The Not So Shrinking Violet

Yesterday I emerged from my sunday morning lie-in to be greeted by a trio of cavorting canines, who, having spotted that I wasn't dressed for the office, naturally assumed it was "walkies" time.

So I donned my fleece, my coat, thermal gloves, warm hat and woolly scarf and stepped out into the coldest, most bitterly ear-biting weather I've experienced for a long time.

violets in a grass verge february 2013

30 yards or so down the road I was greeted by a cluster of tiny purple faces peeping out of the grass.  The wild violets in the roadside verge beside our church were defying the weather and blooming prettily to cheer up anyone brave enough to be out of doors on such an inhospitable day.

The dog violet, the most widespread of the wild violets is a food source for the frittilary butterfly and takes pride of place underneath the copper beech hedge in my garden.   I didn't plant it there, it just arrived, and I'm very glad it did.

As soon as I arrived home, I delved into my enormous pile of wild flower books and found my copy of "The Weeders Digest" by Gail Harland.  Where I discovered to  my delight, that violet flowers are edible.

The Romans, allegedly were partial to a glass of two of violet wine and our medieval ancestors used them to make a kind of a pudding.  Violet flowers can also be sprinkled over chocolate cakes as an edible decoration (NOW you're talking!) or they can be used to make a syrup to pour over ice-cream.  As a small child, my daughter loved to snack on parma violets...I'm guessing that violet syrup would taste similar.

Sadly, there are not enough flowers at the end of the lane to make anything with at the moment...although I'm hoping there will be more blooms when the weather warms up....so here is a recipe to ponder while we wait.

Sweet Violet Syrup
2 cups violet petals
285 ml boiling water
680g sugar

1. put the petals in a glass or china bowl.  Pour the boiling water over the flowers and leave to infuse overnight
2. the next day, strain the water into a saucepan and stir in the sugar.  Bring the liquid to a gentle rolling boil until thick and syrupy.  Bottle in sterile glass jars, and seal.

If you'd like to introduce more wild flowers into your own garden, come and visit the Q Lawns stand E188 at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show from 21-24 March 2013 at the NEC near Birmingham.  Or take a look at www.meadowmat.com/what_is_meadowmat

Wildflower recipe: Achilles' heels

Here's a recipe taken from the book "The Weeders Digest" by Gail Harland

Achilles' heels

serves about 4, approximate cooking time 30 minutes

You will need:

• Large handful of Yarrow leaves
• 6 spring onions, chopped
• 30g butter
• 200g potato, boiled and mashed with a splash of milk
• oil to fry patties

How to make your achilles' heels

1. boil the leaves in salted water for 10 minutes then drain
2. fry the spring onions and drained leaves in the butter for a few minutes, then add to the mashed potato and mix thoroughly
3. form into small patties and fry until golden.  serve with thick rashers of grilled back bacon

Haven't tried this yet but I absolutely adore bubble and squeak so I think I'll love achilles' heels.

Please please please try this recipe and let me know what you think of it by posting a comment.  I'll try it out on my husband without telling him he's eating weeds, and then I'll let you know if he complains or if he asks for more.

The Beauty of Yarrow

Yarrow, botanical name Achillea millefolium, is a stunning native plant that is useful in the hedgerow, the meadow and indeed the herbaceous border. The value of yarrow is not just in its beautiful flower heads and the way it attracts bees and butterflies, but, believe it or not, for it's healing powers.

Yarrow, shown here in the foreground has divided leaves
and flat white (or pink) flower heads

How to recognise Yarrow

Yarrow has flat heads of many white or pink flowers and blooms throughout the summer and often well into the autumn.  It thrives throughout the UK and you'll find it in rough grassland, road verges and hedgerows.  The leaves are distinctive - they have many many lacy fronds...hence the name millefolium which translates as thousand leaves.

If the leaves are crushed, they smell a bit like crysanthemums.

We've included Yarrow in the seed mix for Meadowmat because it tolerates mowing well, flowers happily for most of the summer and provides a valuable source of nectar throughout the summer. 

Uses for Yarrow

Our Production Manager, Robert, is famous in the office for eating almost anything...even my cooking but I wonder if he realises that yarrow is edible.....It can either be eaten raw in a salad or boiled for 10 minutes before being fried in butter.  I might let Robert try that before I indulge.

The "Achillea" part of yarrow's latin name is a reference to the classical hero Achilles who apparantly used yarrow to staunch bleeding on the battle fields of Troy and I'm led to believe it can also be used as a herbal remedy for problems with circulation.  Hmmm, I might have to give it a try this winter to see if it can help me avoid chilblains.  

Yarrow tea, is said to be a traditional remedy for the common cold.  Just infuse some fresh or dried yarrow leaves in boiling water for a few minutes then remove them from the water and serve the hot drink with a slice of lemon or lime.

Jennifer and Jemima, my buff orpington hens

But this is the yarrow application I'm most keen to try and I have two little helpers all lined up to assist with the experiment.  Rumour has it, that if you place a few pieces of yarrow in the chicken shed, it will help to keep fleas and mites at bay.  So tonight, before Jennifer and Jemima go to bed, I'll be cutting some yarrow stems from my Meadowmat patch and slipping them into the nest boxes.  Watch this space and I'll let you know if it works or not.