Shirley Maly gave a super presentation on violets. A few of the cool facts that she presented:
- Violets are traditionally used in May Day baskets.
- Not all violets are edible – so be sure you know which ones you have,
- Violets are part of the genus Viola. African violets are NOT part of this family and are not edible.
- 1/2 cup of violets has the same amount of Vitamin C as 3 oranges!
- Shakespeare used violets in Hamlet to represent constancy and devotion.
- In the 1930’s, Eleanor Roosevelt used violets to represent friendship and love.
She also explained how to make sugared violets which are great for decorating baked goods:
- Wash and dry in a salad spinner your violets.
- Spread 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a pan.
- Lay the violets on the sugar and gently press them into the sugar.
- Spread another 1/2 cup of sugar over the violets and let this dry for several days.
- When dry, carefully remove the violets from the sugar. The sugar can be reused or used in teas (because now it has a nice violet-y flavor).
For more information on culinary uses of violets see this American Violet Society’s web page.
For more in-depth information on violets, go to the American Violet Society’s website.