Week of 3/21/21- 3/27/21
It's the time of year for wild violets to start popping up! These pretty little deep purple flowers are edible! In the west, they are food for rare and endangered species of butterflies, so it would be best to leave these alone if you are living on the west side of the United States. I've seen these wild violets all over my neighborhood and even on my front lawn this week! They will start to disappear as it turns into summer, so now is the time to forage. They do have a toxic dupe, however, it looks nothing like the edible violets so it is easy to avoid. As you can see in the picture below, the wild violets are very deep purple and the fake ones are yellow, and their petals look entirely different. There are some color variations, I have white ones with purple streaks in my yard. These are also edible. Stay away from any yellow!
Months after flowering the seedpods explode and throw seeds violently and throws the seeds everywhere. Technically they are weeds. Wild violets are also said to have medicinal properties. Some people eat these in salads. make violet lemonade, or put them in teas. I've seen people online say to bake them into muffins. below is a recipe I found online for making violet lemonade. The lemonade is served at Disney, and people love to recreate it. Be careful if you decide to forage these, while they are edible if you aren't getting them from your yard it isn't safe to eat them straight away. Pesticides or chemicals could have been sprayed on them. Personally, I know my dog could have possibly used the bathroom on them, and it just grosses me out to think that any bug or animal could have touched them and I wouldn't know. While it is super awesome to find food outdoors, it is still outdoors. I picked some and gave them a good wash to be safe. If anyone reading this decides to forage please be cautious and safe, give the flowers a good rinse!
Along with the lemonade, freeze some of the violets in ice cubes and add them to the lemonade. Tasty and pretty!
Comentários