I have been writing about dandelion and lilac, but there is another widely overlooked edible flower which pops up in the spring: violet.
I remember going to the local forest with my parents as a child, back in the days when entertainment options were very limited (ours was a world without computers or cellphones 🙂 ) We would spend most our spare time in nature, foraging, telling stories along the way, bathing in the spring sunshine. 
This was the time when I learned about wild edible greens, and my fascination with the delicate violets began. I would collect them along with stinging nettle, dandelion and pilewort (Ficaria verna) and we would bring back home bunches of fragrant greenness, ready to be used in spring dishes or for decorating our cold and impersonal apartment. Nowadays, these plants are considered weeds, invasive, and their elimination is recommended. As for me, I continue to cherish them and the associated memories, and I continue to raise awareness of their nutritional benefits and culinary uses, to the best of my abilities.
So, what can you make with violets? A salad, maybe? Absolutely 🙂 The spring-inspired salad below features mixed greens, bell peppers, croutons, and homegrown sprouts, chives, and edible flowers. We started growing sprouts recently, and this was my very first use of them. Sooo delicious!
Plenty of freshly grated parmesan – and dinner is ready! The aromatic beauty of the violets in combination with the crunchy freshness of the mixed greens and the nutty texture of the sprouts makes up an irresistible combination, perfect to pack your heart with spring. Nothing like the feeling of joy when the sky is sunny, the grass is green, and you can finally take pics of edible flowers outside 🙂
Sometimes, I like to have salad for dinner, a simple reward at the end of a busy day, when I don’t feel like putting together an elaborate meal for myself. It’s these small variations that pack life with unexpected meanings and charmed beauty, imo.
Extensive accounts of violets and of their medicinal and culinary uses can be found here and here.
Do you use edible flowers in your cooking? And do you have a favorite use of violets? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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