Friday, May 2, 2014

Violet Jelly

Violets
I wanted to make violet jelly last year, but I totally missed the window for flowers.  This year I did much better.  I managed to catch the beginning of the flowering period this year.  I went out to my mom's the end of last week to pick violets.  I picked almost half of a gallon Ziploc bag of flowers.
Violet Tea


I was not able to make the jelly the same day so I put the flowers in their gallon Ziploc into the fridge.  When I was ready to get started I rinsed the flowers and poured them into a quart jar.  To this jar I added boiling water to fill the jar.  After letting this mixture cool, I put it back in the fridge overnight.  After letting the flowers steep overnight I pulled it out to finish the jelly.
Sugar and Pectin Added
I always start a jelly session by making sure that the necessary jars, lids and rims are clean and sterilized.  This prevents jelly spoilage.  I also make sure that my canning funnel and ladle are also sterilized.
You can see the difference in color that adding
the lemon juice makes
For the jelly itself, I started by straining the flower tea through a cheesecloth placed over a strainer.  Next I measured out the tea and added water to make 6 cups of liquid.  I added 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1/3 cup of pectin and 5 cups of sugar to the tea.  I always make my jelly by taste.  After tasting the jelly I added a 6th cup of sugar to the pot.
The color changes again after you start heating it
I boiled the jelly testing frequently for jell.  I don't do this the same way that most people do.  I keep a small plate and a metal spoon on the stove top.  Every few minutes I dip a spoonful of the jelly out and let it cool on the plate.  I do this until the jelly sets up in the bowl of the spoon.
All finished


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9 comments:

  1. This looks great! I know violets are edible, but I have never heard of Violet Jelly..... thank you for sharing this.......and your jellies look so delicious and beautiful!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! This on has a little but more of a green flavor than I expected, but it is still good. I think I left a little too much of the stem on the flowers.

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  2. Fascinating! What does it taste like? Pinning to my wild edibles board. Thanks for sharing.
    Janet
    http://ouroneacrefarm.com/topics/wild-edibles/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It tastes a little floral, but definitely different than my rose petal or queen anne's lace jelly. This batch did taste a little bit more "green" than I exepected, but again I think I left a little bit too much stem on the flower.

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  3. Do you process the jars in a water bath once they're filled? And, does it matter what kind of violets you use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, I don't water bath. I leave them turned on their lids for 5 - 10 minutes and that is almost always enough to achieve a good seal. If it is not you could water bath them at that point. And you can use any kind of violets. I used the wild purple violets.

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  4. How interesting! I'm just beginning to learn about making jelly from flowers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a lot of fun and a very interesting thing to play around with. I do recommend that if you are picking in the wild that you have someone with you that is familiar with the plants in your area and is experienced in plant identification.

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