Violet Sugar

I have limited memories of my grandmother. Close to none at all. She passed away when I was very little, but I have flashes of her holding my hand as we walked through the backyard at my childhood home. I think most memories I have of her are concocted from stories, but aren’t most memories like that anyway? I think of her in the spring when the woodland violets come out. The yard at our house explodes in a carpet of purple and white and my mother comments on how every year my grandmother would make sugared violets. Each year I say I’m going to attempt this feat and each year I don’t pull my act together before the violets have passed.

I often lament the food traditions that have gotten lost with time. Things that take a whole day in the kitchen. Labors of love. Portuguese trutas, beach plum jelly, sugared violets. In some ways we value food like never before. At the supermarket the other day I overheard the manager talking about the ever expanding organic aisle. The demand for real food is high and restaurants that use whole, local, organic ingredients are booming. There is a return to the home chef as well and I am lucky enough to have some incredible cooks in my life who can whip up a gourmet meal in their kitchen, spending hours perfecting a recipe. However, for the rest of us, it seems life is moving so fast. It is so full of plans and people and, while wonderful, it is hard to carve out an entire weekend or even a day to make something as sweet and seemingly frivolous as sugared violets.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have aspirations of making these sweet confections one year and then making some mind blowing chocolate cupcakes to put them on. Have I mentioned that I make the best chocolate ginger cupcakes? However, this is not the year, but I did utilize the sweet little flowers in a way that will allow me to use them all season long. Not sugared violets, but violet sugar! This is another one of those cool old fashioned recipes and once you hear how easy it is and all the ways you can use it you will be rushing out for a woodland walk to forage for these little sweeties.

One of the best parts about this is that gathering violets is a great way to keep a toddler entertained for an afternoon. There will be a little more cleaning involved for you, but they’ll love it. Outside time, a kitchen project, a little chemistry (wait for it) and a sweet treat? Yeah I just planned your whole Saturday, you’re welcome.

If you haven’t seen it before, violet sugar is a brilliant purple decorating sugar made from blending sugar and violets (I guess that was pretty self explanatory). It has a very subtle floral flavor so it won’t mess up an established recipe, only elevate it. It’s beautiful on top of cupcakes and cookies, it will totally zhush up your table and impress your coffee date, and it makes killer pink lemonade. “Pink?” you say, “I thought you said it was purple.” Get ready for the chemistry part. When mixed with lemons the sugar turns a beautiful shade of pink. Yup, mind blown. At your next garden party (because I know you throw these at least monthly) you can whip out your all natural pink lemonade, no dyes or cranberry juice needed. Done.

I hope you enjoy the instructions below and the jar of sweet violet sugar makes you smile when you see it sitting on your counter. Happy spring.

Violet Sugar

This is less time consuming than sugared violets, but picking the violets and plucking the petals still takes a little time so read through the steps and plan ahead.

Step 1: Take a hike. Or just explore your backyard. These babies are everywhere in the northeast at this time of year. See the picture above if you’re not familiar with what they look like. You only need the petals of the flowers so I recommend gathering just the heads, it will make your life easier. Of course your toddler will probably come back with handfuls of stems, leaves, roots, and dirt and maybe two flowers and that’s cool too. Try to take them from a broad area not totally clearing out any one spot. By doing this not only will you leave some to continue to enjoy, but you’ll also ensure they come back next year. You want around 4 large tablespoons of petals per half a cup of sugar.

I also recommend snagging a few for a bud vase on your window sill.

Step two: Wash the violets well. I have found that a sifter works best, but a normal colander works fine too if your toddler has stolen your sifter and hidden it somewhere in the house. Who was it who recommended I leave a few cabinets with no child lock so they can explore? I’d like a word with you.

Step 3: Dry the violets with paper towel and pluck the petals off the flower heads. You want only the purple petals left behind.

Step 4: I recommend measuring your petals first and basing the sugar off of that. The basic ratio is 4 tablespoons per ½ cup of sugar, but you can experiment a little to get the color you desire. Start with less sugar and add more if needed. Place violets and sugar in a food processor and blend until the the petals have colored the sugar. Blend longer if you want a smoother more evenly colored sugar. Personally I like a few bigger flecks of the petals in my sugar. If the consistency is too wet add more sugar.

Step 5: Turn the oven on for one minute and then turn it off. You want the oven just barely warm. Put the sugar on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and leave in the oven for one hour or more. I left it there while we went out on a date night and it was perfect by the time we got back.

Step 6: Last step! Throw in the food processor one more time to break up the clumps. Store in a airtight jar in a cool dark place and you can use this for up to 6 months! The color will fade a little with time, but still be beautiful.