cleared out the whole patch, leaving enough to re-flower and spread. We took our harvest up to the house where Wee One had awoken from his nap, and whilst Evie played choo-choo trains with him, I began the arduous task of pulling the stems off of all of the violets and making sure they were all well washed and bug-free. (Killed found seventeen ants and two spiders! Yuck!)

Once the blooms were clean, bug-free, and de-stemmed, I packed them as tightly as I could into a jam jar and covered it with water and about a tablespoon or two of vodka. Now, our task was simply to wait. The original recipe called for waiting 24-48 hours, shaking the jar once or twice a day. I am impatient (at best) though, and managed to shake the jar quite vigorously numerous times a day for the next four days. After four days of shaking and steeping, I drained the liquid (which, to my surprise and delight had turned the most beautiful shade of purple I'd ever seen!) off, making sure to press the flowers and get as much liquid out as possible.

Purple, purple, purple!

 Look at the pretty!

I measured the gorgeous purple liquid into a saucepan and added the same amount of sugar in. I then heated it very slowly and very gently, making sure to not bring it to a boil, and cut the heat as soon as the sugar was fully dissolved.

Once the heat is off, pour your syrup into a mason jar and add a tablespoon more of vodka for each cup of syrup. Pop a lid on, give it a shake, and keep it in the fridge. 

The smell of this liquid is like the essence of a million wild violets that have been sprinkled with honey water. It is literally the most amazing scent I've ever experienced. I adore floral flavors like lavender and rose and hibiscus, so violet was something I was excited to try. I'm still just pleased as punch that we found all of those violets, because this may just be my most favorite thing I've ever made. Later that night, Evie and I enjoyed bowls of vanilla ice cream with violet syrup poured over it.

Other ways to enjoy this fantastic syrup is to make cocktails with it (I'm considering trying a Whiskey Violet instead of a Whiskey Sour), pour it over pancakes, and soak cake layers in it for a delicious floral kick. But don't stop there! Come up with your own uses! Maybe you baste a lamb leg with it, or add a spoonful to your green tea, or make violet fudge! I urge you to get out in your backyard and look around for those delightful little purple flowers and gather up as many as possible. (If you live in a fairly rural area of course, and know that no pesticides have been used)

Until next time, Kitchen Comrades!