Violets

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Peanut

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They are high in vitamin A and C. I’ve heard there are as many as 900 species of wild violets in the US. That said they can be loosely put in 2 groups Wood violets and Sweet violets. The sweet violets have a small bloom but a strong scent. Wood violets have a large bloom and hardly any scent.

The leaves and blooms are edible. I have blooms on a salad sometimes. Don’t eat the root unless you want to spend some time on the porcelain thrown.

The pic is of a Wood violet, Viola pedata or Bird’s Foot Violet. I found about an acre filled with blue blooms today. It looked nice.

Birds foot violet_v1.jpg
 
They are high in vitamin A and C. I’ve heard there are as many as 900 species of wild violets in the US. That said they can be loosely put in 2 groups Wood violets and Sweet violets. The sweet violets have a small bloom but a strong scent. Wood violets have a large bloom and hardly any scent.

The leaves and blooms are edible. I have blooms on a salad sometimes. Don’t eat the root unless you want to spend some time on the porcelain thrown.

The pic is of a Wood violet, Viola pedata or Bird’s Foot Violet. I found about an acre filled with blue blooms today. It looked nice.

View attachment 5538
It is a beautiful flower.

I have a neighbor who lets violets grow and spread on his property. So I have lots of them on my property, in spite of pulling them out. For a while, I let them be, but they would take over if I did nothing about them.

He also has creeping bellflower and lets it grow wherever it wants. It is an invasive species in Canada and in places in the United States. I have it on my property and have worked to get rid of it, with little success.
 
I harvested the sweet violets on my homestead for many years. My house rabbit loves them so I would pick plenty. They grew on our lawn and were plentiful.
 
Here are some sweet violets growing on my homestead in the spring. I believe they are the sweet violets as these are growing in the yard and not in the woods. What I like about these is they seem to survive the lawn mower since my hubby does not cut it real short.

violets_bst_600.JPG
 
I love violet-pineapple salad! Simple and refreshing.

Toss together chilled pineapple chunks with chopped or torn violet leaves. Drizzle with honey if sweetener is desired. Garnish with violet flowers, and enjoy a healthful taste treat!
 
Up the river, we have purple, purple and white, and white. They smell heavenly right now. I have made violet jelly many times (it takes a lot!) I'm not much for jams and jellies, but I like this one. They are delicious and very gentle to the taste buds.
@joel I do think there are many kinds of violets (think Peanut said that already). Also, believe there is a "violet society". It probably includes house violets, but I know garden violets are a significant focus. If you search for the society &/or varieties, you might find what you are after and possibly someone willing to share. If you know the name of the one(s) you are after, I'm sure that would help.
 
When I was working for the local school district I found purple sweet violets growing at the base of a large maple tree, the smell was amazing and the flavor was very good, I did some research on their use and found that the Romans used them in making wine. I should try to start them around our trees, they seem to like growing around trees, they would be great in salads.
 

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