Wild edibles: Common blue violets (2024)

FAQs

Wild edibles: Common blue violets? ›

Edible Use

The leaves and flowers of the common blue violet, along with many other species, are edible and medicinal.

Yes, Violets Are Edible

As with many of our spring herbs, she arrives right when needed. Violets are found all over North America. This perennial herb loves to grow in hedgerows, fields, gardens, and woodland edges.

Our most tender treatise on violet: how to find, forage, prepare, and use violet as an edible and medicinal herb. Violet is a cooling and moistening remedy beneficial for seasonal cleansing, respiratory infections, and stimulating the lymph (an essential component of our immune systems).

While the flower is unique and easy to identify, violet leaves can appear similarly to the toxic plant lesser celandine.

Historically, violets have been used for both food and medicine. Medicinal uses have included treatment of the common cold, headache, cough, sore throat and constipation. Nutritionally, a half cup of violet leaves are reported to contain as much vitamin C as three oranges. Both flowers and leaves are edible.

Wild Violets are safe to eat! Do make sure you correctly identify any and all plants that you forage before eating them. Violets are often used as a garnish on wedding cakes or other desserts. Flowers can be crystallized with sugar or used on their own.

Harvesting wild violet

Beginning foragers should only harvest the flowers of the violet. Leaves are edible but because the leaves are easily confused with other non-edible plants it is important to stick with the sure bet if you are unfamiliar with violets and their look-alikes.

Wild violets can be beneficial for your lawn and local ecosystem. The flowers provide valuable resources for pollinators like bees and butterflies. The glossy, heart-shaped leaves are attractive and fill in patchy areas of excess moisture or shade where grass has trouble growing.

To prepare, fill a Mason jar to the top with violets. Once filled, pour vodka over the flowers until they are submerged. Put a lid on the jar and shake daily for several days, up to one week. Strain and store in amber glass dropper bottle in a dark place.

How to use common blue violet? ›

The leaves of the common blue violet have wide applicability in the kitchen: They can be used as a substitute for just about any leafy green, whether they're eaten raw or cooked. You can incorporate them into salads or sandwiches, or steam or sauté them for any number of dishes.

Tips for Cooking With Violets

Eat them raw: These delicate beauties don't cook well and are better served raw. Clip as much as you can of the green stem end of the blossom without making the petals fall off. If that happens anyway, just trim off the petals to create a violet-colored confetti on your dish.

Many foragers and herbalists avoid eating or using yellow violets, because they may contain a higher amounts of natural plant compounds (saponins) that makes them taste bitter, and which can upset your stomach.

The flowers and leaves are edible, and some sources suggest the roots can also be eaten. The Cherokee have used it to treat colds and headaches.

To tell them apart, look closely at the leaves. If they're heart-shaped with sawtooth-like serrations on the edges, then it's probably wild violet. The leaves of Creeping Charlie have a more pronounced scalloped edge. Another good hint: the leaves of Creeping Charlie smell like mint if you crush them.

Main Types of Violets

Sweet violets prefer partial shade and well-drained, moist soil. Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia): This native North American species has heart-shaped leaves and blue-purple flowers. Common blue violets can be found in meadows and woodlands and are suitable for naturalizing in a garden setting.

Most violets and pansies are edible, including the violet, purple, blue, white ones and the multi-coloured ones. Though it seems that the yellow varieties are best left alone as they can cause stomach upsets.

While it's true that some plants are no-nos for your furry friends, Common Blue Violets don't fall into that category. Rest easy; your dog's impromptu garden snack likely won't lead to an emergency vet trip.