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edible flowers

Condiments/ Edible Flowers/ Recipes

Wild Violet Jelly Recipe

Sometimes when I see or read an idea, I know instantly: I will do that.  I latch on to it and become determined to make it happen.  That’s how it was for me when I first heard of wildflower jelly.

Last year I made dandelion jelly first, but was sad to have missed the wild violet season. This year I was determined to make the violet jelly, so I did that first.

I have a growing collection of edible flower recipes which I will share this summer as the flowers come in season.

The jelly has a sweet floral fragrance and taste. Not very strong. But very beautiful.

The common blue violet has grown as a “weed” in our lawns in Utah, Kansas, and Indiana. The leaves are dark green, heart-shaped and toothed. There are five violet-colored petals that are irregular in a group of two and three. The blossom hangs off of a crook at the top of the stem.

Make sure you are confident in identifying the common blue violet before picking some blossoms. Always make sure you are harvesting from an area that is not sprayed or treated with any chemicals.

Gather 2 cups of blue violets. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the blossoms to steep them like tea. Steep blossoms in water overnight. 

Strain the blossoms out by pouring water into a second container through a floursack towel to keep out all the dirt. (See what got left behind?)

The violet water is a deep blue color, but when you add lemon juice (the acidity is necessary to preserve the jelly) it turns a bright fuchsia color.

Add water if needed to make 2 cups.  Add lemon juice. 

Follow directions for your pectin. For example my directions stated: Add pectin to juice.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve.  Add sugar, return to rolling boil, and boil for one minute exactly.  Ladle into jars and process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.  (Makes 12 4oz jars)

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Wild Violet Jelly

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A sweet fuchsia-colored jelly made from wild common blue violet blossoms.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups violet blossoms, stems removed
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1 package pectin (I used sure-jel for these)
  • 4 cups sugar

Instructions

1

Steep blossoms in water overnight. Strain out the blossoms. Add water if needed to make 2 cups. Add lemon juice. Follow directions for your pectin–my instructions were: Add pectin to juice. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Add sugar, return to rolling boil, and boil for one minute exactly. Ladle into jars and process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. (Makes 12 4oz jars)

Honey Sweetened Violet Jelly

I experimented with using honey instead of white sugar to make the jelly.  I use Pomona’s Pectin. I used one cup of the violet water and followed the directions in Pomona’s for a basic jelly.  It was 1T lemon juice; 1/4 cup honey; 1 tsp of the calcium water (that comes with the Pomona’s Pectin); and 1 tsp of pectin. (Makes 3 4oz jars)

Next time I will use a little bit more pectin because it was a pretty loose set, and I may add a bit more honey–it was a very mellow jelly.  It definitely has some floral hints to it and I could taste the honey.  Obviously the jelly was more cloudy from the honey.

April 21, 2022
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Condiments/ Gardening/ Herb Garden/ Recipes

3 Things to do with Chives and Chive Blossoms–Chive and Onion Dip Recipe

When you plant an herb like chives you are setting yourself up to have years and years of more fresh herbs than you even know what to do with–that is the right kind of problem to have!

Chives is perennial herb in the allium or onion family. Chives have a zesty flavor similar to onions but that is milder, not quite so sharp. To retain their bright flavor chives are most often used raw.

I want to share with you three ideas of how to use your home-grown chives–each at a different stage of the plant.

  • chive and onion dip
  • chive blossom vinegar
  • harvesting chive seeds

Chive and Onion Dip

Harvest a small bunch of chives by snipping them low on the plant, about an inch above the base.

Mince 3 tablespoons of chives. (Printable recipe at the bottom.)

It is quick and easy to mince chives by using scissors or nippers to cut 1/4 inch slices of a whole bunch at once.

Measure 1 teaspoon each of salt, onion powder, and dried, minced onion.

Stir the spices and chives into 16 ounces of sour cream, reserving about 1/2 tablespoon of chives. Sprinkle remaining chives on top for garnish.

Serve with chips or with sliced vegetables like carrot, celery, and sweet pepper sticks for dipping.

Chive Blossom Vinegar

Chives produce beautiful purple flowers that are edible. Chive blossoms have a very similar taste to the the chives, mildly spicy and onion-flavored.

Why do your chives not have blossoms? Chives begin flowering their second spring in the garden, and continue to spread.

Here’s the size comparison of my chives their second and third Springs in the garden.

The blossoms make a great edible garnish for soups or salads.

Chive-blossom vinegar is a well-known product that sounds gourmet, but couldn’t be simpler to make.

To harvest, snip or pinch chive blossoms from the end of their stems.

At this point you can trim back that stem to an inch above the base. If you leave the stem it will dry out hard and brown in the center of the chives.

Collect enough blossoms to fill a jar of your choosing.

Fill jar with chive blossoms and cover completely with white vinegar.

Store jar in a dark cupboard for two weeks. The vinegar will become infused with the oniony flavor and amazing color of the chive blossoms.

Strain out the chive blossoms and store the vinegar in a clean jar.

Chive blossom vinegar is great to use in salad dressings or marinades.

Harvesting Chive Seeds

If you do not harvest the chive blossoms they will dry up and produce seeds.

You should remove these dry heads if you do not want your chives spreading any faster than they will simply from the bulbs underground.

But the seeds are easy to harvest and plant.

Rub the dried flowers between your hands to break up the blossoms and release the seeds.

You can separate the seeds from the chaff a bit, but really don’t need to. Sprinkle the seeds on top of potting mix and spray well with a spray bottle. Cover with a sandwich bag to keep in the humidity.

Keep moist for 1-2 weeks and keep indoors or in a semi-shady area outside, until you see about half the seeds sprouting. Then remove the plastic. Let the chives “harden off” in a semi shady area outside for a few days, then move to a semi-sunny area for a few days before planting out.

Why would I want more chives?

LOL! A pot of chives makes a great gift for someone to keep on their kitchen windowsill.

Chives are a great pest-deterrent in a vegetable garden or around fruit trees.

A group of chives has a beautiful spiky form with dark green shoots and showy purple flowers in the spring that make them an excellent specimen for cottage gardens or formal planting borders alike.

Print Recipe

Chive and Onion Dip

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Condiments
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes

This classic dip is great served with chips or sliced vegetables like carrot, celery, and sweet pepper sticks for dipping.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbls fresh chives, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried, minced onion
  • 16oz sour cream

Instructions

1

Mince chives. It is quick and easy to mince chives by using scissors or nippers to cut 1/4 inch slices of the whole bunch at once.

2

Reserve about 1/2 tablespoon of chives to sprinkle on top for garnish. Stir the spices and remaining chives into sour cream until well-incorporated.

3

Garnish and serve with potato chips or sliced vegetables like carrot, celery, and sweet pepper sticks for dipping.

January 21, 2022
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