COLORFUL VIOLET JELLY | Inviting Nature On Your Scone

This amazing violet jelly recipe is colorful and tastes amazing on your scone. We have the honor to have our good friend K.A.K. Lecky share her floral kitchen skills with us in this guest post on how to make this wonderful violet jelly.

Violet jelly has a delicate floral flavor and a beautiful color. What better way to celebrate spring than by enjoying this amethyst jelly on scones, cakes, and more?

Violets are among the first wildflowers to appear in the spring forest and thus they begin my foraging season.  There are two main varieties of wild violets that grow nearby: Viola odorata, commonly known as sweet violet, wood violet, or English violet that grows in the woodland, and Viola sororia, or common blue-violet.

The forests I forage in I care for year-round, cleaning trash out of the woods and river multiple times a week.  This is my small way of thanking the forest for her many gifts.  When I forage, I’m careful to always take less than half, so that plenty of blossoms remain for bees and other creatures.  

“When I forage, I’m careful to always take less than half, so that plenty of blossoms remain for bees and other creatures.”

Keep in mind that spring is a time of awakening for many creatures, so always tread carefully.  If you’re venturing into undergrowth etc., tap the ground with a large stick to let creatures know where you are and where you’re going.  Snakes have poor hearing, but they can feel vibrations in the ground and will get out of the way if they feel you coming.  Refrain from foraging next to roads, anywhere dogs relieve themselves, or where poison ivy/poison oak grow through the plant (the oils are in the leaves and may transfer to flowers).  

Violet Jelly Recipe

To make the violet tea:

1. Forage violet blossoms, being sure always to take less than half so that plenty remains for bees and other creatures. (Refrain from foraging next to roads, anywhere dogs relieve themselves, or where poison ivy grows through the plant.)
      
2. Pinch green ends from flowers or remove with a paring knife.
      
3. Fill a pint jar with blossoms (as many as will fit) and fill to the brim with boiling water. Let steep for 1-7 days in the fridge.
      
4. Strain out blossoms.
      
5. Strain tea 2-3 times through either muslin or paper towels.

Note: tea (with blossoms strained out) can be stored in the fridge for up to a week if you don’t have time to make the jelly right away.

To make the Jelly:

Ingredients:

4c. violet tea

4T. lemon juice

8c. sugar

6oz. Liquid pectin (2 pouches)

Instructions:

1. Wash all jars and lids, then boil in a processing pot/Dutch oven for 10 minutes to sterilize.
   
2. Combine tea and lemon juice in a large pot.  This will turn the deep blue tea a beautiful purple as the lemon juice alters the pH of the tea.   Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
      
3. Add sugar. When boiling again, add liquid pectin.
      
4. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Ladle into prepared jars, then process for 10 minutes.

About the author and where to find her:

K. A. K. Lecky is a Norwegian-American illustrator and author that we had the privilege to interview earlier.
ARCTIC ARTWORK | K.A.K. Lecky Illustrator Interview

You can find her on Instagram and see more of her beautiful work at kakleckyillustration.com.

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