Violets are one of my favorite “weeds.” Now that the winter solstice has come, the days are getting longer and I start thinking about being outside and what planty things I will be doing come spring and reminiscing about experiences gone by. I recall walking about my yard tending to various plant related things noticing these lovely purple little flowers all in the grass. I had never seen them before. I thought "hmmm, how could so many viola seeds get all over the yard?" I continued on my busy tasks of watering and checking on plants and said I would research them later. Well as the universe would have it one of my favorite YouTuber's posted a video about violets the same evening!
FreshcutKY shared links from her video including: Violet’s Edible and Medicinal Uses from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. In addition Mother Earth News provided additional information on Sweet Violets including the history and medicinal uses for this plant. Some of my favorite uses are to promote sleep and to treat inflammations and coughs. I'm always looking for alternatives to OTC cough medicine and I was grateful to see how to add this to my herbal arsenal.
Violets are lovely to include in salads or on sandwiches, candied or even frozen in ice cubes! I even took a stab at creating violet simple syrup using this recipe: http://www.feastingathome.com/violette-syrup/
As you start to dream of your outdoor time, consider violets to be more than pretty weeds. Try incorporating it into your life!
