Springtime in Pandemic
This has been a very long winter. Filled with opportunities to rest and connect deeply to the Season of Hermitage. To be like the seeds slumbering in the soil, waiting for the return of our growing season. I have been thinking deeply on living seasonally and how I try to follow the natural cycles of nature. It has been hard during the pandemic. I have experienced times of incredible inspiration/creativity and times of needing to be easy and gentle with myself.
As we pivot from the cold and quiet of Winter, I have been incredibly busy planting, repairing, and getting the Land ready for the upcoming frenetic season. Connecting with people and places I have missed during the time of Quarantine. The website, blog/newsletter, & new products have taken a back seat. I think that is part of living seasonally, too. Knowing when to expend energy in a virtual space and when to get my hands dirty. Knowing when to take time for myself (mental, physical, spiritual) and when to take time for clients and the business.
It is full Spring here in the Southern Appalachians. The fields and forests are alive with foraging bounty. But, some are still feeling the need to venture carefully in this Time of the Plague. I’d like to share an outdoor activity that you can do with friends and family that can allow you to get together, while still maintaining distance if needed or desired.
My theme for Spring of 2021 is: Grace. Giving everyone the space to make their own decisions and determine what they are comfortable doing. Ensuring I am transparent with my own needs/desires, while understanding others may need a little more or less time.
Foraging violets is one of my favorite things to do in early Spring. Violets are native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains and to the Southeast United States. If you have a natural lawn or meadow, you may have blue (or white) violets in your yard. Please ensure your green space is free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers before foraging. Please see our guide on foraging here.
Violets are edible and a fabulous medicinal. The flowers and leaves can be eaten. The leaves can be added to salads, sandwiches, pesto, stir fry or sauteed wild greens. Violet greens can be used in any place you would use spinach.
The flowers can be eaten raw or dried. Added to cakes, muffins, cookies, quiches, scones…honestly anything for a burst of color and very light flavor.
Syrups, vinegar, sugars, and teas are a common use of violet flowers.
I like foraging for violets and drying them for use through out the season. I usually forage a few times in the Spring and even after the flowers are gone, use the leaves until nearly Midsummer. Violets will also return in the Autumn, so if you miss the Spring season, you can prepare for the Fall Forage.
Violets can be used internally or in salves. The medicinal properties are:
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-tumor
Anti-rheumatic
Diuretic
Violets are cooling and moistening, used for:
blood cleanser
respiratory helper (cough/bronchitis)
Inflammation
Cold/Flu
Congestion
Fever
Insomnia
Common Blue Violet among grass & clover
Violets are easy to identify and find. Look for small purple or white and purple flowers. Violets have five flowers and a heart shaped leaf.
If in doubt about your identification, wild violets have a small crook directly behind the flower.
Once you’ve ensured your identification, grab a receptacle (I like using Mason Jars or metal baskets) and fill it up. Invite some friends over and spend a warm afternoon picking violets together.
After you’ve collected your violets, now it’s time to use them. If you want to use them fresh - do so quickly. Within 2 - 4 hours. Violets wilt very quickly.
If unable to use immediately, dry your new bounty. Lay your violets out on a clean window screen with paper spread across or if you have a dehydrator, use the screens with a close mesh or food safe silicone sheets.
Violets will be completely dried within about 48 hours.
Fresh flowers versus dried. Violets shrink down to nearly a quarter of their size after being dried. Store dried violets in an air-tight container. Use within a year.
Happy Foraging!
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