Sweet Violet Syrup and other Recipes

Who are the violets now That strew the green lap of the new Come spring?

                                                                      Richard II

Within Christian symbolism the violet stands for the virtue of humility, or humble modesty, and several legends tell of violets springing up on the graves of virgins and saints. European folktales associate violets with death and mourning.

The leaves are tasty both raw and cooked. They are a wonderful addition to fresh salads for a vitamin boost. The flowers are sweet and tangy, and make a gorgeous garnish on salads and desserts.

Medicinally, violet is a gentle but potent remedy. It is classified as an alternative (or "blood purifier"), which means it helps the body restore optimal functioning by aiding metabolic processes, especially the elimination of waste products. Violet stimulates the lymphatic glands, helping the body get rid of bacteria and other toxins. It is especially useful for swollen glands. Over time, violet can help clear stubborn problems like eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Taking Violet after a long winter is a wonderful way to get our bodies ready for a healthy and energetic spring.

Violet also supports the immune system, helping to clear infections of all kinds. Soothing and cooling, it helps reduce fever and inflammation. It can be useful in treating sinus infections, bronchitis, sore throats and coughs.

Violet leaves can even help to shrink tumors and cancers. They are most effective when taken both internally and used externally as a poultice. They are also helpful in clearing up other growths and lumps such as cysts, mastitis, and fibrocystic breasts.

Making Violet Syrup

The first step is gathering violet flowers.  Fill a one quart canning, packing loosely.

Pour boiling water into the jar, over the violet flower and filled it to the top. Put a plastic lid on it and let it sit to cool for a while. Once it was cool enough to handle put it in the fridge to cool over night. 

Strain the water from the violet flowers using a fine mesh strainer, measuring and pouring into a large kettle as you go along.

I averaged about 2 and 1/4 cups to 2 and 1/3 cups from each one quart jar I strained.

Use equal amounts of sugar to make a light syrup. You can use any kind of sugar you like. I used raw cane sugar to make my syrup.

Add the sugar to the strained liquid and bring to a boil, continue on a light boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

At this point you may either preserve your syrup in canning jars according to the manufactures instructions or you may put it in a clean and sterilized jar or bottle of your choice to refrigerate for near future use.

You can use your Violet Syrup over pancakes, scones, waffles, you can add it to your tea, or use it on Derby Day and make some Violet Julips.

Violet Julip

1.5 ounces bourbon

1.5 ounces Violet Syrup
1.5 ounces lemon juice

4-6 Violet flowers

To a tall glass add bourbon and violet syrup. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with violet flowers. 

In the same fashion you can make
Violet Vinegar.

Fill a pint jar, loosely packed, with violet flowers. In a small sauce pan heat a cup plus a splash more of apple cider vinegar to boiling. When hot remove from heat and pour in jar over the violet flowers. Cover with a plastic lid. Cool and place in a cool dark place from 1 to 6 weeks until desired color is reached.

Strain and decant into pretty clean and sterilized bottles.

Uses: 

• Full strength on a cotton ball is very cooling and good to relieve bug bites and itchy spots. 
• Makes a lovely hair rinse; assists in soap removal, can help control dandruff.
• Add 1/2 to 1 cup to bathwater for some softening, skin soothing and anti inflammatory properties. If you add Epsom Salts to the mix the synergy becomes more powerful; add equal amounts of both. 
• Dilute to half strength and store in a micro mist spray bottle in the fridge for sunburn.
• Micro mist spray on your face for Rosecea.
• Mix: 3 parts Witch Hazel to 1 part Violet Vinegar for after shave splash.
• Sooth tired achy feet in a foot bath.

Violet Vinaigrette

Combine:

• 3 Tablespoons light oil
• 2 Tablespoons Violet Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon crumbled bacon
• 1/2 teaspoons chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

Shake together in a covered jar and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld together. Shake again and pour over salad. Recipe may easily be multiplied.

Note: Violet Vinegar should be stored in a dark cabinet as the light will fade the beautiful color. It will keep at least a year though the color is most brilliant during the first months.

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you. Please note that the information here is not to be used in place of professional medical advice from your Doctor. I am not a medical practitioner but a woman who loves nature.  Do you have any other recipes and uses for violets that I could add to this page? Do you like to use natural ingredients? What are some of your favorites?

Peace, Kirsten

Keep Scrolling for the Iroquois Legend of the Violet...

Many Moons before the white man came to the land of the Red Indian, there lived a young warrior who was the pride of his tribe; for dangerous deeds had he accomplished for the good of his people. He had slain the Great Heron that destroyed their children, and he had brought back from the Mountain of the Witches the healing roots that cured the plague.

Once when he led a band of warriors against another tribe, he saw in the lodge of one of his enemies a maiden so gentle and lovely that he longed to have her for his wigwam. But because of the strife between the two tribes, he could not buy her with quills of the Wampum Bird.

