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Did you know that those little purple “weeds” that pop up in your yard in early spring aren’t weeds at all? They are wild violets (viola odorata), also known as common blue violets, and they are edible & medicinal! Let’s talk about turning these beautiful purple flowers into a wild violet jelly to add a floral kick to your breakfast table!

Foraging Wild Violets

Foraging for wild violets is pretty straightforward, but there are a few things to keep in mind…

Make sure that you are collecting common blue violets from an area that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. It is best to avoid roadsides because they are usually sprayed.
Only forage for violets when the flowers are blooming. There are other plants with similar heart shaped leaves so violets are much easier to identify when in bloom.

**The lesser celandine is the violet look alike to watch out for. The flowers of this plant are yellow and look nothing like violets, BUT the leaves are very similar. Lesser celandine is toxic so only gather violet leaves when the flowers are visible.

If you are just wanting the flowers for tea or wild violet jelly, pick them off at the top of the stem and place them in a jar. If you want to gather violet leaves as well, pick at the base of the plant.
Gather enough flowers to make your jelly. If you pick more than needed, simply dehydrate them for later use.
African violets are not to be used in place of the common blue violet for wild violet tea or any other recipe.

Health Benefits of Wild Violet

The common blue violet is a wild flower that has several medicinal properties. This herb is:

Anti-inflammatory– It can be used to ease skin conditions like sunburn, eczema, bug bites, etc.
Expectorant– Wild violets have been known to ease sore throat and congestion.
Lymph moving – Great for dry respiratory infections and fibrocystic breasts.
Immune System Boosting– Violets are high in antioxidants and vitamin a & vitamin c.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This is for informational purposes only, this is not diagnosis or treatment and always check with your medical professional of choice before using anything medicinally.

**The statements made about specific plants on this web site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Wild Violet Jelly Recipe

This homemade jelly is simple to make and it is gorgeous to look at!

Violet Jelly Ingredients

2 cups Wild Violet Blossoms
4 cups water
Lemon Juice from 1 lemon
4 cups Sugar
1 package powdered Pectin

wild violet blossoms in a jar and a measuring cup

Wild Violet Jelly Instructions

STEP 1

Gently rinse the fresh flowers to remove dirt and insects.

STEP 2

Make wild violet tea with the violet blossoms. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over 2 cups of violet blossoms in a warmed large mason jar (a quart size canning jar is perfect). Cover and let steep overnight in a dark place. This will leave you with 3 ½ cups of violet tea.

Wild violet tea steeping to make wild violet jelly

STEP 3

After the tea has steeped and turned a dark sapphire blue you can strain the flowers out with a fine mesh strainer, flour sack towel, or a coffee filter. Add the spent flowers to your kitchen compost pail. Pour tea into a saucepan and add the lemon juice. The lemon juice will make the tea change from blue to a beautiful purple.

STEP 4

To turn the tea into wild violet jelly, add the pectin to the tea and bring it to a boil. Stir in the sugar to dissolve and bring it back up to a boil for 2 minutes.

Making wild violet jelly | violet tea and lemon juice in a saucepan. jar of sugar and boxes of pectin in front

STEP 5

Remove from heat. Skim the top if needed.

Canning Wild Violet Jelly

STEP 1

Pour hot liquid into hot sterile jars with ¼ inch headspace.

STEP 2

Remove air bubbles on the sides with a plastic/silicone spatula or a chopstick.

STEP 3

Wipe the jar rims. Make sure they are dry.

STEP 4

Add the lids and bands fingertight.

STEP 5

Place the wild violet jelly in the hot water bath canner and process for 10 minutes.

STEP 6

Let the jars sit on a cooling rack for 24 hours before moving. You will be able to hear the lids pop as the seals set.

Jars of wild violet jelly on a cooling rack

Notes:

•You can use a pint mason jars, smaller jelly jars, or quart size canning jars for this.

•The African violet houseplant is not edible and should not be used in place of the common wild violet.

Wild violet jelly being spread on a piece of toast

Other Uses for Common Blue Violets

1. Wild Violet Tea

Drink the violet tea as is instead of turning it into wild violet flower jelly. This herbal tea can be enjoyed hot or iced.

2. Violet Leaf Salve

Violet leaves can be made into a salve that can reduce inflammation and heal dry skin.

3. Violet Infusion

Violet Infused Honey

Infuse Wild Violet flowers in honey to soothe sore throats or to add a floral flavor to this natural sweetener.

Violet Infused Aloe vera

Wild violet leaves and flowers can be infused into aloe vera to help ease sunburns.

Violet Infused Oil

Use Violet infused oil on its own or to make salves and balms.

4. Violet Sugar

Make a pretty purple violet sugar to dress up your desserts and to add a purple hue to sweetened drinks. This is more for the aesthetic than for taste.

5. Violet Vinegar

Wild violet vinegar can be used as a hair rinse (great for people who use shampoo bars), on the skin to soothe sunburn, to relieve pain from stings, or to use in food dishes in place of regular cooking vinegar.

6. Wild Violet Syrup Recipe

Make a simple syrup from wild violet tea to use in coffee, make cocktails, or to pour over pancakes.

7. Violet Lemonade

Violet lemonade is a refreshing and beautiful summertime drink. Violets are a natural pH indicator so when you add lemon juice to the dark blue tea, it turns into a gorgeous purple! This also makes a great science lesson for the kids!

Wild violet lemonade with a violet blossom on top

8. Herbal Violet Bath Salt

Add dried and crumbled violet flowers to homemade bath salts for a relaxing bath before bed.

Wild Violet Jelly Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Wild Violet Blossoms
4 cups water
Lemon Juice from 1 lemon
4 cups Sugar
1 package powdered Pectin

Instructions

STEP 1

Gently rinse the fresh flowers to remove dirt and insects.

STEP 2

STEP 3

After the tea has steeped and turned a dark sapphire blue you can strain the flowers out with a fine mesh strainer, flour sack towel, or a coffee filter. Pour tea into a saucepan and add the lemon juice. The lemon juice will make the tea change from blue to a beautiful purple.

STEP 4

Add the pectin to the tea and bring it to a boil. Stir in the sugar to dissolve and bring it back up to a boil for 2 minutes.

STEP 5

Remove from heat. Skim the top if needed.

Canning Wild Violet Jelly

STEP 1

Pour hot liquid into hot sterile jars with ¼ inch headspace.

STEP 2

Remove air bubbles on the sides with a plastic/silicone spatula or a chopstick.

STEP 3

Wipe the jar rims. Make sure they are dry.

STEP 4

Add the lids and bands fingertight.

STEP 5

Place in the hot water bath canner and process for 10 minutes.

STEP 6

Let the jars sit on a cooling rack for 24 hours before moving. You will be able to hear the lids pop as the seals set.

Notes

You can use a pint mason jars, smaller jelly jars, or quart size canning jars for this.
The African violet houseplant is not edible and should not be used in place of the common wild violet.