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opened hand holding a purple violet
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Violet Jelly

Contributed by Diane Rhoads, Violet Jelly is a low-sugar cooked jelly made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Diane, who lives in Sprague, WA, got the idea for this jelly when she saw Chrissy Hyde’s recipe for Rose Petal Jelly.
Diane says: “I followed the rose petal jelly recipe exactly except I used 3 cups of lightly packed fresh violets, including the bit of green the petals are attached to. The liquid steeped from the flowers is a bluish purple but changes to a pink when the lemon juice is added due to the change in pH.
“I got the violets from my lawn! Some people may consider them a weed but I love the way they smell. I make tea and syrup from the flowers as well as jelly. One important note: these are NOT the same as African violets commonly grown as house plants.”
Servings 5 cups

Ingredients

  • 4½ cups hot not boiling water
  • 3 cups of lightly packed fresh violets including the bit of green the petals are attached to
  • 3½ teaspoons calcium water see step #1
  • ½ cup lemon juice bottled
  • 1¾ cups sugar
  • 3½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener

Instructions

  • Before you begin, prepare calcium water.
    To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.
    Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
  • Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
  • Rinse 3 cups of lightly packed violet flowers and drain. Put drained flowers into a sauce pan or heat proof bowl with lid.
  • Boil water and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before pouring over the violets. Cover and allow the violets to steep for 20 minutes.
  • Using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, drain and discard the violets, reserving the infused water.
  • Measure 4 cups of infused water into a sauce pan. (If necessary, add extra water to meet this measurement.)
  • Add calcium water and lemon juice, and mix well.
  • Measure sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sugar. Set aside.
  • Bring mixture in sauce pan to a full boil. Add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jelly comes back up to a boil. Once the jelly returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
  • Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
  • Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
  • Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.