So after he had returned victorious with his warriors to his own village, he often thought of the maiden, and how, unless he could light his wigwam with the brightness of her eyes, he would no longer lead out his young men to battle.

At last he went forth alone, and hid in the woods near the village of his enemies. There he watched patiently for the maiden whose eyes had softened his heart.

He sang her praises so often that the little birds took up his song and carried it in their flight, over valley and meadow. The Bear, the Fox, and the Beaver heard him murmur her name in his sleep, and thought that a bright new flower had been born in the woodland.

With the calls of the song-birds, he wooed the maiden from her lodge, and lifting her, bore her away toward the hunting-grounds of his people.

But, alas! a suitor of the maiden saw her carried swiftly off upon the shoulder of the dreaded warrior. He dared not follow, but fled to the village and gave the alarm. The braves left him—a coward—in the hands of the women, and hastened in pursuit of the maiden and her lover.

They followed them over mountains and plains all through the dark night. And as the morning dawned, they found them in the forest. And when the braves saw the maiden, they were filled with anger, for she had plaited her hair about the neck of the young man, to show that she was a willing captive and had given him her heart.

Then her people, enraged at their foe for his daring, and at the maiden because she had deserted her tribe, killed them both, and left their bodies lying where they fell.

And from this spot in the forest sprang up the first Blue Violets. And the winds and the birds carried the seeds of the flowers and scattered them over all the Earth. So they did, that in the Springtime youths and maidens might pluck the little blue flower that breathes of constant love.

Old World Bread

Old World Bread

 

I got this recipe from a friend who used it with home ground wheat flour. Very good.

Here is the original recipe the way it was given to me. 

3 1/2 cups flour (1/2 can be whole wheat)

2 teaspoons non iodized salt

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

Stir with fingers.

Add 1 1/2 cups non-chlorinated water

Stir with a wooden spoon.

Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, the longer the better.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Form loaf and place in roaster/dutch oven sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover and cook 30 minutes.

Uncover and cook 10-15 minutes more.

What I did.

After the dough sat on the counter overnight in a covered bowl I found it was a bit sticky so I used a few Tablespoons of flour around the edges so I could get it out of the bowl and then I formed it on a parchment covered baking sheet and slashed the top. Covered it again for an hour and let it rise.

I placed the bread in a 400 degree preheated oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

Which was perfect.

I love the idea of making the dough the night before and I think I will try to get more into that habit so there is fresh bread in the morning instead of just for dinner. Please tell me what you think.

Peace, Kirsten

 

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Water Bottles

Water is good for us! We should drink lots of pure water... I do! The only thing was I was drinking it out of plastic water bottles. I was going through a case of water every week. To be honest with you I wasn't exactly worried about the plastic I was producing because... "I recycle"! My decision to look into a different way was more on the economic level... it adds up! I would go through a case of bottled water, then I would buy water at the corner store, then we would go on a jaunt and I would buy 5 more bottles at the corner store.... well, all of that was equivalent to about $600 a year. After a few years that adds up to quite a bit! Make sure you read all the way to the bottom to see what I did.

Here is the average life of a Water Bottle:

 

More Reading:  

These are now my water bottles: I fill the tea kettle and set these clear, 16 oz. EZ Cap Beer Bottles in the sink and pour the boiling water into them and seal them. They are clean for relatively soon use, they are not sterilized for long term storage. 

Photos by Kirsten Hughes Photography

Kim Chee

What is Kim Chee?

Kimchi or Kim Chee is a traditional fermented Korean delicacy which is made from vegetables including cabbage and a wide range of spices and seasonings. It is the national dish of Korea and has been a staple of their food since ages.

What's it good for?

You can go to this page and read the health benefits:
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-kimchi.html


When I first made kim chee, I found this recipe and used it as a jumping off point. (I had to laugh – this cook is even more loose about instructions than I am: “For amounts you can just go by feelings…”)  My family loves this. It’s spicy and crunchy and salty – a great side dish to go with meat and fish when you don’t have time to make a salad.

Kim Chee

•1 head cabbage
•3 small bunches bok choy
•3 green onions, sliced
•about 1 cup daikon, shredded (I use my veggie peeler)
•about 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced or shredded
•1.5 tablespoons Hawaiian salt or rock salt
•8-10 cloves garlic
•1″ piece fresh ginger
•1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (2 tablespoons makes a fairly spicy kim chee; use more or less to taste)

Chop cabbage, bok choy, and green onions coarsely and put in large bowl. Mix in daikon, carrot, and salt. Work the ingredients, pressing and smashing with the end of a rolling pin or back of a wooden spoon. This step will help the cabbage release its juices. The bulk of the greens will reduce by about half as you work it. Set greens aside; mince the garlic and ginger and stir into the cabbage along with the pepper flakes. Transfer mixture to a half gallon jar, pushing the greens down until they’re covered by juices. It will not look like you have much juice, but when you smash the ingredients down into the jar, you’ll be surprised. If the solid ingredients are not entirely covered by juices, top it off with a bit of filtered water. Cover jar with a loose cloth. Let sit at room temperature for a day, then cover and refrigerate.


