Spring Roller Coaster...

          ...Stiff winds gusted through winter weary Barberton as the temperatures climbed from the teens to the seventies.  For two days we basked in the teaser to spring.  Mountains of ice and snow were disappearing as rain and warm air whisked away most of the nasty reminders of this harsh winter. All I could think of was pots of little green herbs and bowls of spring flowers everywhere.  But, alas, it is too soon for such joy.  Le Petiit Jardin will have to snooze a little while longer.  Our usual Ohio weather is still on its maddening roller coaster ride as the temperatures return to their cold downward spiral.  Mostly, it is soggy.  Between the ice mountains melting and the copious pre-spring rains saturating the grounds everywhere, it is more a time of rubber boots and pontoon boats than for spring gardening rituals.  I am just eager to get to the real gardening stuff.  For now, I will busy myself with collecting containers for plants and bags of potting soil.  Spray painting garden decorations has been tickling the back of my mind.  But that will be for drier times. Currently I have been pouring over all my gardening magazines and herb books for inspiration,   Much tea has been consumed in the process, but no cookies were munched.  I need cookies! 

         Spring officially begins on March 22nd, though what sort of weather we shall see is anybody's guess.  Violet is the official Herb Of the Year.  I hope to have planting bowls of violets, pansies, and violas in celebration of that herb choice.  It was glorious to be able to open windows to air out my apartment even if it was only for two days. Plans for crafting with the violets and pansies are already gelling in my mind.  The thought of pansies stirs my first gardening memories of always giving my mother pansies for Mothers day.  "You plant them for me," she would always say.  I was the one with the green thumb.  Perky Polly was the kiss of death to anything green and living.  It took me many years to come to that realization.  Nonetheless, I always gave her pansies for Mothers Day. 

         This is the time to prepare for making violet syrup.  Last year I let the short season get by me before I could make any syrup. I hope to get a jump on that this year. Candying the dear blossoms will hopefully be part of the fun with both violets and pansies.  The thought of delightful little tea cakes adorned with violets and pansies definitely boosts me out of winter hibernation. 

                                                        VIOLET SIMPLE SYRUP                                                                                

                                        1 cup lightly packed violet flowers                                                                                                           1 cup water                                                                                                                                              1 cup granulated white sugar                                                                                                               *If your water is "hard" (alkaline), add a few drops                                                                                        of lemon juice. Distilled water is a better solution. 

         Be sure to pinch off at top of the violet stems as you gather your violets. Place the violets into a  canning jar and pour boiling water over the flowers.  Cover the jar and let it sit for 24 hours.  After the 24 wait, pour the liquid into a pot, straining out the flowers.  Add the sugar and heat the infused violet liquid until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the lemon juice before cooling the syrup and store the syrup in the refrigerator. 

        Some of the uses of violet simple syrup are with ice cream by add in 2 or 3 tablespoons to vanilla ice cream.  To color and flavor cup cake batter replace the recipe liquid with violet simple syrup.  Drizzling the syrup over fruit                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               So far, it has been too cold for any violets to show.  At this point I have no photos to display the purple delight of violets, but that will come soon enough. Even the chubby groundhog is showing disappointment that nothing much is really showing itself in Le Petit Jardin.  Soon, I keep telling myself as I repeatedly check to see if anything is greening up yet.  Lemon balm is quite full already and some of the thyme is beginning to come to life.  It won't be much longer and I will have some pansies and violets to start off in containers.  Pots of pansies and violas are starting to appear at the garden stores.  I would like to think that I will have some of those cheery plants by Easter.  Certainly I will have tea by then...and cookies, of course!