Violets! Edible and Medicinal Spring Flowers - Identification and Description Early Blue Violet

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In this video I describe how to identify violets which are edible and medicinal. There are a lot of different species of wild violets and all are edible. I also specifically describe early blue violets - Viola adunca which is a specific species of violet. Violets bloom in the spring and are one of the first wild edible plants that grow in the spring. If you want to confirm you have wild violets, this should help!
Early Blue Violet - Viola adunca AKA Western Dog Violet and Hookedspur Violet
Also discussed is all violets - Viola spp.
Violet Distribution
Violets are found all across North America, and all species of violet are edible. Pansies are also a type of violet and are also edible.
Violet Flowers
Early blue violets are blue to deep violet with 5 petals. The lower petals are often white at the base with purple veins. The lowest pedal has a spur at its base.
Identifying All Violet Flowers
There are lots of different species of violet all over North America, and the flowers can be used to identify all the different violet species, viola spp. The flowers are at the top of a long thin unbranched stem called a peduncle. Along the peduncle are two tiny reduced leaves. The peduncle is J shaped with a curve near the top where the flower is. The flowers have five petals, and the bottom petal has an enlarged sack at the back of it.
Early Blue Violet Leaves
The leaves of early blue violet are generally ovel to heart shaped with finely round-toothed edges.
Violet Distribution
Violets are common in many habitats such as grasslands, moist meadows, open woods, lawns, and disturbed grounds.
Edible Violets
All upper portions of violets are edible. This includes the flowers, leaves and stems. They are rich in vitamin A and C. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw as a trail nibble, added to salads, cooked as a potherb or or used as a thickener in soups and stews. The flowers can be used as garnishes, to make syrups and jams, and the leaves and flowers have been fermented to make wine.
Medicinal Violets
Violet tea can be taken to sooth digestive and respiratory tract issues. It can also be used for dry asthma, bronchitis, and whooping cough. It can reliev constipation and increase urination to remove deposits and sooth urinary tract infections. Gargles made from thje syrup can reliev sore throats and coughs. Violet leaves soaked in hot weater and drained have been applied to sores and wounds as a poultice and to treat all sorts of skins conditions such as rashes, wounds, and eczema.
Violet Tea
Violet tea can be made by pouring boiling water over a handful of leaves and letting it cool. This violet tea is said to give restful sleep, moderate anger, and be a mild laxative.
Good luck foraging for violet this spring! It is an early edible to forage in the spring months.
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Thayer, Samuel. Incredible Wild Edibles - 36 plants that can change your life. Forager's Harvest. 2017.

[@rawdaaljawhary4174]

Beautiful flowers and family! Thank you very much for sharing this information in a fun, approachable, clear way.

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

You're welcome! Thank you, too!

[@TREEfool]

"Are you sick and tired of beautiful flowers growing on your lawn?" 😂 Just saying thank you for this. ~fellow foraging KZbinr...

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Haha! Thanks for noticing the joke and watching! I often wonder if anybody notices my cheesy jokes.

[@TREEfool]

@@OkanaganGardenerandForager Absolutely. It's refreshing to meet someone who sees plants for what they are and not something to be drowned in chemicals.

[@robertawalsh2995]

I bake violets and rose petals into shortbread cookies. Either flower can be dried and kept for use in winter baking.

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Sounds great! Thank you!

[@marnieburton2943]

Thank you for the wonderfully informative video, also a calming voice which was easy to listen to and thank you to Adam, he did a great job too! How fun! This reminds me, as a kid my grandmother told me a story, as we ate the petals, about a tired pollinator soaking their feet in the tub from a day of hard work 😂 she was the best of the grandmas honestly, and if you look closely at the sack😅 I wish I could remember her words to the story. Miss you, Grandma ❤️ till we meet again❤️

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

You're welcome! Thank you for this beautiful comment! Such a sweet story!

[@greenadina4762]

I love making tea out of these! So fun when you ad a bit of lemon!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! That sounds good!

[@MountainTopher]

They taste sweet purple

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

I agree!

[@LH-zw7dg]

Love violets! And so do my chickens

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Excellent! I love the way they look in the lawn, too!

[@kadenbrewer310]

Fantastic descriptive video on violets, my dude! Your voice is freaking amazing, too! You sound like a character named Jim from an earlier 2000's cartoon called Mission Hill.

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! I don't know who that is, but it sounds like a pretty nice compliment!

[@kadenbrewer310]

@@OkanaganGardenerandForager I do promise that it's a compliment! He has to be my favorite character in that entire series. Here's a clip on how he sounds, if you are interested. :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWSmkol_mK6co80

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

@@kadenbrewer310 OK! Thank you!

[@cs-nw6ug]

those are some really nice patches of violets, i'm pretty sure they would make the heights wuther

[@kergenmerrill]

thank you you changed my prospective on what i thought was a pesky weed

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Oh, that's cool! Thank you, too!

[@maggietaylor4002]

Soo cute❤❤❤

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you!

[@Mc.Scrumpy]

They make the best syrup too

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Good call. Thank you!

[@dallen4482]

I’ve been wondering what they were! Thanks for the info!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

You're welcome! I'm glad it helped!

[@GinaJonesStillettoQueen]

Same

[@tracymaysmith7894]

Thanks for the info. Great ID

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you, too! I'm glad it you liked it!

[@NP7_16]

Yes i love their sweet smell Ones in my area have a spicy kick! Great video, nice canada man

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it and thanks for commenting!

[@SetApet.x]

some much benefits..thanks you and your strong son for this information 💪🏿☀️

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

You're welcome and thank you, too!

[@deborahrohl7690]

Growing notes please ❤ them.

[@SetApet.x]

wooow

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you!

[@Reminiscingdays]

I just when on my back yard and got it and eating it. I saw only 7

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Nice!

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

How would one tell the difference between this violet and Viola odorata? They look super similar to me, and I think I have the former already in my yard but I want to replace it with the native one.

[@mountainmamanirvana31]

I just collected a bunch to dry. I will make a simple syrup 😋

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Good luck! I hope it goes well!

[@emmalee478]

Snow? In April?!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

I know! Ridiculous!

[@greenweeaboo8924]

Aren’t those the flowers from black panther?

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

I don't know. I haven't seen it. Could be!

[@celestelee8425]

Called my kid a peduncle. Super offended 😆

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Haha! I think I should try that one out, too!

[@rosecottagegarden]

Awesome! I'll eat my weeds from now on. Lol !😅

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Haha! I do quite a bit of that!

[@rosecottagegarden]

@@OkanaganGardenerandForager thank you for sharing!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

@@rosecottagegarden you're welcome! Thank you, too!

[@Tha_girlizzy]

I used to eat these as a kid but out of nowhere they stop growing 😢

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Hopefully you will find some more!

[@KeoKim-b5y]

Can we smoke the leaf?

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

I haven't heard of that or tried it myself, so I can't say for sure. Sorry!

[@marciajohnston5669]

God gives us what we need! Jesus Christ gets all the glory

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you!

[@BernardvonSchulmann]

not sure I like the cold open

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

My boys like the old intro better. I thought it was time for a change, but I don't know!

[@BernardvonSchulmann]

@@OkanaganGardenerandForager A new intro, sure. A new one for each growing season. The intro is a good way to settle into the video, it does not need to be long

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! Something to work on I think.

[@pn1831]

It was funny