This is what I did last night: 



1 head napa cabbage
1 head bok choy
3 onions sliced
1 carrot shredded
1.5 Tablespoons course kosher salt
2 cloves of elephant garlic
1/2 cup ginger bug
1 teaspoon red pepper powder
3 dried guajillo chilies - I dump most of the seeds out and don't use them in the kim chee.

Chop everything in large pieces. Put in in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Stir it up every half hour or so mashing everything with the spoon, the idea is to make it wilt and create juice. I let it sit all night in the bowl covered with plastic wrap, stirring occasionally when I walk by it. The next morning I put it in a large glass jar and pressed down to cover all the veggies in juice. Some people leave it alone at this point. I don't, I stir it every day. You can put a lid and an airloc on it at this point but I usually cover it loosely with plastic wrap leaving a space for it to breath. Leave it out for about 5 days until you see it bubble and all the veggies have turned a bit translucent.  Pack into smaller jars and refrigerate. It's ready to eat at that point but it will stay in the fridge for up to a year (or so I am told anyway, ours would never last that long).


Other ingredients I have added the past:

radishes
raw ginger in place of the ginger bug
a Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
cauliflower
6 cloves regular garlic in place of the elephant garlic

Day 3 of the Kim Chee.

When I opened it today I could hear it working. Notice the vegetables are becoming more clear. There is more liquid and it smells a bit raw. You can see that the red pepper powder has dissolved into the liquid. Keep stirring daily.
Traditionally the Koreans would put this in a dark covered jar and bury it for a month then dig it up and eat it.... yum!

Day 7 of the Kim Chee

You can see how transparent the vegetables have become. I put it in quart jars and put them in the fridge today.

Note: I started another batch of Kim Chee and it did not come to this state of fermentation as quickly as this batch did. The only thing I can think of that would cause this was the ginger bug I used. On the next batch I used fresh ginger instead. I remember reading to give your Kim Chee a kick start you can use a ferment in process such as the ginger bug or even a bit of whey left over from making yogurt.

So, while I am in the fermenting mood I went ahead and started a jar of Sauerkraut. It's an even simpler recipe.

1 med. head cabbage cut/shredded fine
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Cut cabbage, sprinkle salt and begin kneading the mixture with your hands until it becomes moist.

I was pleasantly surprised that after I kneaded and pushed I had managed to get the whole head of cabbage into one quart jar.
I did put an airloc on it because sauerkraut tends to make the house smell a bit weird (who tooted?). We will check on its progress as we go but it will have to sit for about 30 days before it finishes it's process.  

Photos by Kirsten Hughes Photography

DePauw, Indiana

Dry Onion Soup Mix

Dry Onion Soup

and The Farm 

I have been a "from scratch" girl since I began cooking. I was raised by my grandparents who lived through the depression and that made an imprint on their daily responses to life.

To the right is a picture of My Grandparents: Mary and Seymour.

The Great Depression era can be divided into two parts. The initial decline lasted from mid-1929 to mid-1931. Around mid-1931, there was a change in people’s expectations about the future of the economy. This fear of reduced future income coupled by the Fed’s deflationary monetary policy resulted in a Mundell–Tobin effect. This further depressed the economy until Roosevelt stepped into office in 1933 and ended the gold standard, thereby ending the deflationary policy.

One of imprints was a "make it yourself" attitude.
In my recent daily living I have come across a lot of recipes requiring Onion Soup Powder. My day to day quest to "live closer to the vine" thought process doesn't let me "buy" this type of product. I would love to tell you this is my Grandmothers recipe but it isn't, I will share some of Grandmas recipes as we go along. I have gone through recipes and adapted them into the following one:


1 cup dried minced onions
6 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon (the original recipes use beef, feel free to do that)
2 Tablespoons (or 2 wrapped squares) Chicken Tomato Bouillon
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper.


Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Making sure all of the bouillon chunks are broken up and incorporated with the other ingredients. Pour into a half pint jar and cover. Makes almost 1 1/2 cups.

The purchased Onion Soup Mix envelopes contains 4 ounces of mix. A slightly heaping Tablespoon of this mix is about one half ounce. I would probably use 7 to 8 Tablespoon to a recipe calling for one envelope.

Most of the recipes I have seen lately are calling for one Tablespoon of the mix, which would leave an open envelope in your cupboard. Aren't you glad you put this in a nice tightly covered jar?








Kirsten Mia


Photos by Kirsten Hughes Photography

Salted Caramel

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
6 T butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Set out the butter and heavy cream for a bit to come up to room temperature.

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.







Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir.

Be careful not to burn it at this point.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while whisking. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.









Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.

Cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe.




Kirsten Mia



Photographs by Kirsten Hughes Photography
You can find more of her work here:
http://kirstenhughes.photoshelter.com/archive.

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