I was wandering around the garden in the first week of August, something I rarely find time for any more, which saddens me, as I love my garden and I love being outdoors.
As I rounded the corner, past the spring bulb bed, trying to ignore the weeds, my attention was immediately drawn to a dark space where there was a carpet of flowering violets, and a few snowflakes in bloom as well. Memories of my late mum, our family home, and my childhood came flooding back, and the snowflakes brought memories of my Gran. Let me share a little of my memories with you.
You see, when I was a child, we did not have fancy plumbing, there was absolutely no hot running water. Yes, we did have a bathroom with a bath and basin, but planning was required when baths were to be taken. Water was originally heated in a wood-fired hopper, so of course, that would need to be fired up, water heated and then the hot water carted to the bathroom. Then dad bought a fancy electric hopper to heat water for bath time – what a treat, it was set up at the end of the bath and had a little tap on it so that the hot water could be poured directly into the bath. Then when the little black stove in the kitchen was replaced with a second-hand combustion stove, a hot water system was installed, where water was heated via pipes that ran through the wood-fired stove – luxury on two fronts, a new (ish) fancy stove and running hot water in the kitchen and the bathroom. Finally, when the wood-fired stove was replaced with an electric stove, an electric hot water system was installed. (I believe that this is the order that everything occured but this is taking my memory back 60 years!)
Back to the bathroom… it was situated on the southern side of the home and the plumbing was, what I would call, rustic, with water from the bath and basin piped to the garden immediately along the bathroom wall, this is where our mum grew violets, and they thrived in the damp shade. When in bloom, mum would carefully pick little bunches, arranging them with the violets in the middle, surrounded by carefully selected, emerald green, sweetheart shaped violet leaves. They were always set in the same little crystal vase on the kitchen bench near the window. They were beautiful.
Our family home in 2014 – Always a home full of love.
So when I spotted the beautiful carpet of violets with a few snowflakes on the edge, I stopped and spent a little time reflecting and reminiscing about our beautiful mum, our family home, and our Gran, as I picked a little bunch to bring inside and enjoy.
As I continued through the day, every time my eye caught the little vase of flowers that I had picked, my memories continued.
This is a little piece about the meaning and symoblism associated with this beautiful little flower, that I have selected to share with you, from a piece ‘A Little Love for Violets‘ by Ann H Gabhart (21 April 2021)
“Common violet flower meanings include innocence, everlasting love, modesty, spiritual wisdom, faithfulness, mysticism, and remembrance. There are several legends about the violets. One with a Christian background is that violets symbolize the Virgin Mary’s humility and the flowers blossomed when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a baby even though she was a virgin.” (https://www.annhgabhart.com/2021/04/21/a-little-love-for-violets/)
Then another beautiful violet memory come forward – taking me back to France in October 2013. As Gary and I wandered along the Canal du Midi in Toulouse, there, anchored beside the walking path, was a beautiful barge, La Maison de la Violette, a floating shop dedicated to all things violets. Of course I just had to go in for a little peek – I actually still have some of the product that I purchased on that day, I did use a little, but it is more about nostalgia now given how old it is.
I have used violets to make flavoured sugar, violet jelly and violet vinegar, but we just don’t really use most of these goodies, so don’t bother to make most of them any more. However, I do use the vinegar, and regularly use fresh and dried edible violet flowers to dress up cakes, tarts, salads, dip plates and in teas.
Some ideas for using fresh violets in the kitchen – of course they are perfect for decorating cakes, tarts, pavlovas etc., but you can also try folding the petals of violets through whipped cream and then use the cream to join meringues together, or to fill a sponge. Add violets to salads, open sandwiches and use them to pretty-up dip platters, or freeze the pretty flowers in ice cubes for summer drinks and cocktails… Dehydrate the flowers and leaves and use to make tea or tea blends. Oh, and violet condiments pair beautifully with white meats.
- ½ - ¾ cup violet flowers (viola odorata) also known as sweet violets, wild violets, or woodland violets
- 1 cup white wine or champagne vinegar
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Half fill the glass jar with freshly picked violet flowers, approximately ½ - ¾ cup.
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Pour the vinegar over the flowers.
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Seal the jar with a non-reactive lid and place the jar in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks. After this time the flowers will have leached their colour into the vinegar, and the vinegar will have a violet aroma.
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Drain the liquid from the flowers, discard the flowers and pour the violet vinegar into a bottle.
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Seal, date and store in a cool, dark place.
- If the flowers are soiled, gently wash them and lay them out on a tray until the moisture from the water has dried.
- Some people place the jar in direct sunlight, however I choose to place it in a cool dark place, as I do when making tarragon vinegar.
- The color of the vinegar will change with time.
Violets (viola odorata) love rich, fertile, moist soil and a shady position. Once established, and if left alone, they will spread to form a beautiful thick groundcover, just as they have in this area of our garden. They have turned, what I thought to be an ugly area, into an area that gives me a great deal of joy.
What a delight! This beautiful little flower has taken me on a journey from my childhood and memories of loved ones, a delve into the plumbing of the family home, our walk along the Canal du Midi in France, back to our home and into my kitchen! I do hope that you have enjoyed…
Well, I thought that I had finished writing, and then earlier this week, Gary asked me to move my car out of the garage, not such a big thing normally, but… it was the week to put “hard rubbish” out on the nature strip for collection. I happened to take a look to my left as I got out of the car, and there, sitting out the front of the house just a couple of doors down, were two old wheelbarrows. I sheepishly mentioned to Gary that I was going to get them, and there was no questions, so quickly walked down and wheeled the first one up, then returned to get the other. Inside each barrow where a few other treasures – an old dolls pram, minus a wheel, a yellowish-green child’s chair and a rusted pot stand, they come home with me as well.
Again, I had flashbacks of Toulouse, in particular, jardin du Grand-Rond – I can still see the amazing wicker tricycle loaded with pots of, and surrounded by masses of flowers – it was just gorgeous!
My challenge, with the photos and memories from jardin du Grand-Rond, is to make more time for the garden, to position a barrow and maybe something else in the area where the violets grow en masse, add suitable pots of plants, creating a space that will take me back to Toulouse whenever I walk by.
Until next time…
Happy gardening and,
Bon appétit!
Links:
Recipes:
- Meringues
- Mum’s Plain Sponge
- Vinaigre de Violette – Violet Vinegar
- https://www.lamaisondelaviolette.com
- https://www.annhgabhart.com/2021/04/21/a-little-love-for-violets/
What beautiful memories and information. It took me back in time.
Violets have such a beautiful perfume, we don’t see it as much any more as a perfume, only in some gardens.
Your violets are such a beautiful colour and look lovely in a vase.
I look forward to see what you do with the collection you gathered off the nature strip.
Thank you so much, Jan, I just love how a flower, plant or recipe takes on a journey and brings back amazing memories.
Thank you so much for your walk down memory of violets and snowflakes. I too, have similar memories of my Mother’s garden, connected to to these two lovely flowers. My Nan also had violets in her garden but were the lighter mauve ones. As a small child I was taught to pick bunches of these sweet smelling beauties then surround them with the leaves, to place carefully in the crystal vase 🤭
I am so pleased to have taken you on a wander down memory lane, Gayle. Your memories are just beautiful, and such treasures really should be shared.💕