Today’s plant o’ the day is sweet violet. I’ve never grown sweet violet myself; not on purpose anyhow (I had a bunch at a place I moved into) but I’d like to. I’ve reads up on it and I’ve used sweet violets from other folks yards for cool stuff, and wouldn’t mind trying some of its other uses, of which there are many.

GROWING CONDITIONS: Sweet violet can be grown in semi-shade, good if you don’t have a full sun garden plot but does need rich and moist soil. According to a couple of books I’ve read, sweet violet is easy …read more

I enjoy adding edible flowers to my food, as a garnish, or as a part of the dish. I have another little trick I like to use when I’m using flowers for sweet dishes like cakes or cupcakes. I use a little sugar to candy the flowers.
Making candied flowers does two things, it helps preserve the flower so it will last longer, and it adds a sweet flavor to the flower itself.
A couple of my favorite flowers to candy are violets and lilacs. Since I’m making some candied flowers for some cupcakes I’m making this weekend I thought I’d capture …read more